On ‘The Last Battle’: Hope in an Age of Political Woe
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A charlatan sits in power. Division and cynicism have won the hearts of the people. Foes at home and abroad are cunning. The nation feels sullied. Such is the situation facing Tirian, the last king of Narnia.
In C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle, the beloved land of the famed children’s series is under attack. Narnia’s enemies, the Calormenes, have taken over the country. Through treachery, they have fooled loyal Narnians into believing that Aslan — Narnia’s Christ figure — is on their side. Fear and confusion prevent Narnians from coming to Tirian’s aid.
In rapid succession, Tirian receives blow after blow of bad news. He encounters a group of once-loyal subjects, among whom Calormene lies have spawned total disbelief. A messenger delivers the chilling revelation that his home fortress is overrun. The emissary he sent to bring reinforcements has been slain. “So,” says Tirian after a long silence. “Narnia is no more.”[i]
Power, fear and cynicism in an age of woe
This election season, American Christians of all political stripes may find it discouragingly easy to relate. We face major policy disagreements, cross-partisan social differences, and leaders who have failed to live up to our ideals. Certainly, Tirian’s situation is more dire than our own, but his struggles resonate more than we would like.
In Tirian’s Narnia, enemies claim to speak for Aslan. Yet they are allied with the duplicitous, the distasteful, and the “just plain wrong.” The talking beasts of Narnia no longer know whom to trust. When an innocent lamb points out the plain truth that this alliance simply does not reflect Aslan’s character, he is dismissed with an ad hominem attack. Half-truths stoke doubt and confusion.
In our world too, political division has a disturbing potential to undermine the truth.[ii] When multiple groups make completing claims to the moral high ground, which can be trusted? Some politicians have made a point of calling facts into question, sowing doubt about the reliability of all information. There seem to be two “spins” to every story, two narratives about our nation’s culture, and even two different interpretations of reality.
This confusion brings strong temptation to double down on our own partisan “side” and its version of events. Lewis writes elsewhere that we all wish to be part of an “inner ring,”[iii] a group that is “in the know” to the exclusion of others. Social polarization makes this especially enticing, as we readily believe the worst of our neighbor from the other political party, rather than “the best construction.”[iv] Like The Last Battle’s Ginger the Cat, we decide to throw our lot in with those who have the strongest will to power. Partisan extremity feeds our sinful flesh’s appetite (Rom. 7:22–25; 8:7), and we are easily ensnared by anger, malice and pride.[v] Click here to read more.
This article was originally published in The Lutheran Witness and is reprinted here by permission of the same.
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Be Encouraged
“Who is going to be king? Christ or Herod? Christ or I? Every day we make dozens of decisions which either acknowledge Christ’s lordship or which assert our own. The star of the Magi reminds the Christian that he has a gracious King to whom he can, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, submit his will and live. By His word Christ desires to reign in our hearts through faith!” --Rev. Darren Green, St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Redwood Falls, Minnesota
