Whether you are a Christian or entirely apart from Christianity, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will carry you through an adventure and leave you with a deeper sense of what it means to truly love, be brave, believe in yourself, and live for a higher purpose. Originally meant as book two in the children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has become one of the best-selling books of all time by captivating both children and adults alike. For many years Lewis was a staunch atheist but eventually converted to Christianity after friends such as J R.R. Tolkien shared their own faith with him. Having always loved children and children’s literature, Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia to introduce biblical themes through fiction to children. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an allegory for Christ’s sacrificing himself to redeem the world. The four Pevensie children who discover the world of Narnia represent different kinds of Christians. Most importantly Edmund, the one who runs away out of selfishness and greed, represents the sinner for whom Aslan, the Christ figure, has the most compassion and concern for. Though the intention of this book is to share the gospel, it is not preachy, convicting, or overbearing. The gospel message is subtly woven throughout and readers uninterested in Christianity will still enjoy the humor, quirky characters, fairy tale elements, and adventure that it has to offer. All of the books in this series are excellent enough to stand on their own; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is perhaps the best of them all.
