Series

The story follows three siblings: Wesley, Lisa and Kurt, as they travel to the world of Anthropos, where they battle an evil sorcerer with the help of Gaal (the Christ-figure).

“I’m scared. You might not want me if you knew…”

“If I knew about your sticky hands? And your smudgy face? If I knew you had said I didn’t exist? If I knew you wanted to join Hocoino and said you hated your Uncle John? I know all these things, Lisa, yet I would still like you to be my sheep. The question is, Do you want me to be your Shepherd?”

John White, The Tower of Geburah (InterVarsity Press, 1978), p. 177

While the novel, in its entirety, is an excellent read, chapter 14 (downloadable below) is the one that most captured my heart and my attention. With just a little bit of backstory, this chapter can function as a standalone presentation of the Gospel.

Backstory

Lisa enters Anthropos before her brothers and has yet to reunite with them. Upon arriving in the world, she encounters Kardia, a captive king whom she helps to free from prison– only to become captured, herself. Her captor, a jinn of multiple forms, believes she is a powerful witch. He procures for her a hot bath, clean clothes and her favorite foods, all from the longings of her heart. But none of the jinn’s magical offerings are real. The bath leaves her just as sticky as before, the clothes don’t warm her, and the food, rather than satisfying, leaves her emptier than ever. Lisa learns from the jinn that the only one who can create real things is Gaal.

Lisa also encounters the jinn’s master, an evil sorcerer named Hocoino, who convinces her to make hateful declarations against those she loves most. Shortly afterward, while in the company of the jinn, Lisa calls out to Gaal for help and finds herself surrounded by blue light. Her captor shrinks and, by following the white pigeon that appears with the light, Lisa makes her escape.

Now, in chapter 14, “The Bridge across the Chasm,” Lisa treks through a network of tunnels and comes face-to-face with the mysterious and powerful Gaal. He asks Lisa if she would like him to be her shepherd, and she is immediately aware that she would like this, but she is both guilty and dirty. Moreover, a wide and frightening chasm separates her from Gaal.