Exploring the Faith Inside Narnia

Tue, Nov 22, 2005 @ 08:11 AM PST

Churches have stepped into the Narnia scene to promote the upcoming film's Christian values

Churches have stepped into the Narnia scene to promote the upcoming film's Christian values to children and young adults and reach out to the public.

Before The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe opens in theaters nationwide on Dec. 9, Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel in New York has already kicked off its multimedia festival, scheduled to run until Dec. 13.

"Narnia: A Multimedia Festival" features workshops on the celebratory author C.S. Lewis with the Rev. Dr. Clair McPherson, author, priest and teacher of spirituality, history and theology at colleges and seminaries for 30 years, and an e-course on the spiritual aspect of the famed story and its author. Workshops will be telecast online at trinitywallstreet.org.

Part of the church's education and faith formation program, the event has been attracting both parishioners and the general public, according to Beth Chute, manager of public relations at Trinity. This is the first time Trinity has ever held a multimedia event involving webcast, workshops and a film screening.

"We wanted to take advantage of a lot of interest in the movie," said Chute.

Along with the Narnia chronicles, what many regard as Christian allegories, Lewis is best known for such spiritual works as Mere Christianity. He converted from an atheist as a child to an Anglican and in his writings, focused on beliefs he considered common to all Christians.

The faith community has caught on to the rush of the film, promoting resources such as books, creating websites and holding events for both the churched and the unchurched to draw out the Christian values in the story and explore the faith of Lewis.

A special premiere screening, produced by Faith & Values Media, will be presented on Nov. 29 at Trinity Church and aired on the Hallmark Channel. Additionally, Starz Entertainment Group, Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media have partnered to provide viewers a sneak peek of the film with a 30-minute �behind the wardrobe door� footage and a nine-minute preview of the movie beginning on Nov. 24.

The following is a schedule of festival events at Trinity Church:

Nov. 15 - Meet the Author
Nov. 22 - Jump into the Novel
Nov. 29 - Special Movie Preview
Dec. 6 - How to Watch a Movie
Dec. 13 - Adding it All Up (Film Review)

Audrey Barrick
BREATHE Contributor

Tue, Nov 22, 2005 @ 08:11 AM