HELP QUICK-If you are Christian, what's your opinion of A Wrinkle in Time?

[HappyGrace]

I've never read it but wondering about it for dd11. She found it at library and I need to let her know asap if it's ok (leaving on a car trip in a.m.-she'll want to bring something else if it's not ok.)

 

I read it has some Scripture references, etc. Is it generally acceptable to Christians, like a CS Lewis kind of thing, or is it wacky?

 

thanks!

[iamrachelle]

It's not wacky at all...

 

I'm a Christian and it was one of my favorites growing up. My dd (11yr old) loves it as well. It's a beautiful story written about friendship and family and the ties that bind us all together... she'll love it!!

[EmilyGF]

Some people think it is wacky and downright dangerous http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Dragons-Battle-Your-Childs/dp/0898706785.

 

Some people laud it. (Can't find the reference right now.)

 

I read it when young. It certainly isn't C.S. Lewis. I won't be letting my kids read it til they are much older.

 

Emily

[cbollin]

I liked it. not sure 11 y.o is best age for it on a car trip?

 

but, I do know some christians do not find it acceptable at all. too much fantasy, and the angelic beings/witches who aren't witches...

 

How about a synopsis of it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wrinkle_in_Time

 

-crystal

[warneral]

I was wondering about it too! I just got a free Lit guide and wondered if it would be something we would want to read.

[WishboneDawn]

I loved it as a kid.

 

I'm Christian...Although I have no idea what that's supposed to prove, shwo or guarantee.

[Carol in Cal.]

I'm Christian and quite conservative, and I loved it as a child. Unfortunately, my DD did not appreciate it much, but I had no qualms at all about giving it to her to read. I recommend it highly.

 

And if you decide to preread it, I am sure you won't be sorry as it is very enjoyable.

[LucyStoner]

I have read it and do not find it problematic for Christians. My son who is 8 just read it and loved it.

[chepyl]

I am a Christian and loved it, they were recommended by a Christian friend. I did not try the other books until a few years ago. They get a little stranger, I would wait for those. But, A Wrinkle in Time is great.

[momma2three]

The author is Christian. One of the sequels is about the twin brothers of the protagonist traveling back to Noahs Ark.

[Five More Minutes]

As book lovers, DH and I both loved the book. As Christians, we loved the book. :001_smile:

[Susanah]

My three now adult or near adult children who are very active Christians all loved it. They read it around 12.

 

As an aside, I think we need to be a little less fearful of fantasy. Fear is not a Christian trait. If your child encounters something that seems to be fundamentally wrong in any piece of literature, all you need do is discuss it. Being exposed in a guided way to wacky is not necessarily a bad thing!

Remember it is literature, not theology.

 

Granted, some literature is intended to confuse and harm, but this is not one of those. L'engle is a Christian, by the way...a mainline Protestant, I believe, but she is not necessarily a disciple if you understand my distinction.

[LittleIzumi]

Devout LDS & loved it here. I still need to read the sequels!! My girls don't care for it yet, but they are super young. I had to try, though :lol:.

[LittleIzumi]

My three now adult or near adult children who are very active Christians all loved it. They read it around 12.

 

As an aside, I think we need to be a little less fearful of fantasy. Fear is not a Christian trait. If your child encounters something that seems to be fundamentally wrong in any piece of literature, all you need do is discuss it. Being exposed in a guided way to wacky is not necessarily a bad thing!

Remember it is literature, not theology.

 

Granted, some literature is intended to confuse and harm, but this is not one of those. L'engle is a Christian, by the way...a mainline Protestant, I believe, but she is not necessarily a disciple if you understand my distinction.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: It's called fantasy--i.e., very obviously not real and not expected to be real or related to reality. If just reading a normal speculative novel is enough to shake faith, there is a much more serious problem, IMO.

[PeterPan]

Happy, there's nothing so bad in it that it's going to ruin her soul or anything. She might identify with some of the characters. You should take the time to read it (won't take you long, it's short), so you can talk about it. Don't lit talk about it though. Just talk about who she identified with in the book and what she thought of it.

 

There are others in the series, and they're similar in flavor. I wouldn't take L'Engle's label as a christian as a blanket stamp, since you're likely to disagree with her theology and how she handles some issues. But like I said, the value in the books is for kids who identify with the characters and the issues the characters face. If you treat it as you would any other secular author book (possibility of things you disagree with but 75% valuable), then you'll be fine.

 

PS. I'm going to have to try to get that O'Brien book someone linked to. Maybe there are horrible, insidious undertones I missed. You can read a book on a lot of levels, and your dd isn't likely to get ALL those levels. I do think the books are weird. I don't think L'Engle is of my particular stripe of Christianity. But I don't eschew all secular books either. So I just handle it like that, looking for objectionables, looking for why it's praise-worthy.

Edited September 25, 2011 by OhElizabeth

[Ellie]

We love Wrinkle in our family. :001_wub:

[Farrar]

Madeleine L'Engle was a devout Christian. She was an Episcopalian and wrote many adult books about her reflections on religion as well as several lesser known children's books that were issued by Christian presses instead of mainstream ones. Families in her books are usually church-going. A Wrinkle in Time is one of her most fantastic tales, but she had many others that reference the bible, quote great religious figures like Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis, and address the subject of Christianity more head on. Reading her books is probably one of the biggest reasons I'm a Christian still today. She had a deep influence on my evolving spirituality as a young teenager.

