Something is Rotten in the Land of Narnia

The Christian Post interviewed Walden Media (WM) president Michael Flaherty at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention last month. Click here to read it. The most important subject of this interview is the next Narnia film, which Flaherty said would be The Magician's Nephew (MN) - not The Silver Chair (SC) as many expected. Talks between WM and Fox have begun, but they're a long way off from greenlighting the project. The media company doesn't even have a script yet! Hopefully this means new scriptwriters - just what the Narnia series needs after the botched adaptation that was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (VDT). I liked the movie well enough, but as an adaptation it flopped. The film crew got some book elements right but missed its heart. As a result, the film had less raison d'etre than the book!

I'm not here to argue whether Magician's Nephew or Silver Chair should be adapted next. I did want SC but if MN wakes people up to creation - and debunks Darwin and evolution - I'm all for it. Maybe this is just what God wants! What I am here to argue is that "something is rotten in the land of Narnia" (hopefully you noticed the Hamlet allusion). And I'm referring specifically to Walden Media. They're a family-friendly media company. But are they really Christian? I don't know anymore.

Christianity and Homosexuality
President Michael Flaherty says he's Evangelical, not Catholic, even though he has Irish Catholic roots. [I don't know how he was reared.] Yet although he's an Evangelical, what he says about the late Perry Moore indicates that Flaherty seems to be totally ignorant of American Evangelical beliefs on homosexuality. Perry, who called himself a Christian - as did those who worked with him, was openly homosexual and living with a male partner when he died last month. What is so sad is that Perry thought he was a Christian when he wasn't - and no one corrected him. Those Christians who knew Perry didn't tell him about the necessity of the new birth, and that one can't be gay and be a Christian. Yet what is even more disturbing is that according to this new interview, Flaherty believes just like Perry did about homosexuals. He even calls them his "gay brothers and sisters"!

From the Christian Post :

"CP: More recently, there was another incident. Perry Moore, the executive producer of Narnia, died in his apartment, reportedly from a drug overdose and was found by his partner. When I read about Walden, it specializes in family entertainment. I understand Moore was a Christian who spoke about his faith but he was also openly gay. My question is that a lot of Christians, especially evangelical Christians, believe that homosexuality goes against scripture. What would you say to people who think these kinds of situations cast doubt on the values of movies by Walden Media that a key person was reported to overdose and was also gay?

[Two paragraphs skipped]

Flaherty: The one thing that gave me courage and gave me hope was that I love the response from so many folks in the Christian community, one of love and one of prayer. Rather than wondering about how he spent his time, it was great to see so many people pray for him and so many people hoping that...You know, we're all broken and we all have our issues but the idea that Perry could finally go home. Just like the Prodigal Son, the father took his garments and ran over and just wrapping him up and saying, "Oh my gosh, welcome home. I'm so happy that you're home." That was the image I had in my mind. I hope that for all the great work that he did and the love he had for his family and God that he got to hear those words, "Well done, good and faithful servant," and that he's at peace right now.

CP: Well, Voddie Baucham spoke about homosexuality and explained the reason why people get uncomfortable when people bring up the subject is that there is a propaganda campaign to condition people. That's why a lot of broadcasters apologize before they talk about homosexuality. He also urged Christian broadcasters to speak out against that. I wanted to ask what is your position on homosexuality?

Flaherty: I just don't care. I love every one of God's sons and every one of God's daughters. I have a very special place in my heart for the challenges that gay and lesbian kids are going through. Their lives are absolute torture. I think the ways in high school. The way I'd love to respond to that is with love and let God and the Holy Spirit take care of the rest of that.

There is a great book out there called Love Is an Orientation. Have you read that book?

CP: No, I haven't but I've heard of it.

Flaherty: That's a really great book. I've started to become friends with that author. You know, it's a total and complete non-issue for me. Probably the person who has had the most powerful impact on my walk is Henri Nouwen, who is gay. Henri Nouwen, who has a lot of impact on a lot of Christians, has written some fantastic books out there.

I'm blessed that I've learned a lot about Jesus from our gay brothers and sisters."

