White Horse Inn: The Theology of the Chronicles of Narnia

Air Date: December 21, 2025
Hosts: Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, Walter R. Strickland II
Special Guest: Sophia Holcomb

Episode Overview

This episode explores the theological depth of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The hosts, joined by emerging Lewis scholar Sophia Holcomb, discuss how Lewis weaves doctrines like creation, the problem of evil, atonement, sanctification, and new creation into his beloved children's series. They reflect on Lewis’s biography, conversion, literary method, and enduring legacy, making connections between Narnian narrative and biblical truth for both young and old believers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: C.S. Lewis’s Life and Conversion

• Biographical Overview (05:09)
  Sophia Holcomb introduces Lewis: born in Belfast, fought in WWI, Oxford don and medievalist, prolific author, best known for his imaginative apologetics and children's fiction.

  • "He wasn't a professional or trained theologian. He was actually a medievalist by trade." (05:28, Sophia Holcomb)

• Lewis’s Conversion (08:32)
  Raised in a Christian home, Lewis lost his faith after his mother's death and leaned into atheism and materialism, yet was persistently haunted by a longing for beauty and transcendence ("joy").

  • Readings from George MacDonald and G.K. Chesterton, and conversations with J.R.R. Tolkien, challenged his atheism.
  • Conversion to theism described as:

    “I finally gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed, perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” (12:51, Sophia Holcomb quoting Lewis)

  • The decisive Christian conversion comes later, likened to waking from sleep:

    “When we set out, I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God, but when we reached the zoo, I did...It was more like when a man, after a long sleep...becomes aware that he is now awake.” (14:34, Sophia Holcomb quoting Lewis)

2. Genesis of Narnia: How Lewis Wrote the Series

• Imagination Before Plot (15:02)
  Lewis began with vivid images (e.g., a faun in the snow), shaping his stories not as allegory but as imaginative “supposal”:

  “He imagined, what would Christianity be like if it were in Narnia?...He created the world beforehand and then thought, what would Jesus be like if he were in this world? Well, we have talking animals, I suppose he'd be a lion. So Aslan kind of bounded in out of nowhere.” (15:18, Sophia Holcomb)

• Famous Literary Debate: Lewis vs. Tolkien
  Tolkien critiqued Narnia for its eclectic mythology and lack of internal historical rigor—especially objecting to the inclusion of fauns (who, in myth, were unsavory), and the lack of structured world-building akin to Lord of the Rings.

  • “...Tolkien, I imagine, snapped the book shut and was like, none of that. And so that's the nub of the falling out…a disagreement that I think got blown a bit out of proportion.” (17:48, Sophia Holcomb)

• Order of Reading Narnia (18:30)
  Although Lewis once told a child to start with The Magician's Nephew, Sophia argues the books work best in publication order, especially starting with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, to preserve the wonder and gradual revelation of Aslan.

3. Theological Themes in Narnia

A. God’s Nature: “Not Safe, But Good”

(20:32-23:03)

• The recurring refrain describes Aslan (and by extension, God) as powerful, holy, and loving—invoking awe, not mere comfort.

  “He loves you. But he’s holy. That’s the problem.” (22:28, Bob Hiller)

  • Sophia illustrates this with a fire analogy and underscores Lewis's emphasis on human response to divine pursuit.

B. Creation: Beauty, Song, and Gift

(23:05-29:20)

• Aslan sings Narnia into existence—reflecting both divine creativity and the biblical motif of creation by the Word.
  • Walter Strickland reads the creation scene aloud from The Magician’s Nephew: "If you'd seen and heard it, you would have felt...the stars themselves which were singing, and that it was the first voice, the deep one, which had made them appear." (26:20)
• Sophia notes the contrast to pagan myths:

  “...In this story where Aslan's singing, he’s giving things to his subjects...In a lot of myths, the gods create humans for a purpose, to serve them. It's all pointing back to the gods. They're not gifting the humans anything. The humans are a gift to the gods. But...Aslan’s giving.” (29:14, Sophia Holcomb)

C. Sin, Evil, and the Witch’s Power

(30:12-33:47)

• Narnia is not dualistic: the White Witch’s power is real but always subordinate and even “comical” compared to Aslan’s.

  “She seems super powerful to the children...But she's deathly afraid of Aslan and she seems silly in her parody of what a queen is.” (30:48, Sophia Holcomb)

• The Witch tempts Edmund with Turkish Delight and the promise of status—mirroring original sin. The curse (“always winter, never Christmas”) portrays life under evil as perpetual disappointment.