 

She was a very liberal Christian though. She believed in universal salvation. She also believed deeply in science and would never set religion up as being against science the way some do today. As such, I can easily imagine that some Christians would differ with her take on the world and on religion.

[laughing lioness]

It's an intro to spirituality, written by a Christian without being explicitly Christian. It depends on your 11 yo. We love L'Engle around here. My 21 yo says a Wrinkle in Time along with Lewis' Screwtape Letters was foundational to her walk.

[twoforjoy]

L'Engle was a universalist and an Episcopalian; she's my people. Sadly, though, I find A Wrinkle in Time kind of boring.

[HappyGrace]

Thanks, everyone-I'm going to have her go ahead with it.

 

I don't shield her reading (we just discuss, and anyway she is quite discerning on her own with what she reads) BUT I had read on Wiki about L'engle's "universal salvation" etc and just wanted to make sure it wasn't some strange Christian blend type book that *could* be confusing or harmful. (The Shack comes to mind here as to what I'm talking about)

 

and we're leaving tomorrow so I don't have time to preread-thanks for the help!

[ElizaG]

This article might be a bit helpful (ETA: to someone else; I see you've already decided) :

 

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/10/001-fantasy-and-faith-4

 

I tend to agree with O'Brien, but do plan to give the books to my children at some point when they're old enough to discuss these sorts of issues. Not sure when that will be.

 

BTW, I like her "Meet the Austins" series better. As a child, that was my image of an ideal family life (and in some ways, it still is). :)

[pdalley]

My three now adult or near adult children who are very active Christians all loved it. They read it around 12.

 

As an aside, I think we need to be a little less fearful of fantasy. Fear is not a Christian trait. If your child encounters something that seems to be fundamentally wrong in any piece of literature, all you need do is discuss it. Being exposed in a guided way to wacky is not necessarily a bad thing!

Remember it is literature, not theology.

 

Granted, some literature is intended to confuse and harm, but this is not one of those. L'engle is a Christian, by the way...a mainline Protestant, I believe, but she is not necessarily a disciple if you understand my distinction.

 

:iagree: A Wrinkle In Time, A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet were books I've read as a teen that I've read over and over again. I recently finally read Many Waters. It was definitely a seed planter for me as an unchurched child.

 

I can't get into Lord of the Rings or Narnia or Harry Potter but I wouldn't be upset if my kids read them. I don't get uptight about different theology in my fiction.

 

I know Twilight has a huge fanbase but I don't like vampire lit - not even Dracula even though it is supposed to be a classic.

[Mommyfaithe]

I absolutely loved the first 3 ...HATED, HATED, HATED the 4th....

 

Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door and Swiftly Tilting planet were awesome and we have read them many times...the next one paints a portrait of Noah amd his family that made me gag.

 

Faithe

[LittleIzumi]

Thanks, everyone-I'm going to have her go ahead with it.

 

I don't shield her reading (we just discuss, and anyway she is quite discerning on her own with what she reads) BUT I had read on Wiki about L'engle's "universal salvation" etc and just wanted to make sure it wasn't some strange Christian blend type book that *could* be confusing or harmful. (The Shack comes to mind here as to what I'm talking about)

 

and we're leaving tomorrow so I don't have time to preread-thanks for the help!

 

Ah, gotcha. I definitely don't think it's that sort of book. :)

[Harriet Vane]

I am a Christian. I love it, and love L'Engle's other works as well. Certainly not objectionable.

[Farrar]

The concept of universal salvation is not a part of all Christian denominations by any means, but I don't think it would lead to any sort of confusion any more than a Baptist reading a book influenced by Catholic ideas or vice versa. Nor is it really central to most of the ideas presented in her fiction for children.

[ladydusk]

I love Madeleine L'Engle's books, and re-read them regularly. Her writing is elegant, beautiful, and lovely and worth the example to be read. I would not take theological insight from her, though. I do find quite a bit of that problematic. I will give it to my children to read at an appropriate age; and I imagine 11 is a great time to read and discuss A Wrinkle in Time.

[Aubrey]

It's probably my favorite kids' book. There's controversy around it, but imo, the values taught are very in line w/ the faith.

 

ETA: I read it in ps in 5th grade--some of the religious references were confusing, but that's mainly because of my denomination (at the time) & my parents' response--fear & confusion. Dh & I just read it aloud this month to our big kids (w/ mom listening in some nights, ironically), & it's one of the few books I can stomach a second time (short attention span). That said, it's fresh on my mind, & now that I'm (much) older, I can see a clear Christian theme. Maybe not one that everyone would agree on, but nothing unorthodox, imo. We're part way through the second book now.

 

Someone said it's definitely not Lewis. It's NOT straight allegory like Lewis, but I would not say it's less artful. For what that is worth! :D

Edited September 26, 2011 by Aubrey

[Hockey Mom]

My three now adult or near adult children who are very active Christians all loved it. They read it around 12.

 

As an aside, I think we need to be a little less fearful of fantasy. Fear is not a Christian trait. If your child encounters something that seems to be fundamentally wrong in any piece of literature, all you need do is discuss it. Being exposed in a guided way to wacky is not necessarily a bad thing!

Remember it is literature, not theology.

 

Granted, some literature is intended to confuse and harm, but this is not one of those. L'engle is a Christian, by the way...a mainline Protestant, I believe, but she is not necessarily a disciple if you understand my distinction.

 

:iagree:

 

This. 100% this.