The Shining Barrier: From Pagan Fortress to Sacred Sanctuary - Part 2: Transformation

Published on November 30, 2025 by Paul Blake

A glowing white tree with stars against a dark blue background, symbolizing the transformation of the Shining Barrier

This is Part 2 of a 3-part series exploring Sheldon Vanauken's "A Severe Mercy" and what it teaches us about protecting love in all our relationships. In Part 1, we examined the original "pagan" Shining Barrier and its fatal flaws. In this installment, we explore how divine grace transformed their fortress and what C.S. Lewis taught Van about the nature of true protection.

In Part 1, we explored how Van and Davy constructed an elaborate fortress around their love — the Shining Barrier — built on principles of absolute sharing, spontaneity, and the supreme "Appeal to Love." Yet we also saw how this pagan barrier, for all its beauty, contained fatal flaws: the exclusion of children, a mutual suicide pact, and ultimately, the idolatry of making their love self-sufficient. The walls meant to protect had become a prison. But the story doesn't end there.

The Divine Invasion: When Christ Breaches the Barrier

The great turning point in the story of the Shining Barrier came not through its destruction but through its transformation. When Van and Davy encountered Christianity at Oxford — not the tepid faith they had previously dismissed but "a Christ who was a blazing reality" — their carefully constructed fortress faced its greatest challenge.

"It is not possible to be 'incidentally a Christian.' The fact of Christianity must be overwhelmingly first or nothing." This realization struck at the very heart of their Barrier. For the first time, something claimed priority over their love for each other.

As Vanauken painfully admitted, "I did not, I thought, resent her being a Christian; I resented her acting like one. Going to church without me — practically unfaithfulness."

Oh, the irony! Yet the relatability does not go unnoticed for me. Can you see similar situations in your life too? I can see many times when I look at the apparent "goodness" of others that I can let envy and indignance rue the day. Our Christian walk is not a competition. The author of Hebrews offers a remedy:

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

The conversion of the Shining Barrier from pagan fortress to Christian sanctuary did not happen instantly. "From their conversion onward, the light of Christ invaded the Shining Barrier and radically transformed the Appeal to Love." No longer could they ask simply, "What is best for our love?" Now the question became more complex: "What is best for our love in light of God's love?"

This transformation revealed a profound theological truth. The pagan Barrier had sought to preserve love by exclusion; the Christian Barrier would preserve it through proper inclusion. God was not another person competing for space within their walls but the very foundation upon which those walls could stand secure. As Scripture reminds us, "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1).

The Severe Mercy: Lewis's Prophetic Insight

It was C.S. Lewis who provided the most penetrating analysis of the Shining Barrier, both its glory and its danger. After hearing Van's complete story, Lewis wrote words that would haunt and ultimately heal: "One way or another, the thing had to die... You have been treated with a severe mercy."

Lewis recognized what Van and Davy could not initially see — that their Barrier, even in its Christian form, retained elements of idolatry. In a remarkable letter, Lewis observed that while Van and Davy had "admirably realized the Christian ideal of man and wife as One Flesh," they had violated a deeper principle: "this One Flesh must not (and in the long run cannot) 'live to itself' any more than the single individual."

The pagans themselves, Lewis noted, would have recognized the danger. The Greeks would have seen hubris and feared divine nemesis. The Stoics would have criticized their withdrawal from civic duty. But it was the Christian perspective that cut deepest: "In its appeal to love — what is best for OUR love — as the sole criterion of all decisions, it was a violation of the Law; for what was best for our love might not be in accordance with our love and duty to our neighbor."

Lewis's diagnosis was not merely critical but deeply compassionate. He understood that God's mercy, though severe, was still mercy. Davy's death, tragic as it was, prevented the Barrier from becoming an ultimate spiritual prison. It forced Van to confront his jealousy of God and ultimately to find in divine love what human love alone could never provide — true security and eternal significance.

Reconstructing the Barrier: A Christian Blueprint

How then should we understand the Shining Barrier in its proper, redeemed form? The answer lies not in abandoning the concept but in reconstructing it with Christ as both architect and foundation. Here we must turn to Scripture's wisdom about boundaries and protection in relationships.

