The Prophecy of C. S. Lewis

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

[iconoclast]

Lewis once wrote than any new book “has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages.” Because he himself was steeped in that “great body of Christian thought,” he quickly discerned trends that ran counter to it.

I believe he also said that one should read four "old" books (very least, author deceased?) to every one contemporary book.

[Ladysmith]

Self-ping

[iconoclast]

My favorite's still The Great Divorce.

Mine, too. ;o)

[wallcrawlr]

All that and no mention of the Chronicles of Narnia. Some of the best childrens books ever.

[katana]

Protestant, but I've always thought we share far more with our Catholic brethren than really should divide us, so I expect I'll be able to handle it. The only folks who are going around burning heretics and cutting off heads these days are not Christians of any stripe, if you get my drift.

[iconoclast]

Other Animals wanted to build a wall to keep the evil away.

Chesterton inspired Lewis, who had become increasingly agnostic after reading the works of Nitche.

Chesterton wrote a great little parable (or did he just cite it?) about walls. Do you remember the one to which I refer?

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

I agree with you! I have no quarrel with the scripture that says, "we shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air" -- I believe that scripture. But that passage doesn't give much clarification, and yet there's a whole doctrine that teaches that the church won't be here during tribulation. Isn't there something also about "enduring to the end to be saved?" Christians through the ages have endured horrendous persecution, and somehow we in the U.S. think we are to be spared this.

And this from Luke 17: 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."[4] 37"Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."

Somehow, the vulture in the story doesn't make me think this is a good thing that's happening.

So, I have lots of this stuff up on my "shelf" to think about and wait for understanding.

[Judith Anne]

I read The Great Divorce and The Screwtape Letters as a teen, Dad had bought them. They are both excellent--they've stayed with me ever since I read them.

Peter Kreeft has written some excellent books as well.

[fish hawk]

A minister friend of mine once told me that it was a shame that Lewis died at the same time as the assassination of JFK. JFK got the front pages and C.S. Lewis was back on page six. Most people didn't even realize he had died.

[iconoclast]

I don't really want to spoil anything by giving details - it is just a great great read.

Same here.

Read it (it's not long, I'll bet you read it in one setting).

I have my own "one sentence" synopsis, but I'd like you to read it first and then we could freepmail our exchange of impressions.

[iconoclast]

I believe what's up is correct.

[AnAmericanMother]

Charles Williams is absolutely worth checking out. He is far more of a mystic and a Symbolist than Lewis - you will find his work as a whole fairly difficult and weird.

I was reading everything connected to Lewis, so I wound up reading his stuff. The Place of the Lion and All Hallows Eve are probably the best.

[AnAmericanMother]

Think Eros and Psyche. It's a very classical book.

[AnAmericanMother]

How can you not mention the Father Brown stories?

[iconoclast]

Can you imagine what C.S. Lewis, who was an Anglican, would say about the current state of the Episcopal Church in the USA?

I think he would have finally converted (not that he'd be all that much happier, at the moment)! ;o)

[AnAmericanMother]

Nope, Lewis stayed an Anglican, a middle of the road sort generally.

For him to have Catholic friends like Tolkien was a big enough step for a Church-of-Ireland man from Belfast in the 1890s (with all that implies). That sort of upbringing is very hard to overcome. Had he been your ordinary Englishman, I think he might well have become Catholic - much of his thought was of course rooted in the medieval literature that he taught.

[escapefromboston]

Thanks for the info. Are Charles' books as Christian as Lewis and Chesterton? (not that it matters, I will probably read his books either way)

[escapefromboston]

Their is a book "lewis and the Catholic church" (or a title along those lines). I guess he was interested in Catholism but never converted.

[Mr. Silverback]

Happy birthday indeed, to a great man. I want to be C.S. Lewis when I grow up.

[AnAmericanMother]

Williams's books aren't as frankly Christian as Lewis's or as frankly Catholic as Chesterton's, although they are definitely supernatural. I suppose you could call The Place of the Lion an exploration of Platonic archetypes. They are creepy in a way that Lewis is not (except in That Hideous Strength - which is a good read and not exactly Lewis's usual fare), but essentially Good - not Evil.