Posts
A friend with whom I discuss religion asked me to read one of his favorite books and even made a gift to me of a copy. I've known of C.S. Lewis since middle school but I had not read any of his explicitly religious work. Linda and I read The Chronicles of Narnia books to the kids when they were young. They enjoyed them and so did we. When it comes to religion Lewis was a skilled writer and speaker (Mere Christianity was originally a series of lectures he gave on BBC radio during WWII). While not a theologian or a philosopher, Lewis was certainly a very clever apologist. He delivers his description of a manly, muscular Christianity in a rather neat package, with all the contradictory bits tucked away, snipped off, or just ignored. Lewis levels the field, minimizing the value of non-Christian goodness and explaining away the all too frequent examples of unregenerate behavior seen in many Christians. I can see why evangelicals find him compelling, but I don't. All that said, those who would debate Christianity - from any perspective - should read it.
I love CS Lewis and he's my favorite author, but I do perceive him as an "Apologetics 101" kind of guy. There are real issues with Christianity and theism in general that made me go elsewhere (like to William Lane Craig) to find answers. I think you put it well.
ReplyDeleteHanny,
ReplyDeleteWelcome and thanks for commenting. I listen to WLC's Reasonable Faith podcast to keep my blinders from getting too narrow.
I've commented on him once or twice on The Breakfast
http://eclecticbreakfast.blogspot.com/2011/10/no-cage-match-for-craig-and-dawkins.html
I hope you'll have a look around and comment on other posts as time permits.
Michael