No doubt many moviegoers looked forward to last Friday when the film A Wrinkle in Time premiered.
Perhaps like me they had read the book of the same title and relished every page of the Newbery Award winner (1963), written by Madeleine L’Engle. Fans of the novel surely hoped the film would offer the same intriguing juxtaposition of science and fantasy, as well as the thought-provoking allegory of the divine versus demonic.
Some Wrinkle-in-Time fans may not know that L’Engle was a Christian, and wrote the book as a way to express her reflections about God.
“If I’ve ever written a book that says what I feel about God and the universe, this is it,” L’Engle journaled. “This is my psalm of praise to life, my stand for life against death” (1).
L’Engle grew up with a church background, but in her 30s wrestled with such essential questions as: Does God exist? Why are we here? Do we exist after death? Her strong faith in God developed over time, her granddaughter has explained, a slow “acceptance of what she had always known to be true” (2).
As L’Engle’s faith grew, she established the daily habits of Bible reading and prayer. Her writings began to reflect her devotion to God and deep love of scripture. A Wrinkle in Time is no exception. Several characters frequently quote from the Bible.
L’Engle discovered: “Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys” (3).
L’Engle’s faith did indeed carry her through several tragedies. Her father died when she was eighteen, the result of lung damage during World War I. Close friends died, survived by their young daughter, Maria. L’Engle and her husband Hugh adopted the child, only to struggle through Maria’s emotional turmoil as time passed. Then, after forty years of marriage, her beloved Hugh died of cancer.
L’Engle eventually wrote: “We trust as [Medieval mystic] Lady Julian of Norwich trusted, knowing that despite all the pain and horror of the world, ultimately God’s loving purpose will be fulfilled and ‘all things shall be well…and all manner of things shall be well.’ And this all-wellness…does not come to us because we are clever or virtuous but comes as a gift of grace” (4).
She saw Christianity as a paradox. On the one hand is the infinite, unfathomable God beyond comprehension, but who was at the same time a finite human being–Jesus–who died for us on a cross.
“To believe the universe was created by a purposeful being is one thing,” she wrote. “To believe this Creator took on human vesture, accepted death and mortality, was tempted, betrayed, broken, and all for love of us, defies reason” (5).
L’Engle often wove Christian themes into her stories. Sadly, filmmakers chose to downplay the faith elements of A Wrinkle in Time, and focus on the fantasy and special effects. What’s left is a confusing storyline and muddled message. Many critics admit to disappointment and confusion (6).
In an interview the film’s screenwriter explained the decision for removing all traces of Christian reference:
“I think there are a lot of elements of what [L’Engle] wrote that we have progressed on as a society, and we can move on to the other elements” (7).
Oh? We can move on from the element of truth?
Like Madeleine L’Engle, we must wrestle with the essential matters of truth and faith; we must be certain of the reasons and evidence for our beliefs, because…
Notes:
(1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/new/acts.of.faith/wp/2018/03/08/the-deep-faith-of-a-wrinkle-in-time
(2) Same source as above.
(3) From Walking on Water (Crosswicks, 2001), by Madeleine L’Engle
(4) Same source as above.
(5) From Penguins and Calves (Shaw Books, 2003), by Madeleine L’Engle
(7) https://uproxx.com/movies/jennifer-lee-wrinkle-in-time-frozen-2/2/
Additional sources:
- www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/march-web-only/hollywood-spiritual-themes-wrinkle-time-madeleine-lengle.html
- http://exhumator.com/00-139-00_esoteric-religious-spiritual-engle-madeleine.html
- https://www.franciscanmedia.org/madeleine-lengle-an-epic-in-time/
Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com (2); http://www.quotefancy.com; http://www.wikipedia.org; http://www.canva.com.
From the Inside Out 
Sad but I think the screenwriter said what much of society feels
No doubt you’re right, Isaiah. We must pray they realize that everything the world offers is meaningless without Creator God (Ecclesiastes 1 & 2). It is in HIS presence–living life with him–we experience fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11!
So sad that in today’s world Gid’s truths are not what society wants to hear or watch. I think the author would be very disappointed. Thank you for your insightful blog. They always lift me up and cause me to dig deeper in God’s word.
Thank you, Anita. So appreciate your encouragement! I’m sure you’re right that L’Engle would be very disappointed in the way her story was changed–and not for the better.
Thank you, Nancy! I really enjoy your blog posts.
And thank you for letting me know that you do! 🙂
that quote by the screenwriter certainly says a lot. wow, just think all the truth he/she missed! I didn’t know much about her – thanks for sharing her story. Loved that she quoted Julian of Norwich too
You’re welcome, Jean. I’m glad you enjoyed this very abbreviated sharing of L’Engle’s life and writings. For that screenwriter and all others who are missing the truth, we can pray with great hope because “God our Savior…wants [everyone] to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). There’s great comfort in that realization.
Hi Nancy,
I was hoping they would have kept a message. IfChristisn filmmakers could get a hold of great books, had the money and made better films it would be great. Keep praying,
Gary
A few good faith-based movies are showing in theaters. Keep your eyes and ears open for the mention of “Over the Rhine,” a film written and directed by a friend. Hopefully it will be released by fall. Once it is, I’ll be writing about it here. I’ve seen it and thought it was FANTASTIC!
You know Mitch, too. Yes, that is what we are praying for more, more, more!
Yes, I know Mitch! I didn’t know that YOU knew Mitch–How funny is that?!
I think he was the one who told me about your blog. I knew about him since his Issac Airfright days. I am starting a production company so I have been asking if he could be my mentor on things from time-to-time.
Sadly, it is no surprise that Christian references were removed from the screenplay of this film. A missed opportunity for sure! Thanks, Nancy, for this most interesting post. I had heard of this movie but had no idea about the background of its author or what the book was even about. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
I enjoyed learning more about L’Engle too. After reading quotes from her book, Walking on Water, I want to get that book. Video interviews with her are available on YouTube; she was a very articulate woman.
“I think there are a lot of elements of what [L’Engle] wrote that we have progressed on as a society, and we can move on to the other elements.”
Oh yes, yes.
“Intelligent people of society, we don’t want you to believe in those fairy stories of various religions, as you can’t see any of their deities – therefore they don’t exist. No, what we want you to believe in, is that the total mass of the universe – every planet, every star, every moon, every comet – (ie. 1.5×10 to power of 50 tons of matter, an unbelievably massive number) was all squashed into a space smaller than the point of a pin.
Then, one day, for no reason at all (as we don’t understand any of the science controlling it) it exploded, and created the universe we know. However, that may not have occurred, as some scientists believe the universe always has existed and always will exist, with new stars and galaxies being created spontaneously to ‘fill in the gaps’ as the universe expands. Also, your universe is composed of many rolled-up dimensions that no-one can see, but scientists can’t agree on how many there are.”
‘Could God have created the matter in the universe, and why can’t I see the extra dimensions?’
“No, absolutely, positively NOT, and you just have to trust us that the other dimensions exist. It’s all simply a matter of faith.”
Gee, I’m glad I live in such enlightened times.
Is this quote you shared from L’Engle’s writings?