Don't Avoid the Supernatural
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
George Orwell and C. S. Lewis have such different—and definitive—worldviews. Orwell is the author of 1984 and Animal Farm, while Lewis wrote Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia series. Can you imagine either wandering through the other’s created universes? How would they have reacted?
We don’t have to wonder.
It turns out that George Orwell once reviewed a novel by C. S. Lewis. His critique of That Hideous Strength (the third book in Lewis’ Ransom trilogy) was incredibly telling: “One could recommend this book unreservedly if Mr. Lewis had succeeded in keeping it all on a single level. Unfortunately, the supernatural keeps breaking in, and it does so in rather confusing, undisciplined ways.”
In other words, he thought That Hideous Strength would have been better if only the supernatural element had been kept out or tamed. Yet for C. S. Lewis, this spiritual aspect is foundational to his story. Lewis explains his reasoning in a 1945 letter to fellow author Dorothy Sayers: “Apparently reviewers will not tolerate a mixture of the realistic and the supernatural. Which is a pity, because a) it’s just the mixture I like, and b) we have to put up with it in real life.”
Five years later, C. S. Lewis wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe—and rather than take Orwell’s advice, he doubled down on allowing the supernatural to break through. In the allegory, Susan asks Mr. Beaver about Aslan the lion. “Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”... “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver ...”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
When you co-create with God, the supernatural should regularly break into what you’re doing and how you do it. Not because it’s safe, but because it is good, true, and real. The goal isn’t to tame or hide reality. It’s to let Aslan roar and the supernatural break in freely. That may not feel safe, but it is good.
How might people know you love God through your presence and your gifting? While the signs shouldn’t be heavy-handed, they shouldn’t be hard to discern. How does the supernatural break into what you create? Allowing it to do so simply reflects God’s reality.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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