Can Truth Be Found Through Fantasy? | Madeleine L'Engle
Dec 14, 2023
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Best-selling author of A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle, explores the role of fantasy in our lives and its connection to the Christian story. She discusses the power of fantasy in revealing truth, the importance of faith, and finding pleasure in God. Reflecting on personal experiences, she invites listeners to embrace the world of fantasy.
Fantasy helps us understand that seeking truth goes beyond mere facts, leading us to a higher truth that surpasses ordinary facts.
Fantasy serves as a valuable tool to go beyond the limits of ordinary thinking and explore the mysteries and complexities of God, allowing us to grasp a greater understanding of the human spirit and the depths of our relationship with God.
Deep dives
The Power of Fantasy and the Incarnation
Fantasy, far from being childish, can lead us to a higher truth that surpasses ordinary facts. It helps us understand that seeking truth goes beyond mere facts and that there is a difference between facts and truth. The incarnation, the central story of Christianity, is a fantastic and hilarious idea that defies factual explanation. This story of God becoming human demonstrates God's deep love for humanity and shows us what it means to be truly human. Beyond the world of facts, fantasy allows us to move into a realm of unlimited possibilities that challenge us to grow and develop in unexpected ways.
The Role of Fantasy in Expanding our Understanding of God
Fantasy serves as a valuable tool to go beyond the limits of ordinary thinking and explore the mysteries and complexities of God. Theology alone cannot fully capture the essence of God, but fantasy can. It allows us to grasp a greater understanding of the human spirit and the depths of our relationship with God. In fantasy, we find the language and imagery that help us explore profound concepts and embrace a broader sense of being.
The Essence of Fantasy and its Connection to Love
The world of fantasy is not synonymous with the phony or trivial, but rather invites us to experience a reality that transcends facts. Through fantasy, we are reminded of the importance of laughter, which is an integral part of our humanity. In the realm of fantasy, we encounter a love that is foundational and transformative. God's love for us, despite our imperfections, is the ultimate truth that fantasy leads us to acknowledge. It teaches us to be gentle with one another, to embrace differences, and to be open to the positive possibilities of the world.
Fantasy as a Pathway to a Deeper Connection with God
Fantasy enables us to go beyond thinking and language and connects us to a deeper and more intimate experience of God's presence. It allows us to tap into the mystery and beauty of creation, opening us up to the wonder and awe of the universe. By moving past our inclination to control and analyze, we create space for God's revelation to unfold. Through fantasy, we encounter the realness that surpasses proof and discover the transformative power of faith, which requires acceptance of doubt rather than its repression.
This time of year, fantasy is in the air — tales of a red-nosed reindeer, a jolly North Pole resident, a virgin birth of God incarnate, and more.
In this episode, we explore the role of fantastic stories in our lives — and what believing in them can mean for us. You’ll hear from Madeleine L’Engle, the best-selling author of A Wrinkle in Time, in a Forum presentation at UC Santa Barbara in 1998. Weaving together tales from her life and work, Madeleine invites us to consider the gift of the fantastical — and how the Christian story might be more than a fairy tale.
Thank you to the Forum planning team at UC Santa Barbara for making this event possible! The full forum is linked in the episode description.