I agree with Flaherty's statement that we should respond to homosexuals "with love and let God and the Holy Spirit take care of the rest of that." My problem is this: Flaherty doesn't go far enough. And maybe he doesn't realize he needs to. Maybe Flaherty himself has been lied to regarding homosexuality and Christianity. Jesus's love isn't cheap. He loves us in spite of our sin (and homosexuality is sin). However, Jesus loves us too much to leave us that way. True love transforms. But Flaherty doesn't say that.

No one who is gay (open or in the closet) is my brother or sister - because they're not Christians. Their wrong sexuality and lifestyle prove they haven't been changed spiritually by Christ from within. They haven't been born again. Check out the following links for everything I've said on my blog about homosexuality, Christianity, and the Bible.

How the Christian community failed Perry Moore
The necessity of the new birth
The Bible: lies people believe
Homosexuality: a crisis in the church and in Western culture

I hope and pray someone calls out Flaherty for this. I also want God to clear up the moral confusion, once and for all, about homosexuality, Christianity, and the new birth.

Christianity on the Job
Something else in this interview disturbed me. Flaherty said being a Christian was not a requirement for working at Walden Media. Instead, "t hey just have to believe in our mission, which is to find stories that can rekindle curiosity and recapture imagination. " Huh? In my five years of job hunting in higher education, I've sent dozens of applications to various Christian colleges and universities. And most have a basic requirement: if you plan to teach with us, you must prove your Christian commitment. By this they mean attendance at a local church, subscription to a statement of faith, and sometimes a pastoral reference. And they want this even for English teachers.

Recently I've discovered that many Christian organizations, both for profit and non-profit, have the same application requirement: you must be a Christian and prove your faith commitment. Why should a media company be any different? Would the companies behind films like Fireproof, Facing the Giants, The Way Home, and To Save a Life - just to name a few - want to work with and hire non-Christians? Wouldn't the lack of such a faith commitment jeopardize their evangelical mission?

Christianity and the Box Office
Probably the worst reason Walden Media (i.e. Flaherty) wants to make Magician's Nephew next rather than Silver Chair is their eye toward the box office. They think a film about Narnia's roots - why the mythical land has a witch, wardrobe, and lamppost - will do better financially than the sequel to Dawn Treader. I don't know which book has done better in sales. But surely SC is just as popular as MN, if not more. And it's the sequel to last year's film! Logic, continuity, and the established Narnia fan base all say Silver Chair - not Magician's Nephew.

So why does Walden Media ignore these elements? Why do they seem to care more about money? And why do they place personal interests above their fans? MN is a popular story. But is it as popular as SC? And should it be made next? I think not.

With Dawn Treader, the media company also tried to recapture the magic - and box office success - of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (LWW). Yet VDT and the other five books are different stories, and films, from LWW. When will Walden Media learn this?

The most disturbing part is that I found no evidence from this interview and earlier ones that anyone at Walden Media has sought God's will in prayer about which Narnia film to adapt next. They don't seem to have sought God's will about choosing the first three films' scriptwriters and directors (the entire cast and crew, really) either. In interview after interview, I never heard them mention God or prayer. Instead, it's all about personal and fan interests, and the box office. What does God want? Has anyone asked Him? Aslan is the real King of Narnia - the "highest of all High Kings." Yet in the process of creating these Narnia films, he seems to have faded into the background.

Conclusions
My fear is that Walden Media is trying too hard to please the world (the culture) - and is ignoring Christ's call to separate from it. They're not trying to be different - morally and spiritually - in everything they say and do. Walden Media doesn't seem to like the Christian label either. Yet there is nothing wrong with that label. It helped Fireproof, Facing the Giants, The Way Home, and To Save a Life. Why not the Narnia franchise?

The Christian's number one purpose - whatever his or her individual calling - is evangelism. It is not making money or even telling good stories on film. Is Walden Media's purpose in making the Narnia films evangelistic? If not, then why should they exist?

My message to Walden Media is this: don't be afraid to be different. Don't be afraid to be Christian, and to accept that label in your films. Separate yourselves, morally and spiritually, and Christ will bless you. Who knows? He may reward you with better box office results!