Letters to the Editor

MORE ON NARNIA

I was wanting to know a little bit more about the article you
printed about "Exit Potter – Enter Narnia." I understand
fully what Pastor Meyer was saying about the deception and
witchcraft that’s evident within the Chronicles of Narnia,
although I am confused about C.S. Lewis. I’ve heard much
about C.S. Lewis and his books like "The Great Divorce" and
"Screwtape Letters" etc. Now I am concerned about whether all his
books are somewhat "off." I can’t understand how a man who
has written so many books about spiritual deception can turn
around and write Narnia. With the kind of knowledge he had, how
could he have got it so wrong? Any info you have that could help
would be great! Thanks.

Candy Peters
AUSTRALIA

Many of Lewis’s books are questionable, even the
classic "Mere Christianity" contains controversial ideas. Like
many today, Lewis had, early in his life, been captivated by the
mythical worlds that filled his mind and heart. The enticing
pagan worlds nurtured by C.S. Lewis and his mythmaking friends
were not inspired by God’s Word or Spirit. Their stories
grew out of lifelong immersion in the beliefs, values, rituals,
languages and lifestyles of former pagan cultures. In "The
Discarded Image," Lewis ends his book with this prediction: "It
is not impossible that our own Model [including the Biblical
worldview] will die a violent death, ruthlessly smashed by an
unprovoked assault of new facts."

In an article titled "C.S. Lewis—Who He Was & What
He Wrote," Tony Zakula wrote this warning: "C. S. Lewis himself
experienced the dangers of ‘crossing the line’ into
obsession with the occult. In "Surprised by Joy", he writes that,
partly because of a school matron who dabbled in the occult,
‘for the first time, there burst upon me the idea that
there might be real marvels all about us, that the visible world
might be only a curtain to conceal huge realms uncharted by my
very simple theology. And that started in me something with
which, on and off, I have had plenty of trouble since—the
desire for the preternatural, simply as such the passion for the
Occult. ... It is a spiritual lust; and like the lust of the body
it has the fatal power of making everything else in the world
seem uninteresting while it lasts."

Long after he chose to believe the Bible was true (1931), he
continued to justify pagan myths as precursors to the Gospel. In
his imagination-rich mind, he believed that "Christianity
fulfilled paganism," for the two were simply a continuous thread
of the same evolving story. Like the UN and Olympic leaders, C.
S. Lewis saw a need for a global ethic. Thirteen years after he
called himself a Christian, he wrote "The Abolition of Man" which
presents the Chinese Tao, not the Bible, as a moral and ethical
standard for all mankind. Symbolized by the Yin Yang, this Tao
would be the supreme guide to values and action — including
man’s attitude toward the environment. It would replace the
Bible as the ultimate authority and guide for our lives —
and for the common good. I guess that says it all!

Editor

MAGIC & ILLUSION

I am an ordained missionary from Life in Abundance Ministry,
Suva, Fiji. My calling and my work is on the streets of Brisbane
preaching the Gospel and handing out tracts. I minister in prayer
and counsel to whoever asks, and many do. After reading an
edition of Omega Times loaned to me by a friend I wanted to
encourage you and your colleagues to continue proclaiming the
truth "till He comes." Also I wish to ask you your position as
regards "illusion." Is it a form of sorcery, ie witchcraft, which
God speaks against in the Holy Scriptures in Deuteronomy 18:10-12
and Acts 19:13-20? I have seen a presentation on video of the
Gospel of Salvation using magic/illusion to illustrate. The type
of magic is the David Copperfield TV trick magic. My personal
view is that Jesus Gospel needs no props to communicate, and some
say I am splitting hairs as it is harmless and is getting the
Gospel to some. But if magic/illusion is offensive to Almighty
God then how can ordained ministers use this witchcraft to tell
my Saviour’s story. I would appreciate to hear you and your
colleagues views on this matter. Yours in Christ’s
Name.

Lionel McLaren
QLD, AUSTRALIA

Illusion which uses the occult to achieve its ends is
spelt "magick." All other "magic" is by the skill of sleight of
hand or planned deception – and here lies the problem. The
only entity in the Bible that uses deception to make something
appear different to what is actual and real is satan! There is no
precedent whatsoever for using the deception of magic to present
the Gospel, especially when the Bible teaches us that God is
light, and in Him there is no shadow of turning! If the way to
life is a narrow path, and few can find it, then the safety and
security of transparency and truth in evangelism is an absolute
essential in a world that is full of lies and deception.

Editor

ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED

In your Feb 06 edition I was reading "Confronting the Cults"
which I think is a good article, although I was a bit concerned
when I read that you put "once saved, always saved" as a
doctrinal error. If this is true, then where is my assurance of
salvation, and at what point do you become lost again. Is it
after one sin, or two etc., or is it because one has a certain
sin that so easily besets them? Don’t get me wrong. I do
think it is possible to turn away in apostacy, but that is a
different matter altogether. That amounts to out and out
rebellion against the truth that you have been part of, but why
someone would do this I don’t know.

Maybe you could do a good article on this sometime and in it
spell out loud and clear exactly what it takes to lose your
salvation. I hope you don’t mind me asking you to clear
this matter up. Yours in Christ.

D McClatchey
PORTADOWN, N IRELAND

We will be doing an article as you suggest, which will
probably appear in the next issue. This is a very pertinent
subject for many people as they have been taught this error in
their Churches. Like all error, the anomalies come thick and
fast, one example being the ludicrous idea that a Christian can
become a deliberate adulterer, or murderer, or worse, and their
salvation remains intact although there is no repentance. The
limp excuse in reply to such a question is usually along the
lines of "they couldn’t have been ‘born again’
in the first place," which is presumptuous and unscriptural to
say the least, especially if such a person previously had a
personal relationship with Jesus.

Editor