Jamie123 Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) I originally posted this in another thread, but it was so off-topic I don't really think it belongs there - it needs another thread of its own. It has to do with this quote by Folk Prophet The Folk Prophet, on 19 Jul 2015 - 4:58 PM, said:...though usually I hate C.S. Lewis being used as if he's some sort of gospel authority. I tend to agree: C.S. Lewis has been such a part of my general reading experience over the years, I have to guard myself against confusing certain "Lewisisms" with Biblical teachings. Its not even as if I necessarily agree with everything the guy wrote. (I totally disagree with the "trilemma" for example.) But he has a way of casting a spell with his words - and like he says himself "spells are used for breaking enchantments". He's helped me to see many of the dogmas of the modern world for what they are. Another things about Lewis is he seems to be one of the few non-LDS Christian authors that LDS people know about, read and respect. Whenever I've mentioned my other favourite Christian authors - Adrian Plass for example, or Philip Yancey or Henri Nouwen on this forum, I've been met with blank silence. Whenever I bring up C.S. Lewis everyone here knows immediately who I'm talking about. Yet another interesting thing about C.S.Lewis is that the religious and literary "intelligentsia" of America seem to take him a lot more seriously than do their counterparts in the UK. For example, the Episcopalian Church in the USA (I believe) have a feast day for Lewis in their calendar; Lewis is not so honoured in the Church of England. American universities keep collections of his letters and manuscripts; British universities barely acknowledge his existence! And this is true also of the other Inklings authors - most notably J.R.R. Tolkien. A few years ago two surveys were performed in the UK to discover the "greatest book of the 20th Century". One survey involved the general public, the other the academic literary community. The general public put The Lord of the Rings firmly at the top of the list, while C.S.Lewis' books were not far behind. The literary academics' list did not include either Lewis or Tolkien. It was full of Graeme Greene, T.S. Elliot, G.K. Chesterton and Evelyn Waugh (all great authors, I don't deny) but not a single mention "the people's" favourites! The Inklings are not considered "high brow", but who cares? They are appreciated by the people who matter - such plebs as myself, Americans and the LDS! Edited July 20, 2015 by Jamie123 Vort 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Folk Prophet Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Don't get me wrong. I highly respect C.S. Lewis as a theologian (or...whatever one might call him...philosopher?). And the General Authorities quote him often (the reason he is so well known in LDS circles...well...that and, of course, the Narnia books, which make him well known in all circles). I just don't think everything he said/wrote settles the matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Lewis is not an authority, he is an explainer. Jamie123 and lonetree 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie123 Posted July 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) I just don't think everything he said/wrote settles the matter. I think Lewis himself would have been quite disturbed if you did think that :) Lewis' degrees were in English, classics and philosophy - so I suppose you could call him a philosopher. You could certainly call him a theologian too (so long as you didn't mean an academic theologian). Another thing I like about Lewis is he was definitely a flawed person. As a young man he very probably had an affair with a married woman much older than himself. He was not a good sportsman. He almost certainly struggled with masturbation for much of his life. And even if I'm libelling him here, he certainly smoked and drank rather more than was good for him. (Though he was never an alcoholic to the same extent as his brother Warren Lewis.) It makes me think there might still be hope for me! Edited July 20, 2015 by Jamie123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkstpaul Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 LDS does not have exclusive ownership of the gospel. CS Lewis and others have correctly identified and expressed true gospel principles; thus the quotes by our General Authorities. Are they to be quoted in all things, of course not. Jamie123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
char713 Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 (edited) I believe the term that is used most often to describe his title/occupation/genre is a Christian Apologist, which if I am understanding that term correctly, puts him under the somewhat broad umbrella of the title of theologian. I like what Vort said, that Lewis is an explainer rather than an authority. One (unknown) commentator on his works said that "he possesses the rare gift of making righteousness readable." I think that is why he is so often quoted, never as a replacement for actual doctrine or scripture but as a succinct "summing up" in modern language. Everyone should do their own study of faith and works and not let their own understanding rely solely on what is one of Lewis' most famous "object lessons." But it is helpful nonetheless to be able to picture that pair of scissors. Edited July 21, 2015 by char713 Jamie123 and pkstpaul 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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