C.S. Lewis Wrote Himself Into Narnia

About this episode

C.S. Lewis was nine years old when his mother died of cancer. He prayed for her healing. She died anyway. Lewis became an atheist for most of his adult life — and then, decades later, wrote The Magician's Nephew, a children's book about a boy in his exact situation. This week, we kick off a seven-part deep dive into The Chronicles of Narnia, starting with the most autobiographical book in the series. We explore whether Lewis was retelling Genesis, why evil already exists in this world before humans even get there, what the "deplorable word" and Hiroshima might have in common, and whether Uncle Andrew is a fair portrait of the skeptical scientist or just a caricature. Along the way: Aslan singing creation into being, Digory's reverse of the Fall, the cabby who becomes a king, and the scene at the heart of the book — where Aslan weeps over a dying mother. In this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:03 Why a Narnia series 06:30 Past the "religious dragons" 08:10 Publication order vs. chronological 10:35 Lewis wrote himself into the story 11:26 Is this a retelling of Genesis? 13:47 Why evil predates humans in Narnia 20:09 Uncle Andrew and the skeptical scientist 23:10 Aslan weeps with Digory 27:01 Threads of redemption: the cabby, the apple, the lampstand 29:55 A wild lion, not a tame one 31:35 The reverse fall Links C.S. Lewis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia The Pilgrim's Progress: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress John Bunyan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bunyan Charles Spurgeon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spurgeon J.R.R. Tolkien: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien Out of the Silent Planet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Silent_Planet Perelandra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perelandra That Hideous Strength: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Hideous_Strength Mere Christianity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere_Christianity The Screwtape Letters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Screwtape_Letters Doug Wilson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Wilson_(theologian) Connect with Adam Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avclark Connect with Aaron Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromgreytown Subscribe and stay in touch Website: https://thechristiansekptic.org Instagram: https://instagram.com/christianskepticpod Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-christian-skeptic/id1761285349 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4HlSAPHewfbLESl61D3XH9 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thechristianskeptic Get full show notes and links at https://www.thechristianskeptic.org. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thechristianskeptic.