Talk 5: Educating for Wartime
The Last Battle, the final novel in The Chronicles of Narnia, tells the story of the last war of Narnia, where King Tirian, aided resolutely by Eustace and Jill, ‘the Friends of Narnia’, fight the Calormene invaders and their allies. Shift, a talking ape, manipulates the Narnians into worshipping his friend, Puzzle, as a ploy to take over their land. This novel is the culmination of the themes and characters in Narnia, where the forces of good and evil do battle for the future of the once glorious kingdom of Narnia. The story ends where Aslan, a noble lion, the true King of Narnia, heals the land of Narnia, the ultimate good has triumphed. Aslan takes the friends to the true version of Narnia; the previous Narnia having been an imperfect shadow. “Lucy looked hard at the garden and saw it was not really a garden but a whole world, with its own rivers and woods and seas and mountains. But they were not strangers, she knew them all. ‘I see’ she said, ‘This is still Narnia, and more real and more beautiful than the Narnia down below …’ ” [1]
There is no doubt we are in a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of our children and young people. Our world “seems to be entering a new, chaotic, unchartered and dark era.” [2] As teachers, we need to lament the pain and suffering of the Fall as it is expressed in the ways this generation has chosen to live. This needs to drive us to prayer, as we do not despair, for ours is a hope‑filled narrative, anchored in a story of kept promises. For Christ has won the victory through His death, resurrection and ascension, and this gives meaning to our suffering in the midst of a battle already won. We need to pray individually and communally for one another, as the cultural war where we are seen as ‘the bad guys’, can cause us to grow weary and give up. We must pray for our graduating students to become people alert and aware to the times in which they live, transformed by their immersion in the Scriptures and the Gospel of Christ.
In the midst of the culture that has irrational definitions of life and no transcendent point of reference for life’s coherence, there is a yearning and a restless search for a better story that will satisfy the impoverished spirit. As highlighted in Term 1’s talk, ‘Unmasking Reality’, it is imperative that the Scriptures be brought back from the margin to be re‑established as the central text for living the way of Jesus in all of life. “Nobody can change stories unless an alternative story is made richly available with great artistry, love and boldness.” [3] and “any community that wants to sustain itself must have the space … to tell its own primal narrative and imagine its own future in relationship to that narrative.” [4] If students are to live out their faith over the long‑haul into adulthood, navigating their way through the existential issues of life, they must experience a school community where beliefs and behaviour are weaved together in a rich fabric of faithful discipleship.
This means we need to prioritise and participate in professional learning, not just professional development that will enable us to get teacher accredited hours, but that which will engage us in a serious, passionate and loving engagement with Scripture. This will empower us to unfold our God’s Story through our curriculum and class culture. For we are nurturing a faith that is to bear fruit in our students’ private and public lives and enable them to weather the storms of an idolatrous culture.
Our nation will only be renewed if God’s people are renewed, but we must be awake to reality and make wise choices. Our students are to be ‘future‑proofed’ because our God knows the future and holds it and our lives in His hands.
In his book, The Magna Carta of Humanity, Os Guinness closes with Rabbi Sack’s summary of our human task,
“Just as God created order in the universe, so we are called to create order in our personal lives and in society as a whole. We are God’s image; we are God’s children; we are God’s partners. Within us is the breath of God. Around us is the presence of God. Near us is the home we build for God. Ahead of us is the task set by God: to be His agents of justice and compassion. Never has a nobler account been given of the human condition, and it challenges us still.” [5]
A vision of shalom where there is true justice, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace and freedom – the most glorious picture of human flourishing that satisfies the longings of humanity. (Revelation 21:1-5) This is our story – let’s proclaim and demonstrate it to our students. And like Lucy said about the final reality, “This is still Narnia, and more real and more beautiful …”. And so will be our future. It’s worth the battle!!
“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then He said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”(Revelation 21:5)
Grace and Peace
The Excellence Centre Team
[1] C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle, (London: Collins Publishing, 1956), 169
[2] Carl R Trueman, Strange New World – How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, (Illinois: Crossway, 2022), 186
[3] Walter Brueggeman, The Prophetic Imagination, (Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2011), 35
[4] Nancy Tatan Ammerman, Congregation & Community, (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1996), 360
[5] Os Guinness, The Magna Carta of Humanity – Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom, (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2021), 250