'Lion, Witch, Wardrobe' offers spiritual family funFilm features action, lessons on love, loyalty, Christian symbolism

Friday, December 16, 2005
By KAY CAMPBELL
Times Faith & Values Editor

Reasons to see "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe": It's funny in parts, it's a great story with good lessons about love and loyalty, and Christians will appreciate the "Deep Magic that governs right and wrong and governs all our destinies" in ways that will strengthen their own faith.

And the battle scenes will please action film fans.

"Dad will like it because of the battle," predicted Madeline Sharp, 11, after she saw the film when it opened last week. "He loves 'Lord of the Rings.' "

Her dad and millions of others. "The Lion" had more people going to see it than any movie that's opened in December except one, 2003's "Return of the King" installment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Fans of the seven-book series, "The Chronicles of Narnia," are hoping "The Lion" will be followed by the others of C.S. Lewis' fables for children.

"I hope this whole thing sends a message to Hollywood that if they make quality films without all the junk, the sex and gore, people will go see them," said Kenny Ladner, minister of students at Willowbrook Baptist Church.

Ladner took 100 of his students and their friends to the movie at a special sneak preview Dec. 8. The tickets had been marketed to churches and other groups wanting to bring at least 100 people.

Ladner saw the opportunity as a good example of a family activity, a sort of church night out, and a chance to see something relating Christian doctrine in a different way.

"C.S. Lewis is such an important thinker in Christianity," Ladner said from his office Monday. "He wrote some classic Christian apologetics. And a lot of the kids have read his fiction."

Ladner does appreciate - as would, he believes, any other Christian - the Christian imagery in the movie, in which the great lion Aslan sacrifices himself to the wicked witch's demands for blood in place of one of the four children who stumble into the magical land.

"When Aslan is walking up to the Stone Table to be crucified, I mean, killed," Ladner said, "and the beasts are yelling and screaming at this magnificent lion, it's just like 'The Passion of the Christ.' "

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