Reading C.S.: My Thoughts So Far
August 13th, 2007 | by Scott |On July 4th I picked up the first published C.S. Lewis work, a collection of poems entitled Spirits in Bondage. Over the last 5 weeks I have read the first 19 of his published works with the exception of his Broadcast Talks which would ultimately be released in 1952 in America under the title Mere Christianity.
I pause here for a moment of reflection because I view this as the mid-point in his Christian writings. Lewis’s first Christian work was the Pilgrim’s Regress in 1933. He died in 1963 giving us 30 years of publication. The Narnia writings begin the second half of that career.
I know more now of Lewis than I ever have. I have been able to trace his progress as a writer and see his developing thought. I’ve come to some preliminary conclusions:
1. Lewis was a fantastic literary critic. He has helped me to have a greater appreciation for allegory and epic. He has enlightened Paradise Lost and Beowulf beyond what I thought imaginable. Despite being a chore his books of criticism have been great opportunities of learning for me.
2. He would always be a frustrated poet. His first two published works would be poems but they were lackluster. However, he continued to work verse into a lot of his writings.
3. His major contribution was as a novelist. Throughout the first 31 years of his publishing life far and away the most memorable books were those that were fictional. The Pilgrim’s Regress, The Space Trilogy and The Great Divorce were far and away the high points so far.
4. Lewis, to this point, was NOT a great theological writer. I would be hard pressed to classify him as a very good one. Shoot me if you want but his expressly theological works thus far are more apologetic in nature and largely disappointing. I’m not sure how much that will change.
6 Responses to “Reading C.S.: My Thoughts So Far”
By Jason Bybee on Aug 13, 2007 | Reply
I envy you, getting to read whatever you want. Grad school keeps me grinding through a lot of good material, but I long for the days when I can read what I want at my own pace.
By Shane on Aug 13, 2007 | Reply
Do you really think that if Lewis was a great theological writer that anyone would know who he was? It’s far more interesting to read about lions, witches, and enchanted wardrobes than the latest process theologian’s metaphysical hypothesis about the true nature of God. I mean, I suspect that more people have already read Tim LaHaye’s novels than have ever read John Calvin’s Institutes. At least Lewis’ novels don’t inspire annoying bumper stickers about the rapture!
By Scott on Aug 13, 2007 | Reply
Good point. I’m sure Calvin’s Institutes have spawned a few annoying bumper stickers though.
By Shane on Aug 13, 2007 | Reply
How about: “Back off my bumper or I’ll show you TOTAL DEPRAVITY!”
By Scott on Aug 13, 2007 | Reply
I was thinking “Proud Parent of an Elect Honor Student.”
By Josh Kelley on Sep 15, 2007 | Reply
It is worth noting that Lewis explicitly said (multiple times, I believe) that he was NOT a theologian. However, I believe that he was a great Christian thinker. Not only his thinking but in his WAY of thinking, has shaped my own thinking and theology deeply.
By “way of thinking” I mean (partially) that he was a Christian rationalist. He expected God and Christianity to be deeply rational (as Christ was the Logos) and understood the Bible as rational. Of course that did not mean he was a materialist – he saw great rationality within the miracles.
It may be argued that Lewis’ theology was overly anthrocentric, and perhaps it was. But as an anthros, he has helped me understand God and His character in ways I never could else wise.