D. The Atonement: Deeper Magic from Before Time

(35:21-38:10)

• Aslan’s sacrificial death in place of Edmund is substitutionary and echoes biblical atonement:

  "When you start to see the beauty of an all powerful being willing to sacrifice for the sake of someone who's guilty, you're starting to smell the gospel." (37:34, Mike Horton)

• The “deeper magic” is God’s justice (law), and the “deeper magic still” is resurrection and grace.

E. Sanctification: Transformation and Pain

(38:10-39:53)

• Eustace’s transformation from dragon back to boy in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a vivid depiction of sanctification—painful but healing, accomplished by Aslan's intervention:

  “He says, you have to let me do it for you...cuts in and it's like the most painful thing. And yet at the same time, it's completely relieving.” (39:19, Mike Horton)

F. New Heavens and New Earth: Narnian Eschatology

(40:09-44:23)

• The Last Battle provides a “realer than real” vision of heaven and renewed creation, not escapist or purely spiritual but bodily and joyous.

  “They're not less real, they're more real...it would be fair to say that he (Lewis) read Plato as valuing the material world, not as the ultimate...Lewis grabbed onto that and adjusted it for a Christian worldview. He would view the world as shadowy in comparison to heaven, but Narnia is also redeemed and made more real.” (41:51, Sophia Holcomb)

• The longing present throughout the books (“faint music of a song we've never heard”) finds fulfillment in the ultimate resurrection:

  “His conception of the resurrection, the new heavens and new earth is…Lewis does for you what he’s been feeling his whole life: longing for something greater out there.” (43:32, Mike Horton)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Lewis’s Reluctant Conversion:

  “I finally gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed, perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.”
  — Lewis via Sophia Holcomb, 12:51

• On Imaginative Supposal:

  “He wrote it as an imaginative supposal...what would Christianity be like if it were in Narnia? He created the world beforehand and then thought, what would Jesus be like if he were in this world?”
  — Sophia Holcomb, 15:18

• On the White Witch:

  “She sits on an ice throne. It's all very one to one. Like, she's the Ice Queen. She's icy. She's not a very complex character...I think Lewis is not even paying much mind to her at all. It's that she's there and she's causing trouble. But Aslan's got it.”
  — Sophia Holcomb, 33:06

• On the Atonement in Narnia:

  “Let’s not go one to one allegory. But when you start to see the beauty of a powerful, an all powerful being willing to sacrifice for the sake of someone who's guilty, you're starting to smell the gospel. And it is just wonderful.”
  — Mike Horton, 37:34

Important Segment Timestamps

• Introduction of Sophia Holcomb as Guest: 02:19
• C.S. Lewis Biography: 05:09
• Lewis’s Conversion Story: 08:32 and 14:34
• Nature of Narnia as Supposal, Not Allegory: 15:02, 15:18
• Tolkien’s Critique: 17:10
• Reading Order Debate: 18:30
• “Not Safe but Good” Theme: 20:32-23:03
• Creation Scene and Theology of Beauty: 23:05, 26:20 (reading), 29:14
• Evil, Sin, and the Witch: 30:12-33:47
• Atonement & Deeper Magic: 35:21-38:10
• Sanctification (Eustace’s Scales): 38:10-39:53
• Eschatology and Last Battle: 40:09-44:23
• Concluding Reflections: 44:23

Memorable Moments

• Lewis’s “most dejected and reluctant convert” line encapsulates his spiritual honesty. (12:51)
• Reading of Narnia’s creation, a moving blend of beauty, order, and divine speech. (26:20)
• Humorous debate about Turkish Delight and human frailty. (34:53)
• Affectionate jabs at critics of Narnian atonement: "Shut up. Enjoy a good book." (37:32, Mike Horton)
• Sophia’s choice of The Last Battle for its realism and potent eschatology. (40:13)

Final Thoughts

The episode concludes reminding listeners not to scour Narnia for Christian “symbols” alone, but to let Lewis’s stories reawaken childlike wonder and a fresh imagination for the gospel—ultimately pointing to Christ, the true Lion of Judah.

“Promise before exhortation, mercy before metrics. And when kids and grownups feel the spell of cynicism, Lewis helps us hear again that the deeper magic in Narnia points us to the good news that God's justice is fulfilled in Christ so grace can be freely given.”
(44:23, Bob Hiller)

Summary prepared in the spirit of the roundtable—faithful to the episode’s tone, depth, and joy.