The first work of science fiction by a Christian author that I read was Madeleine L'Engle's novel A Wrinkle in Time. I first became acquainted with this book when one of my elementary school teachers (probably in fourth or fifth grade) read it to our class. Intrigued, some time later I borrowed the book from the library and read it myself. Last year I became reacquainted with L'Engle's novel when I read it to my daughter before bedtime over a period of a week or so. Although I hadn't read it in years, I found it still to be quite engrossing reading.
Before continuing my discussion of the book, I should acknowledge that its author Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) was a somewhat controversial figure. A devout Episcopalian, L'Engle, like the writer George MacDonald, (who inspired C.S. Lewis), was a universalist--that is, she believed that everyone will eventually be in heaven. I think she was mistaken, but it can still be argud that that the book in a broad sense reflects a mindset
Although A Wrinkle in Time is obstensibly a book for young people, the story it tells resonates with readers of any age. In the book, Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles Wallace, and Meg's friend Calvin O'Keefe--with the help of the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which--travel through space to rescue Meg's and Charles' father from imprisonment on the planet Camazozt, which is totally controlled by the huge, disembodied brain known as "IT." The Christian perspective underlying the story arguably becomes most clear near the middle of the book. On the planet Uriel, Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin are shown the Dark Thing, a vast shadow obscuring the stars. Later, while on another planet, they gaze into a crystal ball and to their horror see the Dark Thing covering their own planet Earth. Mrs. Which, with her characteristic stammer, informs the children that the Dark Thing is, in fact, the "Ppowers of Ddarrkknesss." However, she also reassures them that "wee wwill cconnttinnue tto ffightt" against the Dark Thing. Mrs. Whatsit adds:
"All through the universe it's being fought, all through the cosmos, and my, but it's a grand and exciting battle. I know that it's hard for you to understand about size, how's there's very little difference in the size of the tiniest microbe and the greatest galaxy. You think about that, and maybe it won't seem strange to you that some of our very best fighters have come right from your own planet, and it's a little planet, dears, out on the edge of a little galaxy. You can be proud that it's done so well."
Then the following conversation ensues:
"Who have our fighters been? Calvin asked.
"Oh, you must know them, dear," Mrs. Whatsit said.
Mrs. Who's spectacles shone out at them triumphantly. "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."
"Jesus!" Charles Wallace said. "Why of course, Jesus!"
Later, Meg and Calvin are able to rescue Meg's father, but Charles Wallace comes under the control of IT. Meg is sent back to Camazotz to rescue her brother. Before she leaves on her apparently hopeless quest, Mrs. Who reminds her, quoting the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 1:25, that "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." Though Meg is far weaker than the the seemingly all-powerful IT, she still has the power to defeat IT. This becomes evident when she finally realizes that her love for her brother can break IT's control over him and she succeeds in freeing him.
It should be pointed out, though, that among the "fighters" against the Dark Thing that L'Engle mentions, she includes the Buddha. Perhaps this is a reflection of her universalism. However, as a whole, the book reflects a largely Christian perspective.
To me, L'Engle's novel is thematically related to Alice Maynell's poem. Just like Maynell in "Christ in the Universe," A Wrinkle in Time projects the Christian worldview onto the entire cosmos. In "Christ in the Universe," Maynell conceives of the Gospel as having a genuinely cosmic scope. Similarly, in A Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle portrays the conflict between Good and Evil, which is essentially tthe conflict between the Kingdom of God and its enemies, as taking place throughout the universe. As we shall see in a future post, this idea reappears in the works of another great Christian science fiction writer--C.S. Lewis.
In closing, in writing A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle demonstrated the power of the Christian imagination when applied to the genre of science fiction. If you have not yet read it, I strongly recommend that you do. If you have read it already, I encourage you to do so it. It is quite a memorable book.