Aslan and The Shack

Job to his little girl: "Beware Jemimah, God is kind in ways that will not fit your mind."–John Piper, The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God

The Shack is still #2 on the New York Times Best-Seller list. And I am among the millions who have read and enjoyed it. William Young has written a page-burner about theodicy and the nature of the Trinity. No small feat.

Job to his little girl: "Beware Jemimah, God is kind in ways that will not fit your mind."–John Piper, The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God

The Shack is still #2 on the New York Times Best-Seller list. And I am among the millions who have read and enjoyed it. William Young has written a page-burner about theodicy and the nature of the Trinity. No small feat.

With unforgettable images Young draws a picture of God’s compassion for a bruised reed of a man who has lost his little girl in a crime of unspeakable violence and murder. The God of all comfort prepares Mack's favorite food in the kitchen. Skips rocks across the lake with him. Wears old flannel shirts. Young takes us deeply inside Mack’s grief and shows how God’s tender, creative soul care heals and restores.

Throughout almost thirty years of rheumatoid arthritis, the wanderings of a prodigal son, and the inevitable conflicts and rejections of the pastorate, Jesus has been a precious friend to me. Lavished me with his tenderness and mercy. Yet in times of deepest sorrow I find the portrait of God that CS Lewis has drawn in Aslan, the lion-King in his fictional world of Narnia, even more comforting than Papa in The Shack. We see Aslan’s playful, gentle, tenderness, romping with the children who ride on his back and nestle in his fur. We see him weep and groan over Narnia’s agonies. But we are continually reminded…"Aslan is not a tame lion." He is wildly unpredictable. His fury destroys the White Witch’s minions. His claws rip Eustace’s dragon-skin clean off. His fearful growls in the dark spur Bree to gallop faster and carry Shasta to safety.

Lewis invites us to think about the wildness of God in a way that enlarges our understanding of his compassion. When I or someone I care about is unjustly wronged or even oppressed, or when the Church is maligned or marginalized, I want a strong, fearful God to fight for us. Fight for his Church. I’m not as eager for God to fight for my heart and my redemption when it involves hurting me. Yet I am learning (again) that ultimately the most compassionate thing God can do for me is to expose the countours of my weakness, selfishness or indifference so that I might change and grow. He’s fairly busy just now.

In Mere Christianity Lewis writes, "God is the only comfort. He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most need to hide from. He is our only possible ally and we have made ourselves His enemies. Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again." One day we will stand before him, overwhelmed by that goodness. Instead of condemning, he welcomes us. Invites us to share his throne and his reign—an act of compassion that makes my mind feel tiny indeed.

If you’ve read The Shack and The Chronicles how do you see the two portraits of God?

PS. Speaking of Lewis, The CS Lewis Foundation only hosts a few conferences each year. One is coming up Oct 29-Nov 1 at Camp Allen near Houston. This year’s theme, Creativity and Community with Lewis and the Inklings will feature a Writer’s Workshop Option. I attended the Oxbridge conference at Cambridge last year. Wow! Outstanding faculty. Iron on iron interaction with kindred spirits who love to learn. Evenings end with readings and music by speakers and conferees. Would love to meet you there!