To get Narnia right, they have to get Aslan right. The Great Lion, a reflection of the character of Christ, is the soul of the mythical kingdom and of C.S. Lewis’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia. In the adaptation of Prince Caspian, the second of the books being brought to the silver screen May 16 by Disney and Walden Media, they not only succeeded with Aslan, but also with more. They developed strong characters in Peter and Caspian, fun magical creatures, and a lot of sword-clanging action. The result is an edge of your seat movie with a solid faith-based core.

The film tells the story of Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), who is forced to flee his castle by his usurping uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto). Driven to the forest, he meets the true Narnians, talking animals, fauns, and dwarfs, also pressed into hiding by Miraz’s tyranny. His call for help is answered by a magical return of the four Pevensie children who once conquered the White Witch and ruled Narnia. Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) have grown one year older in their world while 1300 years have passed in Narnia. They return to a completely different realm than they had left.

“I think passionate, purist fans of Jack’s works are going to have some interesting surprises when they see this movie,” says Douglas Gresham, co-producer of the film and stepson of Lewis (who was also known as Jack), “There is no more purist, more passionate fan of Narnia than myself. After all, I grew up there.”

Surprises, for those who know the book well, start as soon as the film rolls. The storyline is jumbled from that of the book, and the action increased. Battle scenes play out on a grand scale, with PG rated heroics on every side. Fast fighting and slick effects make this an action movie to win the heart of boys everywhere. A new battle sequence, involving the storming of a castle, is inserted so seamlessly that it adds to the themes of the movie rather than detracts. There are some missteps as well. Someone – Disney’s fingerprints are all over this one – interjected a small romance into the plot. The thing that hits like a punch to the stomach, however, is an ambiguity involving Aslan, questioning for a moment if he was real or just a dream. Fortunately, it’s a blip that is quickly overcome by the many wonderful moments in the movie involving Aslan. He’s back and he’s bigger than ever.

Widely regarded, and acknowledged by Lewis himself, to be a representation of Christ, Aslan is less accessible in this movie than in the predecessor, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The children are older and they find Aslan both bigger and more elusive than they had before. Full of conflicting responsibilities and desires, they struggle to fit faith in Aslan into a more mature framework. Peter, in particular, has grown into a young man wanting to prove himself without anyone’s help, whether from Caspian, Edmund, or Aslan. His ego drives him to engage the enemy in ways that become disastrous for Narnia. Caspian is consumed with a desire for revenge on Miraz and increasing dismay as his losses mount. Both young men are tempted to turn away from the Lion. Lucy, the youngest, sees Aslan before the others do, but finds him wanting more from her than she expects. Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) the dwarf plays the role of agnostic, refusing to believe in “fairy tales.” Only Edmund, for whom Aslan lay down his life in the prior movie, finds his faith keeping pace with his maturity.

All of the Aslan-centric conflict is woven well with the other great conflict: The increasingly dire situation of the Narnian army as Miraz surrounds it with his hordes. As arrows zip and catapults launch boulders at the Narnians, the viewer finds himself in the same place as most of the characters: longing for a glimpse of Aslan. This longing is the enduring legacy of the book series, the yearning it produces for the truth behind the fantasy world. Some people recognize the only inherent decency, honor, glory, and integrity of Narnia, while others make the easy step from Aslan to Christ.

Prince Caspian is fast paced, well acted, and laced through with humor. Reepicheep, a mouse full of valor and pride, along with the cantankerous Trumpkin, draw affectionate laughs. Special effects are wonderful, from the horse portion of a centaur, to a vengeful river god. Behind all the fun, Aslan prowls, waiting for his moment.  Producer and director Andrew Adamson and his team have made a thoroughly enjoyable movie that respects its source.

California Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage

A sharply divided California Supreme Court today legalized same-sex marriage, an historic ruling that will allow gay and lesbian couples across the state to wed as soon as next month and inflame the social, political and moral debate over gay unions.

In a 4-3 ruling written by Chief Justice Ronald George, the Supreme Court struck down California laws that restrict marriage to heterosexual couples, finding that it is unconstitutional to deprive gays and lesbians of the equal right to walk down the aisle with a marriage license in hand.

San Jose Mercury News

Currently rescue workers in Sichuan Providence probe wreckage to save as many as 25,000 missing persons following Monday’s devastating earthquake that has already killed 15,000, making it China’s worst earthquake loss since 1976 when it is now estimated 650,000 people perished.

As the Burmese government limits the flow of international relief to two million people of its citizens severely affected by the May 3 cyclone, the death toll approaches 50,000.

The Methodist Church Apologizes for Past Support of Eugenics

On April the 28th, 2008 the Methodist Church adopted an official resolution as a repentance of the Methodist Church's historical involvement in the support of Eugenics in the early part of the 20th century.

"Within the resolution, the connection between Darwinian evolution and the Nazi program is considered. This is a quote from the resolution, explaining the history of the connection between Charles Darwin and the theory of Eugenics as it would come to be considered applicable to humans:

"Eugenics, the belief that certain “genetic” traits are good and others bad, is associated in the public mind mostly with the extreme eugenics policies of Adolf Hitler, which ultimately led to the Holocaust. The study of eugenics did not begin with Hitler or his German scientists, but rather was first promoted by Sir Francis Galton, in England. Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, who expanded on Darwin’s theories and applied them to the human population. In an article entitled "Hereditary Character and Talent" (published in two parts in MacMillan's Magazine, vol. 11, November 1864 and April 1865, pp. 157-166, 318-327), Galton expressed his frustration that no one was breeding a better human: “If a twentieth part of the cost and pains were spent in measures for the improvement of the human race that is spent on the improvement of the breed of horses and cattle, what a galaxy of genius might we not create! We might introduce prophets and high priests of civilization into the world, as surely as we can propagate idiots by mating cretins. Men and women of the present day are, to those we might hope to bring into existence, what the pariah dogs of the streets of an Eastern town are to our own highly-bred varieties.” Galton in the same article described Africans and Native Americans in derogatory terms making it clear which racial group he thought was superior. Francis Galton, the founder of the Eugenics Society, spoke hopefully about persuading people with desirable genes to marry and have large families. Galton's successor at the helm of the Eugenics Society was Major Leonard Darwin (1850-1943), a son of Charles Darwin. Leonard Darwin, who ran the Eugenics Society until 1928, made the transition from positive to negative eugenics, and promoted plans for lowering the birthrate of the unfit."

The Methodist Church sympathized with the Darwinian pretension that certain humans were superior to others. According to the resolution, the church participated in “Fitter Family Contests” which were promoted by the American Eugenics Society."

Scientific Integrity

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