R + F Podcast Ep. 001 | "Once there were four children..."

Welcome to week one of the Religion + Fiction Book Club! We’re exploring chapters 1–4 this week in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I originally ran this 5-week adventure through Narnia two years ago at my author website jabouma.com after Coronacrazy Year Zero. Figured people needed a bit of fantastical escape and inspiration to reflect on that glorious moment when God moved into our neighborhood going into the new year.I won’t rehash here what I’ve explored in the video above, but here is a bit about what we’ll cover, and some questions to consider for the book club.Book Club Episodes* Week 0 — An introduction* Week 1 — “Once there were four children…”* Week 2 — “Peter! Susan! It’s all true.”* Week 3 — “Who is Aslan?”* Week 4 — “Can anything be done to save Edmund?”* Week 5 — Deeper Magic from the Dawn of TimeWeek 1 Thoughts + QuestionsA Book for Kiddos and Kiddos-at-HeartIt’s fitting that we’re doing this club with Lewis’s book because it’s the 70th anniversary of the beloved story. I first discovered the book and series in 4th grade.What’s your relationship with this series? When and how did you discover it?I shared that I think I most relate to Edmund—what about you? Who do you most identify with in the story?“Once there were four Children…”It’s no small surprise that the main protagonists and heroes in the story are children. In fact, the youngest, Lucy, is the one who discovers the adjacent world.Why do you suppose that is, that children are at the center of this Good v. Evil fantasy—as well as other beloved ones, like the Harry Potter series?I make the point I can’t help but recall Jesus’ teachings on the value of children in the Gospel of Luke. How might Lucy reception of Narnia inform how we ourselves should receive the “adjacent world” in our own—what the Gospels call the Kingdom of Heaven?Into the Wardrobe we goFirst that there is a whole world adjacent to our own, which taps into our own longing for a reality beyond our own—doesn’t it?In what way does this adjacent world speak to our own longings for a world beyond our own?“Always winter and never Christmas…”This refrain is echoed throughout these first chapters from various characters and anchors the story in important wasy.What do you suppose this means? What does it mean to you—how have you yourself experienced the truth of this revelation?Daughters of Eve, Sons of AdamOne of the last things Lucy discovers in this chapter, as well as Edmund and the other children, is their idenity—who they are seems to be bigger and grander and more spectacular than they had imagined.In what way is this true of ourselve? What does the biblical storyline teach us about our own identities?Would love to hear your perspective on these questions and anything else in the first virtual lesson.Use the comment field down below to respond to the questions and my session, and feel free to add anything else I missed.Next week, we will dive into 5–7. Hope to see you again next week, and feel free to pass this along to anyone else you know.Grace and peace,~jeremyJ. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com. Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe