Always vigilant, ever helpful, Dr. Albert Mohler has served us again with a very insightful review of The Golden Compass. To be released on Friday, this first installment of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series is not just another harmless fantasy click:

“The release of a popular film with major actors that presents a message directly subversive of Christianity is something new. It is not likely to be the last.”

Dr. Mohler reviews the film by answering these questions:

• Why is this movie such a challenge?
• So, what’s the problem?
• Will viewers of the movie see all this?
• Is Pullman’s attack on Christianity exaggerated by his critics?
• Is there more to the larger story?
• What is it about Pullman and C. S. Lewis?
• So, what should Christians do?

In this review, Dr. Mohler explains the stakes:

“Philip Pullman has an agenda — an agenda about as subtle as an army tank. His agenda is nothing less than to expose what he believes is the tyranny of the Christian faith and the Christian church. His hatred of the biblical storyline is clear. He is an atheist whose most important literary project is intended to offer a moral narrative that will reverse the biblical account of the fall and provide a liberating mythology for a new secular age.”

Simply put:

“Indeed, Pullman’s His Dark Materials is intended as an answer to Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. What Lewis (and J. R. R. Tolkein) did for Christianity, Pullman wants to do for atheism.”

We should think thus:

“The Gospel of Jesus Christ has enemies; this we know. Christian parents must be informed about His Dark Materials and inform others. We must take the responsibility to use interest in this film to teach our own children to think biblically and to be discerning in their engagement with the media in all forms. We should arm our children to be able to talk about this project with their classmates without fear or rancor.

“Philip Pullman has an agenda, but so do we. Our agenda is the Gospel of Christ — a message infinitely more powerful than that of The Golden Compass. Pullman’s worldview of unrestricted human autonomy would be nightmarish if ever achieved. His story promises liberation but would enslave human beings to themselves and destroy all transcendent value.”

If you would like to read more, Gene Veith’s book, The Soul of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has a very helpful review of Pullman’s His Dark Materials books. See chapters 10 and 11. (Chapters 8 and 9 of this book are very helpful introductions to the genre of fantasy and how Christians should think about fantasy like Narnia and Harry Potter.)

Parents, read Dr. Mohler’s entire post.

Categories: Push Back, five15 blog