Q & R: Hell, Tash, Aslan

Here’s the Q;

I am reading your book A New Kind of Christian. I have a question, which I am sure you have been asked before: Is your theology regarding intertwining different religions (Not just different cultures) into Christianity biblically sound? I think your idea of mixing cultures into Christianity is brilliant! However, I would like to see some biblical backing regarding the mixture, not just a C.S. Lewis quotation. If you are not sure to what I am referring, I am specifically dealing with the quotation brought up by C.S. Lewis regarding Tash and Aslan. To be completely honest, I was loving your book until that passage. I wanted to recommend it to others and now I question whether or not that is a good idea unless you are backing yourself up.

A: A couple things –
First, I’m not really arguing for mixing cultures into Christianity, nor am I arguing for intertwining different religions. I’m sorry you got that impression. I believe that the gospel is always expressed in a culture – and that it should be expressed in every culture, not just Western culture. And I think that each religion has its own integrity and shouldn’t be “thrown into a blender” with others. I think if you give those passages of the book another careful read, you’ll see that’s the case.
If you wanted a biblical passage that says something similar to C. S. Lewis’ story of Tash and Aslan – try the story of Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5). You’d also find a similar perspective in Romans 2. I hope that helps!