EXTRA
“Lunatic, Liar or Lord”
Lewis’ Trilemma
The Chronicles of Narnia contain a strong Christian element
derived from C. S. Lewis’ faith, although this element is not
always evident to the reader. However, Lewis does employ one
of his most popular theological ideas in a very clear way, in The
Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
After Lucy explains to her siblings that she had been in Narnia
with Edmund and he denies it, Peter and Susan decide to tell
Prof. Kirke about what happened, worried about Lucy’s well-
being. Digory Kirke remains unfazed by Lucy’s story and takes
her side: since Lucy was not a liar nor a crazy little girl, Digory
concludes she could only be telling the truth.
This passage is deeply connected to what is known as “Lewis’ Tri-
lemma”: the idea that Jesus was whom He affirmed to be through
his example and his message - the Son of God. There was only
three ways to face the Jesus of the Gospels, according to Lewis:
either He lied, or He was no more than a crazed man, or He
really was who He affirmed to be. Lewis formulated this con-
cept in response to those who believed Jesus was simply a good
teacher with valuable insights, but that in no way whatsoever
could be the Messiah and the Son of God.
74 SEP-OCT 2017