handy
Member
The thing is Biblereader, I encourage you not to make the mistake of thinking that anyone who likes works by Tolkien, Lewis or even 'heaven forbid' Rowlings, must be spiritually immature people who have not studied these things or are being spoon fed by others. Again, I don't doubt your sincerity in condemning Lewis, Tolkein et al (and it does seem very condemning to say, as you have, that they were not born-again Christians), but I do doubt both your sources and your conclusions. I don't have a problem with you sharing the information, though. We should all be open to viewing all sides to an issue. But, I'm not ready to condemn Lewis and Tolkein as unsaved heretics based upon anything you've presented here.
Perhaps, you might be more open to looking at all of their testimonies and works. I know that Lewis' "A Grief Observed" written after the death of his wife, contains his personal struggle with grief and anger towards God, so much so that many have questioned whether or not he lost faith. Although I haven't read the book, I understand that ultimately he affirms his faith, rather than loses it.
Not long before he died, in an interview with Karen Lindskoog, Lewis said, "The world might stop in ten minutes; meanwhile, we are to go on doing our duty. The great thing is to be found at one's post a child of God, living each day as if it were out last, but planning as though our world might last a hundred years." (http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/shadowlands.htm#15)
This does not sound at all like someone who has lost faith but rather as someone who is living as Christ exhorted us to live in His parable about the Virgins.
Many of find that fantasy and science fiction provide a method for parable that enables us to reach out with the gospel. If you have a huge problem with fantasy or sci-fi, then understandably you wouldn't agree with this. But, it's best not to be too judgemental towards how others might or might not view these things. I'm glad enough that you're sharing what you've found, but don't assume that I simply 'don't know any better' if I wind up not agreeing with you.
Perhaps, you might be more open to looking at all of their testimonies and works. I know that Lewis' "A Grief Observed" written after the death of his wife, contains his personal struggle with grief and anger towards God, so much so that many have questioned whether or not he lost faith. Although I haven't read the book, I understand that ultimately he affirms his faith, rather than loses it.
Not long before he died, in an interview with Karen Lindskoog, Lewis said, "The world might stop in ten minutes; meanwhile, we are to go on doing our duty. The great thing is to be found at one's post a child of God, living each day as if it were out last, but planning as though our world might last a hundred years." (http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/shadowlands.htm#15)
This does not sound at all like someone who has lost faith but rather as someone who is living as Christ exhorted us to live in His parable about the Virgins.
Many of find that fantasy and science fiction provide a method for parable that enables us to reach out with the gospel. If you have a huge problem with fantasy or sci-fi, then understandably you wouldn't agree with this. But, it's best not to be too judgemental towards how others might or might not view these things. I'm glad enough that you're sharing what you've found, but don't assume that I simply 'don't know any better' if I wind up not agreeing with you.
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