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 