Learning from the Lion

Jars of Clay's Charlie Lowell goes deep into Narnia. by Jeremy V. Jones Aslan is on the move, and he's heading to a theater near you this December in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. No doubt the upcoming movie will be a visual feast thanks to special effects by WETA, the same studio that worked on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

But long before Hollywood got involved, C.S. Lewis' fiction masterpiece has been captivating readers with its mythical characters and spiritual depth. Fans of the work span all ages and walks of life. Members of the band Jars of Clay count themselves as fans and have contributed the song "Waiting for the World to Fall" to the film's compilation album, Music Inspired By: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

We caught up with Jars' keyboardist Charlie Lowell to talk about the power of Narnia.

Breakaway: When did you first encounter "The Chronicles of Narnia?"
Charlie Lowell: I remember reading the Narnia series in grade school. I think it was on a summer reading list. My older brother passed down a set of books to me, and it was like candy; it went down easy. Lewis' sense of imagination and wonder drew me in, especially by the characters and otherworldliness. Yet he taps into our human feelings on a lot of different levels. I think that's why it's so easy for adults to relate to the stories on a deeper level than kids pick up. I started rereading the series this summer, and I'm excited about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie because I think it's going to rock people a bit.

Is there a character you identify with most?
Yeah, Edmund struggles and gets lured by the witch. I feel like Edmund is the one who most reveals his humanity. As much as I don't want to relate with him, there is a real struggle there. He recognizes that there's something good, but he is drawn to this darker side and is easily tricked and manipulated. What to do seemed a little more obvious to the other characters, but I appreciate the dual nature in Edmund. His inner battle is interesting.

What lessons stuck with you from reading the books as a kid?
The image of Aslan. The idea of fear and love [that other characters experience toward him] is such a great image for the character of God. The passage about Aslan being not safe but good is quoted a lot, but I do remember that feeling from reading it as a child.

"Is he — quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"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."

—The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Here's someone you're drawn to, and you know He's filled with love and glory and yet is scary. I'm really thankful for that sense about God. It's mysterious and kind of alluring. It makes me want to run to God.

Many of us Christians want our faith to be safe, but it's not always so cut-and-dry. Can you address that outlook?
I think it's in our bones to want everything explained or to want to be able to control and know what to expect. But I have this sense that if we actually had that power, we still wouldn't be happy. I so love the mystery of Jesus, the character of God and the fact that we don't get everything spelled out in black and white. It goes against our nature to step out in faith and rely on this God who is good but isn't safe. That's one of the things about Christianity that keeps me running back for more, keeps me thirsty and in awe and wonder of God. That mystery keeps us sort of baffled and dependent on Him.

For example, Jesus turns everything on its head in the Beatitudes and in the rest of Matthew 5. Some of the religious leaders had "figured out" how to keep the law, but Jesus basically says, "Not so fast. You think this is murder and adultery and coveting, but I tell you it's about the heart." We want to keep the law and check off our list and think, I'm scoring high this month and moving up on God's list of favor. But Jesus busts all that. He makes it about the relationship with Him and forces us to look at our need for Him.

So would you have used a lion as a Christ figure?
I'm grateful that Lewis did. I don't know if it would have occurred to me, but Lewis was ultracreative. The easy way would be to make Jesus what we want to turn Him into, maybe a little polished and squeaky clean. The lion image messes with us a little bit, makes us dig in and look at Him from a different angle and hopefully see something new –– just like the scriptural accounts about Jesus do. We get a fresh look at Jesus. That's what we need.

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