"Prince Caspian" is as likely be discussed in pulpits as on playgrounds this weekend.

The highly anticipated movie, a sequel to the 2005 blockbuster "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," opened Friday.

Phil Bray/ Disney Enterprises and Walden Media (ENLARGE)

Peter Dinklage (left) as a red dwarf and Warwick Davis as a black dwarf in the film based on the works of C.S. Lewis.

ABOUT C.S. LEWIS He was born in 1898, was a World War I veteran and became an Oxford professor of literature. At age 30, he converted from atheism to Christianity. He became well-known as a literary scholar and defender of the faith, and he was on the cover of the December 1947 issue of Time magazine. More than 30 biographies have been written about him, and a movie, "Shadowlands," about his late-in-life marriage, came out in 1993 starring Anthony Hopkins as Lewis. One of Lewis' best friends was J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "The Lord of the Rings," who also achieved extraordinary literary and film success posthumously. Lewis died Nov. 22, 1963, the day that President John Kennedy was assassinated. C.S. LEWIS BY THE NUMBERS 2 Rank of the book that "Prince Caspian" is based on, in Lewis' seven-book series "The Chronicles of Narnia." $292 million. U.S. sales for the first movie in the series, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." It took in $452 million overseas, according to "Variety." 1 Rank of "The Chronicles of Narnia" on Amazon.com's list of best-selling children's literature. 100 million. Copies of Lewis' books sold. 35 Languages his books have been translated into. 40 Books he wrote, including a science fiction series called "The Space Trilogy," literary criticism and still-popular books explaining the Christian faith. Nearly all are still in print. 30 Lewis' books published posthumously, including collections of his essays and letters. LIVING Latest Headlines: In White Lily biscuit bake-off, we have two winners  Rome teen is world's fastest drummer  One man's quest for the perfect pizza  Transplant heroes: First mom then sister  Online, in utero becomes in publico  • More Living Stories • Living photo galleries

"When 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' came out, we talked about it a lot, we encouraged families to go," said the Rev. Bob Bullock of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Marietta.

"We did everything but sell tickets."

Church youth groups from across the region saw the movie, and it became a topic for innumerable multiweek discussions in Sunday school classes.

Christians love the fantasy stories of C.S. Lewis, the late author of "The Chronicles of Narnia," on which the movies are based.

Lewis, born in the twilight of Victorian England, was an atheist turned Christian apologist and an Oxford University professor. Forty-five years after his death, he still gives a wide variety of Christians an entree into modern culture.

For conservative culture warriors aligned with the Christian right, his novels and the movies show Hollywood liberals that family-friendly tales with Christian ideals will sell.

Lewis' themes of betrayal, forgiveness, sacrifice and redemption are talked up by those whose mission is to convert the lost.

At the same time, those whose beliefs are more liberal see the concerns of every religion in his mythic tales with their talking animals, centaurs, fauns, witches and dwarfs.

Evangelicals have adopted Lewis as something close to a poster boy for themselves. Their roots are sunk in the emotional folk revivals of the American frontier, and even their top scholars admit they lack the kind of rigorous intellectual tradition Catholics enjoy.

Lewis affirms evangelicals' growing attention to the life of the mind and cultural engagement, being a man who blended incisive thought with creativity, top-notch scholarship with a delight in writing popular books. All the while, he never sold short his Protestant faith.

And for the nonbelievers, who also pack the theaters, Lewis simply tells a snapping good epic story. His Narnia books have never been out of print in the 58 years since the first tale came out.

"That is how Lewis would want people to read them. Read the story. And out of that would come the spiritual meaning, but that is not where you start," said Marjorie Lamp Mead, associate director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College.

The Illinois school has one of the world's best collections of Lewis' papers.

Bullock, 58, who acknowledges he is a big Lewis fan, said, "[His stories] capture the minds of children and adults. And kids will just think it's a wonderful story, unless parents tell the kids who Aslan is [a lion and main character]. He is the Christ figure."

Devin Brown, an English professor at Asbury College in Kentucky and a Lewis scholar, said the writer's power as a storyteller is one reason his books have never gone out of print.

"I'll be curious how the Harry Potter books will be doing in 58 years. The fact that Lewis' books are more popular today than ever says a lot about him," he said.

Brown's book, "Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia," (Baker Books, $12.99) just came out, helping readers peer into the hidden corners of Lewis' tales, symbolism and mind.

Narnia on the big screen has created another intense wave of interest in Lewis.

"There's certainly more interest now because of the movies," Brown said. "It will probably send many new readers to discover the books, and the books are always better than the movie. Whether they are believers are not, there are great stories there for them to enjoy."