Narnia and the Atonement - Charles Taliaferro - June 16th 2023 - Friday Night Lecture

This 40 minute lecture (followed by discussion) will introduce the vision of atonement (reconciliation and redemption) in C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, the popular seven volume fairytale of magical beasts and the beloved lion, Aslan, a Christ figure. The atonement involves what is known as the Ransom Theory which can be found in some interpretations of the Bible and in early Christian theology by Gregory of Nyssa, Origen, and Maximus the Confessor. While controversial, Taliaferro argues that the portrait of Christ's being a ransom is illuminating and important for Christians and non-Christians today. The lecture will not presuppose everyone has read the Narnian chronicles, but he hopes you will read or re-read them again after this event.

Click here for handout

 

Charles Taliaferro (Ph.D. Brown) taught philosophy at St. Olaf College for 36 years, previously teaching at the University of Massachusetts and Notre Dame. He has authored, co-authored or edited 40 books, including 6 volumes on the history of evil; 5 of his books are published by Cambridge University Press; 3 are audio books. His most recent book is A Narnian Vision of the Atonement. He has given lectures widely, most recently at the C.S. Lewis Society in Oxford, England, last March. He loves working on philosophy and popular culture, and has published on the Hobbit, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland, and a chapter in Indiana Jones and Philosophy (due out in time for the film's release on June 30th). He embraced the Christian faith as a young adult at the English L'Abri in 1972.