242. Should Christians Read Lewis and Tolkien But No Newer Fantasy?

Fantastical Truth

What’s the most annoying slogan from Christian critics of fantasy? That may be, “We’re not meant to enjoy stories; instead we must Preach the Gospel.” But what may be the second most annoying slogan about Christian fantasy? One surely is, “We don’t need newer stories if we have Lewis and Tolkien.” How then can we as fans respond with grace to Lewis-and-Tolkien-Onlyism?

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1. Why are Lewis and Tolkien absolutely fantastic?

• If anyone else has grounds for confidence in these fandoms, we have more.
• Here’s our podcast series with guest “Rilian”: Looking Back on ‘Lord of the Rings’
• 189. What Are the Best Books by C. S. Lewis?
• 191. How Did Lewis and Tolkien Celebrate and Critique Christmas? | with David Bates
• 225. Why Do Modern Fans Love Middle-Earth Mixing? | with Evan Cooney
• 228. Why Don’t Christian-Made Arts Top Secular Charts?

2. Where do we see Lewis-and-Tolkien-Onlyism?

• Casual conversations, often with certain Christian/conservative dads.
• “Theobros” have told Stephen, “Why even bother with the new stuff?”
• “We have Lewis and Tolkien, so we don’t need any modern stories.”
• Many parents also consider these authors “safe” for all readers.

3. How do we rebut Lewis-and-Tolkien-Onlyism?

• Similar to translation debates, this “freezes” a particular era as the “best.”
• Ecclesiastes 7:10 cautions the wise against such impulsive nostalgia.
• Fans likely wouldn’t apply the same standards to translations or music.
• If they did, then they’re not doing their job as Christians or parents.
• Would they really restrict their sons or daughters from any other stories?
• What about stories loved by teenage girls, such as YA romantasy/cozy?
• What about stories loved by young boys, such as heroic graphic novels?
• Finally, Lewis and Tolkien themselves would reject such an “idealism.”
• Tolkien made new stories with modern flourishes, such as Bree spycraft.
• As we shared last year, Tolkien had fun making Father Christmas stories.
• For example, Lewis read widely on both old books and new books.
• It’s clear from obscure essays that Lewis was even fond of pulp sci-fi!
• Lewis would have counted his own books as “new books,” not classic:

“It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.”

—C. S. Lewis

• These men, however, are not even “church fathers.” God Himself says:

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!

—Psalm 96:1

• The best reason against this reading limit: God’s culture call is dynamic.
• Never does Scripture hint at “freezing” our creativity at a certain point.
• Readers of varying ages, peoples, and personalities love different stories.
• New Earth will have the honor and glory of all the nations (Rev. 21:26).

Com station

Top question for listeners

• Have you ever drifted into a Lewis-and-Tolkien-Onlyism view?

Caleb Cooke emailed about episode 241 on Christmas stories:

Loved your discussion on Christmas Movies.

I would like to submit for your consideration, Little Women 1994 version. It came out at Christmas time, it features Christmas dinner and Christmas carols, and amazing music and Christmas themes. I like to watch it around Christmas time even though you could watch it anytime.

Other comments: Santa Clause is Coming to Town is the best of the Classic animated Christmas TV specials. It wonderfully tells a story of bravery, love, and redemption.

A Muppet Christmas Carol is probably my favorite version of that story, although special mention goes to the Doctor Who Christmas Special where the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith plays the Ghost of Christmas Past and Present to a Sci-Fi Future Scrooge. This might deserve an entire Fantastical Truth episode as The Doctor essential uses story and adventures that create new childhood memories to reprogram the imagination of the cold-hearted miser in order to give him a heart of flesh thereby saving his soul and the lives of hundreds of people. Come to think of it, that is very similar to Dickens’ story at it’s heart; Maybe A Christmas Carol is the OG fantastical truth Christmas fiction!

A faithful follower,

Caleb

Next on Fantastical Truth

Next week, we’re taking a Christmas Eve break! Then one week later, we return with our first New Year’s Eve special. Which top ten Fantastical Truth episodes and Lorehaven.com articles did readers love most in the last year? We’ll survey all of these, and give fun updates, to close our 2024 season.