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“Doesn’t that have wizards and magic?”

That was the question my pastor asked me when I talked about going to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I reassured him that yes it did have magic in the story, but the man who wrote it had led C.S. Lewis to Christ. This assuaged him, but even Narnia’s magic is unacceptable for some. At one denominational meeting, I had to endure an angry pastor demanding Lifeway stop selling The Chronicles of Narnia because it was full of magic and witchcraft.

Obviously, I don’t believe any depiction of magic in stories is wrong. But as we’re talking about a chapter titled “Deeper Magic From Before the Dawn of Time,” it may be a good time to discuss a Christian perspective on magic in literature. In our application section, we’ll definitely talk about spiritual lessons and encouragement we can draw from Aslan’s resurrection, but this chapter provides us with an opportunity for a brief diversion.

Some Christians, like the pastor raging against Narnia, completely dismiss all fantasy writings because the use of magic. Others may dismiss any concerns about the literary use of magic because it’s just fiction. Both of these perspectives miss the point.

Literature can have an immense impact on our real world perspectives and the Bible doesn’t allow us to be flippant about the subject. We should give careful consideration to biblical commands such as Deuteronomy 18:10-11. Lewis himself would certainly not want people to drift into the world of the occult. He had personal flirtations with the occult both in his adolescence, when he was leaving the Christian beliefs in which he grew up, and as a young adult, prior to his embracing Christianity.

In The Screwtape Letters preface, Lewis talks about the dangers of an unhealthy obsession with that spiritual realm. “[Demons] themselves … hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

C.S. Lewis had encounters with the occult that made him sensitive to the subject, but he saw no problems with using certain types of magic in The Chronicles of Narnia.

But this doesn’t mean that any literary description of magic is unbiblical, as the Bible itself depicts the use of magic. So what principles can we use to determine when magic is being used responsibly in literature and when it could undermine Christian doctrine? Three guidelines can help.

Clear distinction between our world and the fantasy world

Setting the fantastical and magical elements in a world different from our own maintains some important distinctions. While other worlds can help us to see the “magic” in our own world, they aren’t going to cause us to assume that we can practice actual magic during our day-to-day lives.

Magical powers granted by and connected to a supernatural authority

Magic is good in both Lewis’ Narnia and Tolkien’s Middle Earth not only because they’re done for good reasons and by good characters, but also because the magic is connected to good supernatural rulers. Magic is only good in Narnia when it is associated with Aslan and the Emperor Beyond the Sea. As a wizard, Gandalf acts as a servant to Eru, the creator God of Middle Earth.

Grounded in a solid moral foundation

Literary magic rightly presented from a Christian perspective will be self-sacrificing and flow from a desire to serve others and ultimately to serve the good purposes of a good God. Magic that has no moral basis and only serves the pragmatic goals of the user could be problematic.

None of this means you can’t read and enjoy Harry Potter or any other number of fantasy stories whose depictions of magic doesn’t line up with all of these guidelines. But I hope these principles help us think more deeply about magic, including the Deeper variety from this chapter in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

First, we sit with Susan and Lucy in their grief. The girls spend the night in mourning, not realizing they’re actually just waiting for the dawn. There’s probably some truth for us to grab on to there.

You can feel Lewis personal experience with deep childhood grief as he describes the quietness that comes after staying up all night and shedding all the tears you have. In this in-between time, they attempt to loosen the knots holding Aslan only to discover the mice gnawing away the cords.

Susan and Lucy hear the stone table break, which Lewis wanted to signify the end of the law of sin and death. Then they come face-to-face with Aslan, as he breaths on them. He explains that the witch only knew of the Deep Magic, but the Deeper Magic says “that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”

The children and Aslan then take time for a game of tag, which may be more important than you think, before dashing off to the witch’s castle. Interestingly, Edmund walked straight through the front gate into her home. He was no threat to her. The doors are closed and locked when Aslan arrives but those have as much power to keep him out as the cords did of keeping him tied down in death. He leaps over the wall. Death has been defeated. Now it’s time to start unleashing new life.

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