First, we must recognize that God Himself is the supreme boundary-setter. From Eden's forbidden tree to the Ten Commandments, from the boundaries of the sea to the limits of human authority, God establishes protective limits. As we read in Proverbs 8:29, "He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command." These boundaries are not arbitrary restrictions but loving provisions for our flourishing.

In marriage, the Christian Shining Barrier must begin with the recognition that "God uses boundaries to help us appreciate the differences in people rather than be upset by them." Unlike Van and Davy's original insistence on absolute sameness, a Christ-centered barrier celebrates the unique gifts each person brings while maintaining unity of purpose and commitment.

The Apostle Paul provides crucial guidance here. While affirming that husband and wife become "one flesh" (Ephesians 5:31), he also maintains that each person retains individual responsibility before God. The Christian barrier protects the marriage while acknowledging that each spouse has a direct, personal relationship with Christ that cannot be mediated by the other.

Consider how this transforms the practical principles of the Barrier:

The Principle of Sharing becomes not an absolute demand for identical experiences but a commitment to emotional and spiritual intimacy. Couples share their deepest selves while respecting that some experiences — like one's personal prayer life or individual calling — may be primarily individual while still enriching the marriage.

The Appeal to Love expands beyond "What is best for our love?" to include "What honors God and serves others through our love?" This doesn't diminish the marriage but places it in its proper context within God's kingdom purposes.

The Principle of Protection shifts from keeping all others out to maintaining appropriate boundaries that guard against genuine threats while remaining open to community, service, and especially to God's transforming work.

The Paradox of Freedom Through Limitation

Here we encounter one of the great paradoxes of Christian living: true freedom comes not through the absence of boundaries but through their proper establishment. As we read in Galatians 5:1, "For freedom Christ has set us free." This freedom, paradoxically, flourishes within divinely ordained limits.

Van and Davy discovered this paradox painfully. Their attempt to create absolute freedom within their relationship — freedom from any competing claims or external influences — became its own form of bondage. Only when Christ breached their Barrier did they begin to discover true freedom: the freedom to love without fear, to give without grasping, to be united without being consumed.

This same principle applies to all our relationships. A friendship with no boundaries becomes suffocating. A marriage without protection becomes vulnerable to every passing temptation. A relationship with God that acknowledges no limits on our behavior becomes mere self-deception.

The Christian Shining Barrier, properly understood, is not a prison but a garden wall. Within its protection, love can flourish in safety. The walls are high enough to keep out genuine threats but low enough to allow the sunshine of God's grace to nurture growth. There are gates that can open to welcome appropriate others but locks to bar the door against destructive influences.

The Ultimate Barrier: God's Protective Love

As we prepare to explore practical applications in Part 3, we must acknowledge the ultimate truth that all our human barriers are but pale reflections of God's protective love for us. He is our "refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). He sets a hedge of protection around His people, as He did for Job. He promises that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).

This divine Barrier differs fundamentally from any human construction. It protects without imprisoning. It preserves our identity while transforming our nature. It excludes sin and death while including all who will come. It stands firm against the gates of hell while opening wide to welcome the repentant sinner.

Van learned this truth through terrible loss. "Davy's death contributed to Van's ongoing conversion. His retrospective examination of their life together revealed his latent jealousy and potential hatred of God, feelings he had not known existed in him." Yet through this severe mercy, he discovered that "we were created for eternity." The Shining Barrier, which had begun as an attempt to preserve temporal love, became a gateway to eternal love.

Reflection Questions

Before moving to Part 3, consider these questions:

  1. Where have you experienced God's "severe mercy" — times when His loving discipline felt harsh but ultimately brought healing?

  2. How does Christ's priority in your life affect your other relationships? Do you resent when loved ones "act like Christians" in ways that challenge your comfort?

  3. What would it look like to rebuild your relational barriers with Christ as the foundation? How would this change your approach to protecting and nurturing love?

  4. Are you trying to find in human love what only God can provide? Security? Ultimate meaning? Freedom from fear?

Take these questions to prayer, and join us in Part 3 for practical wisdom on building your own Christian Shining Barrier.

Continue the series:

In Part 3, we'll translate these profound theological insights into actionable wisdom for everyday relationships. How do we build barriers that protect without imprisoning? Join us as we explore practical boundaries for marriage, friendship, family, and community.

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