C S Lewis, Easter, and the Dramatization of Christ

A version of the following first appeared in this blog in November of 2008. It was re-worked as an Examiner.com article in 2010. I thought this Easter was a good time to reproduce this version. (Examiner.com is no longer in existence, and all its contents have been removed from the internet.)

It has been said that C S Lewis, the famous author of The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, and dozens of other works, read The Man Born to Be King every Easter.

Dorothy L. Sayers, who was an acquaintance of C S Lewis, is probably most famous for her Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series. She was also a writer of “religious” plays and other works with theological themes. In a time and place where representing any member of the Trinity on stage had been illegal (See Sayers’ Introduction, p. 17.),The Man Born to Be King, a BBC radio series which dramatized the life of Jesus Christ, was groundbreaking.

The twelve-part “Play-Cycle” was aired in Britain during World War Two from December 1941 through October 1942. The series was so popular that a book of the plays, including all of the director’s notes, was published in 1943. In the Foreword to that book, J. W. Welch, the Director of Religious Broadcasting of the BBC, commented (page 12):

The minimum duty of religious broadcasting to those outside the churches is to say: “Listen: This is the truth about the world, and life, and you”. But how were we to say it so people would listen? Conventional church services and religious talks were of little avail. Obviously, something new was needed.

The archaic language of the Authorized King James version of the Bible had long been a hindrance to people understanding the reality of which it speaks. While using the King James verbiage in the introductory narratives, Sayers put the dialogue in the language and dialects of mid-20th-century England. Although criticized by much of the religious community for the “liberties” she took, she connected with the people.

Before there were books, God’s Truth was spread by word of mouth. After the invention of writing, God instructed his followers to record his teachings in written form. These scriptures were collected and compiled into a book that became known as the Bible. The invention of the printing press made it possible for more and more common people to have their own copy of God's Message. We are now in a time when communication has come to the point where video can be transported around the world in an instant by satellite and the Internet. Certainly God is using modern technology to reveal himself to the world.

Scripture tells us Jesus was the “exact representation” of God while he was on earth (Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV). His life dramatized in a visible way what God is like. That is not to say that radio plays or movies about the life of Christ have the same weight as the inspired scriptures. The Bible is the final authority. But the Truth of scripture is not dead dogma; it is “alive and powerful” (Hebrew 4:12), and should be presented as such to the world.

As we seek to dramatize the deity through modern technology, we must remember to present Truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Part of that love is conveying Christ in a language and manner that will resonate with the common man, woman and child. Presenting the drama of Christ's life – whether in a simple Easter pageant at a local church, or an elaborate screen play – is one way the Church can resonate the message of Christ.

The Man Born to be King was reprinted as recently as 1990 by Ignatius Press. Used copies are available on Amazon.com and other online resources.