If you've never read "The Chronicles of Narnia," by C.S. Lewis, you should. It is a series of books about a group of children who find a fantastic world when they walk through a wardrobe in the family attic, and are launched into a mighty struggle for good against evil.

The first book in the series, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe," is going to be made into a movie. I know this because I read an article in a local newspaper complaining that the upcoming movie might be ruined because "C.S. Lewis somehow wove his beloved Christian themes into the narrative."

Well, if you've read the Narnia books, there can be no doubt that C.S. Lewis wove his beloved Christianity into the story. I mention this story not to debate that fact, but because I was amazed by the writer's assumption that something Christian --- a book, a movie, perhaps even a person --- cannot possibly be good. Has contemporary Western culture swung 180 degrees --- from assuming that Christian values and Christ's teaching are a foundation for spiritual health, to being suspicious of anything Christian?

When I read today's readings, I find myself wondering, "How did this happen?" How did it come to pass that one of the most compelling figures and one of the riches set of teachings the world have ever known has become perceived as something that can't possibly make a positive contribution to our society?

In today's first reading we are presented with one of the most inviting passages of scripture in the Hebrew Bible: "All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy?"

What is there to take offense at in this passage? God invites us to let down our guard, to stop struggling of the spoils of materialism that will never satisfy us, and to enjoy God's generosity.

In today's second reading Paul asks rhetorically: "What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?" Finally, in today's Gospel Jesus feeds five thousand families because "his heart was filled with pity for them."

We celebrate a God who heals the sick, who feeds the hungry, or loves us more than life. And yet the people who bear this message have somehow won the reputation of being either irrelevant fools or cunning manipulators. I have known a lot of Christians in my life, and very few if any fit either of these descriptions. Most of the people I have known in the churches that I've attended are humble, sincere, honest people who found something irresistible in the experience of Jesus Christ, and want more.

There is nothing sinister or foolish about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and clothing the naked. There is nothing suspicious about prayer, Scripture reading, worship and service.

I don't claim to have an answer for how to change the perception in our culture that Christianity is obstacle rather than a gateway to the good life. After all, it is not our responsibility to make Jesus popular. It is our responsibility to be faithful, and perhaps the best way to be faithful is to "go and do likewise" --- to continue his ministry of compassion to the neediest members of our communities, and realize that we were never promised that we would be popular or even understood

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.