STEP@ Notre Dame Newsletter, May 2009

STEP, University of Notre Dame Newsletter	May 2009

Salvation Through Jesus Christ

An excerpt from the STEP course The Doctrine of Salvation in Jesus Christ

"As an entry point into the Christian tradition's riches concerning Jesus Christ as savior, consider a scene from C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This 'fairy tale' includes an event that is an allegory for the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the story, the lion Aslan arrived in the land of Narnia in order to liberate it from the control of the White Witch. After he began to free Narnia's inhabitants, he deliberately walked up the Hill of the Stone Table and allowed himself to be bound by the pawns of the evil witch, who falsely called herself Narnia's queen. Although Aslan could have destroyed his executioners and the queen with one swat of his paw, he remained silent while he was shorn of his golden mantle and muzzled...Finally, Aslan did not resist as he was strapped down on the flat stone and killed by the witch who then departed in glee with her cohort.

At dawn on the next day, two of Aslan's admirers - Lucy and Susan - went to the Hill of the Stone Table and saw the Table cracked into two pieces. Then they looked in vain for the body of their 'king.' They eventually heard a sound behind them and turned around. 'There, shining in the sunrise . . . stood Aslan himself.' The lion had received a transformed life and had returned to his followers...

This story resembles the Church's passion narrative. It was fashioned by C. S. Lewis in order to illumine the mystery of Jesus Christ. Aslan, who stands for Christ, willingly took on himself the punishment due to the boy Edmund who represents us. Edmund had previously betrayed his friends and Aslan. Because of his betrayal, Edmund awaited severe punishment from the White Witch. The witch herself explained 'that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have a right to kill.' But Aslan voluntarily took the place of Edmund, and suffered and died in Edmond's place, thereby ransoming him from the evil witch. But, unknown to the witch, a promise had been given before the dawn of time. According to this eternal promise, 'when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.' Hence, Aslan - the innocent, willing victim - had risen to new life. He who had voluntarily given his life for the sake of Edmund had overcome death and evil and had come to a transformed existence.

C. S. Lewis's view of how Aslan / Jesus Christ 'saved' us is very ancient - as Lewis knew. It is an instance of a theory, inspired in part by Mark's Gospel, that came to prominence two centuries after Jesus' death and resurrection. Today, this understanding of Christ as victim and victor stands in the Christian tradition as one theory of salvation among others: Jesus Christ as restorer (or reconciler), as penal substitute, as sacrament, and as representative."
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Course Participants
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Look for these Upcoming New Courses

Emerging Models of Catechesis: A Study of Faith FormationModels

We Are His Witnesses: Our Spirit-Filled Mission as the Church

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A Community of Intellectuals

Those new to STEP courses often share an excitement that is infectious, a joy in discovering an avenue for good dialog that reminds us why we fit courses into our already busy lives. We wanted to share some comments that reflect this community of individuals interested in a Catholic intellectual life--

"This is my second online course at ND Online and look forward to a participating in this course. I have found online courses to be the best thing that have been created."

"Every STEP course has opened a new window for me. I am looking forward to the course... and to synthesize its content into what I already believe to be the foundation of my love for God."

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