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MILLIGAN COLLEGE , TN (Nov. 28, 2005) — As the Walt Disney Company and Walden Media prepare to release their highly anticipated “Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” film on Dec. 9, Milligan College English professor and C. S. Lewis scholar Jack Knowles is eager to help Christians explain the movie’s spiritual themes to viewers.
Christians have long cherished Lewis’s timeless adventure about four siblings in World War II England , who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe. At the center of the tale is the powerful and deeply loving king of beasts, the great lion Aslan.
“This is a great story in its own right, packed with adventures, danger and deliverance,” said Knowles. “But inside this big narrative are all sorts of ‘stories within the story’ and themes that radiate Christian significance.”
Knowles has teamed with the Communications Area at Milligan to provide several short video segments that church leaders can use as lesson or sermon aids to help explain and inspire further discussion about the story’s spiritual themes.
“The exciting thing is that this story can energize Christians and non-Christians by plugging them into the power of the Gospel message, the story of divine suffering, sacrifice, resurrection and redemption,” said Knowles, who holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and has taught at Milligan since 1970.
A longtime C. S. Lewis scholar, Knowles spent last spring on an academic sabbatical, studying Lewis’s writings at the Wade Center at Wheaton College in Illinois . In 1992, Knowles attended weekly meetings of the Oxford C. S. Lewis Society while studying at the University of Oxford in England . Both Oxford and the Wade Center , home of Lewis’s actual wardrobe and writing desk, house what many say are the best collections of C. S. Lewis materials in the world.
Once an atheist, Lewis became one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20 th century. With encouragement from Christian friends such as J. R. R. Tolkien, he poured himself into works that defended the essentials of Christian faith. He also created imaginative narratives and children’s fantasies.
Samples of Knowles’s video segments, as well as a suggested bibliography of works by and about Lewis, are available. Knowles is also available for interviews on this topic by emailing JLKnowles@milligan.edu or calling 423.461.8746.
Milligan College is a Christian liberal arts college in Northeast Tennessee offering more than two-dozen academic programs. The college’s vision is to change lives and shape culture through a commitment to servant-leadership. Visit www.milligan.edu or call 800.447.5922.