Friday 24 August 2007

CS Lewis

Seems everyones a fan. That's OK, I used to be a fan too, and still don't mind him in small doses. In human terms he was partially responsible for me becoming a Christian.

But he never accepted that the Bible was the inerrant word of God, and he seemed to think that reason and an intuitive perception of beauty could lead you in the direction of Jesus. Which they can't.

And his Narnia stories are irritating, but please don't tell Fifi or the girls that I said so. They're just a bit gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld would say. And they leave the door open to universalism.

As for his sci-fi stories. My goodness. Don't get me started on their overweening pedagogic dullness.

8 comments:

onlinesoph said...

that's interesting. I didn't know he never accepted that the Bible was the inerrant word of God.

It's funny, the reason why I like CS Lewis so much is because he sees how reason and intuitive perception of beauty can lead to Jesus. I don't think they can in isolation or without God's Word, but it does remind me of when Paul says that people can know the true God exists by looking at creation around them. I like how CS Lewis looks at that, as very few writers do.

I love Narnia, but I never got into his sci fi stuff...

Gordon Cheng said...

I didn't know he never accepted that the Bible was the inerrant word of God.

Yes, it was a surprise to me too, until someone pointed me to an offhanded comment of his about the gospel of John, in the book Fernseed and Elephants.

Anonymous said...

In Reflections on the Psalms, he regards the imprecatory psalms as demonic.

But personally, I can still be a fan of someone who doesn't believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God...

Anonymous said...

they are gay

funny!!

i am channelling my year 6 days, everything was gay then!

Christopher said...

Hello Gordon,
That is a breath of fresh air. Not that I have a problem with CS Lewis as such, but I have seen Lewis (and others) used to end an argument as if he is a magical trump card. That can't be a good thing for anyone and I am sure Lewis would be horrified.
Slaughter that sacred cow.

Craig Schwarze said...

Well, inerrancy is absent from the AFES statement of belief too Gordo...

If people affirm inspired and infallible, the third "i" is not such a problem to me...

David McKay said...

I agree with Christopher's warning about using Jack Lewis as a trump card.

But, although I don't agree with everything he said [and am especially disappointed with his dodgy comments on words for love in The Four Loves, which popularised the erroneous AGAPE love misinterpretation of John 21:15-17], Lewis has a lot to say that is worthwhile and is obviously a disciple of Christ. We can learn much from him.

And, apart from The Horse and His Boy, which I haven't read, I love The Chronicles of Narnia. Easy to read and much more interesting than the dreary Lord of the Rings and the yawn-inducing Hobbit.

Anonymous said...

When I lived in Chicago we visited the Lewis collection at Wheaton College & looked inside The Wardrobe that inspired the book. At that time Lewis was thought to be ok with the bible belt christians except for the fact that he smoked a pipe

I still love his books (30 years later) but get fed up with the Lewis worship. My dau-in-law came to faith thru Mere Christianity & I was sustained thru teen years by his books.