C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian, and Women in Combat, Part 2

Yesterday, we considered the depiction of Queen Susan "the Gentle" as a warrior in the film version of Prince Caspian—a significant departure from C. S. Lewis's book—and director Andrew Adamson's commentary on justifying this change. How should Christians respond to the image of women in combat?

After seeing the movie myself, I read reviews on several prominent evangelical Christian websites that offered a mixture of praise and criticism. Conspicuously absent in most of these reviews, however, was any concern over Susan's combat role in the film. It wasn't even mentioned. This left me wondering whether most Christians moviegoers—who read the book and then saw Susan slaying enemies on the battlefield—even batted an eye.

Perhaps many evangelicals will consider this commentary much ado about nothing. But that is precisely my concern. It is not surprising to me that the film's director would opt for a role for Susan more in keeping with contemporary culture. But have we as evangelical Christians come to accept unconsciously the idea of women serving in combat roles without noticing any conflict between this and the biblical view of men and women?    

It is not hard to see how Christians could become desensitized to the notion of women in combat. Given an entertainment culture that gives us characters like G. I. Jane, Xena: Warrior Princess, and countless female superheroes, Susan's role in the film-version of Prince Caspian may be considered rather tame. But given that her character was created by a popular Christian author for a widely-read series of children's literature, this might be a good opportunity to rethink this issue in light of Scripture.

In Old Testament Israel, the men—not the women—had the duty of serving in combat, when war was necessary (see, for example, Num 1:1-3). When the Lord pronounces destruction upon wicked nations, he declares that their troops will be as women (Jer 50:37; 51:30; Nah 3:13). Clearly, this was not a role God intended for them. According to Paul in Eph 5:25, it is Christ who gave up his life for the church—not the reverse. And it is the husband who is commanded to love his wife in the same way (5:28). According to evangelical historian Harold O. J. Brown, "Within both Judaism and Christianity, indeed almost universally in all human culture, the military profession has been reserved for males."

R. Albert Mohler Jr. writes, "A nation's character is demonstrated in many ways, and its treatment of women is one of the most significant indicators of cultural and moral health. . . . The dignity of women is to be defended by men, not undermined by vulnerability in the extreme conditions of combat." To refrain from sending women into combat is not to assign a status of inferiority to them; it is rightly to honor them and affirm their dignity. John Piper observes that a woman may actually be more courageous than a man at a given moment.

She may be ready to do some fearless deed of her own. A man's first thought is not that the woman at his side is weak, but simply that he is a man and she is a woman. Women and children are put into the lifeboats first, not because the men are better swimmers, but because of a deep sense of honorable fitness. It belongs to masculinity to accept danger to protect women.

It may be that in any given instance of danger the woman will have the strength to strike the saving blow. It may be too that she will have the presence of mind to think of the best way of escape. It may be that she will fight with tooth and claw to save a crippled man and lay down her life for him if necessary. But this does not at all diminish the unique call of manhood when he and his female companion are confronted by a danger together. The dynamics of mature masculinity and femininity begin the drama with him in front and her at his back protected — however they may together overcome the foe or suffer courageously together in persecution. A mature man senses instinctively that as a man he is called to take the lead in guarding the woman he is with.

In a culture in which women in combat (at least on the big screen) hardly attracts attention, may God grant that his church would not be numb to seeing this distortion exalted. May we as believers train up our sons and daughters with the beautiful vision of biblical manhood and womanhood — raising our sons to protect, and our daughters to affirm this protection, all for the glory of God.

(For further reading, see CBMW's "Resolution on Women in Combat," adopted in 1996.)

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