The Prophecy of C. S. Lewis

Townhall.com ^ | November 29, 2004 | Chuck Colson

[The Great Yazoo]

Heartfelt "Thanks," Jack (if I may be so bold) for Mere Christianity, which changed my life.

Happy Birthday!

[Mamzelle]

Bump.

[RushCrush]

Mere Christianity is a great book. I recommend it to everyone.

[bubman]

Bump

[Scythian]

Have you ever read "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis, boy are there going to be a bunch of suprized folks ...

[escapefromboston]

I agree great book. Though Chesterton remains my favorite Christian writer of that time, Lewis is a close second.

We used to have great Christian Fiction by some of the greatest writers of that time and now we have the "left behind" series. UGH!

PS. No offense to any "left behind" fans.

[derheimwill]

If you're interested, a good way to start is to find a Josephus edition with a full index/reference section for subsequent study.

Or, if you have too much money and time for your own good, several Catholic publishers (and zondervan too) put out 'Complete Church Fathers' sets. A good one is usually $300+

There is a book - I forget the title - which has CSLewis, JFKennedy and Aldous Huxley meeting in the afterlife and discussing various points: good read.

[anniegetyourgun]

Naturalism is the faith belief of so many here on FR.

Not to change the subject, but Mark Noll's Scandal of the Evangelical Mind was a great book too - though differently intended and oriented.

[elbucko]

He was a professor in the academy, with a specialty in medieval literature, which gave him a mental framework shaped by the whole scope of intellectual history and Christian thought.

This doesn't surprise me. Mallory's, "Le Morte de Artur", the Life of King Arthur, is a wealth of Christian thought. From lust and pride, to fall and redemption, the story of Arthur is, IMHO, the basis for the Christian fantasies of Lewis and Tolkien.

[AnAmericanMother]

The book Lewis wrote that makes this most clear is The Discarded Image

It lays out how the assumptions of our worldview differ from those that went before, particularly the world of the medieval Christians. It's a very, very good book.

My favorite's still The Great Divorce.

[Dunstan McShane]

May I also humbly but strongly suggest getting one's paws on That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis, the third volume in the so-called "Space" Trilogy (so called, that is, by the publisher)? Though written in 1943 (and apparently completed on Christmas Eve of that year), it is a prophetic fantasy about the post-war world that comes way too close to the bull's eye for anyone's comfort--not in terms of specific predictions, but in the forecasting of the kind of world and "values" headed our way. I started reading it for the umpteenth time last week, and find it creepily relevant.

[cripplecreek]

Just Curious.

Have you ever read "The book of the dun cow"? In it's original form it was part of a collection written by Irish monks around 1160 AD. When I read it as a teen I saw it as a fantasy book but looking back I see some really good messages in the story.

Personally I see some interesting comparisons between the barnyard in the book and modern America. Some of the Animals saw the evil and wanted to destroy it, others only wanted to fend it off. Other Animals wanted to build a wall to keep the evil away. Some wanted to negotiate with the evil and others wanted to ignore it.

The barnyard animals ended up going to war against each other as the evil continued to grow and very nearly lost the true war against evil.

My memory has dimmed considerably in the 25 years since I read the book but it really stuck with me in some ways.

[CitadelArmyJag]

For any who might be unfamiliar with him, G.K. Chesterton is –arguably- the most prolific author of the early Twentieth Century. Chesterton inspired Lewis, who had become increasingly agnostic after reading the works of Nitche. Check out the website below for more!
http://www.chesterton.org/

[bert]

.....we rarely give the same scholarly attention to history, literature, politics, philosophy, economics, or the arts......

oops..... he left out science. Perhaps most of the reason for the problem was revealed.

[Truth wins]

"Have you ever read "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis, boy are there going to be a bunch of suprized folks ..."

I've read some of Lewis' books, including a couple to my young son, but never "The Great Divorce." What is the theme, and why will folks be surprised?

[agere_contra]

The Great Divorce is - roughly - about Death, Hell and Judgement.

I much prefer Chesterton. The guy converted me, basically.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Have you ever read "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis"

---

Incredible book. I read it a few months ago, and last Saturday I gave it to my wife, who had finished the books she had been reading. Mere Christianity is still my favorite though.

I'm currently going through the allegorical Chronicles of Narnia. I wish I had known about them when I was a kid.

[escapefromboston]

Thanks for the Chesterton link. He seems to have been totally forgotten (when compared to Lewis and Tolkien).

For those new to Chesterton I would recommend pretty much everything, but to be more specific I would start with "the man who was Thursday" and/or "flying inn"

[Truth wins]

Thanks for the explanation.

Colson (article author) says the same about Lewis' Mere Christianity, I think.

[artios]

The great divirce is - not - abut a divorce but the difference between heaven an earth and the ideas and characters are all brilliant and original. I don't really want to spoil anything by giving details - it is just a great great read.