Council Community Church

Pastor's Corner

NO, IT’S NOT ALL GOOD                                                                                               1-6-06

    “’[Aslan] is the King of the wood and son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea.  Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts?  Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion.’  See John 1:1-18.

    “’…Then he isn’t safe?’ said Lucy.  ‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver.  ‘Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?  Who said anything about safe?  ‘Course he isn’t safe.  But he’s good.  He’s the King, I tell you.’”  (C.S. Lewis; “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”).  See Colossians 1:15-18.

    If you have seen the current film version of this book, some of this quote will seem familiar.  Of course – as usual – the movie is never as good as the book; but it is well done and well worth seeing (maybe more than once!).  I cried as Aslan willingly allowed Himself to be sacrificed in the place of the traitor; knowing that I am a traitor, too.  See Colossians 1:19-23.   The beauty of His noble act also gripped the rest of the moviegoers that I could see in the theatre: not many dry eyes.

    But a few days later I heard from a “conservative” commentator that the sacrifice of Christ (and of Aslan) wasn’t truly necessary because there are many religions/ways to God.  There are numerous avenues of setting things right for those who have rebelled against the King.  As the talk-show host put it, “It’s like various spokes of a wheel: different starting points; different paths; but the same center and the same destiny.”  So, to believe in Jesus’ sacrifice was fine, but just one of many viable options.

    Wow, that’s profound.  Or should I say absurd and inconsistent with Jesus’ own words?  See John 14:6; Romans 3:9-31).  To say that essentially Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, etc. are simply variations on a common theme is ignorant and misleading.  Every human being is to be loved and valued.  However, that does NOT mean that every human being’s opinion is to be loved and valued.  Whether you accept Jesus or reject Him, you can’t take just the parts of Him and His teaching that you want, and ignore the rest.  All or nothing; take it or leave it.

    The attempt to blend religions into one big spiritual gruel (called syncretism) is as ancient as it is false.  See 1 Kings 11:1-6.  Even Lewis’ talking animals of Narnia knew that something was wrong with this picture:

    “’Please,’ said the Lamb, ‘I can’t understand.  What have we to do with the Calormenes?  We belong to Aslan.  They belong to Tash.  They have a god called Tash.  They say he has four arms and the head of a vulture.  They kill Men on his altar.  I don’t believe there’s any such person as Tash.  But if there was, how could Aslan be friends with him?’  (See 2Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

    “’…listen.  Tash is only another name for Aslan.  All that old idea of us being right and Calormenes wrong is silly.  We know better now.  The Calormenes use different words but we all mean he same thing.  Tash and Aslan are only two different names for you know Who.  That’s why there can never be any quarrel between them.  Get that into your heads, you stupid brutes.  Tash is Aslan: Aslan is Tash.’”  (C.S. Lewis; “The Last Battle”).  See Isaiah 5:20-21.

    A lie by any other name is just as false.  Think about it.