CS Lewis is a bridge to Romanism

[Chris]

C.S. Lewis seems to be a divisive topic at times. I remember all the hoopla over his Narnia movies which I saw one or two of, but have never read any of his other stuff. I don't know much about him to contribute to this thread. I have heard of his "Mere Christianity" but don't even know what it is about. If there's a lot of controversy with a person or writer, I usually don't recommend them to people.

[mattfivefour]

Confusion brings instability.
Liturgical priests lift up the blood of Christ (wine) as a tangible element for spiritual healing, I call that a bait and switch,
Not tearing down the man, I'm pointing out the theological differences and only fits those who subscribe to it.

I'm just thinking of those who say they believe in the blood of Christ and picture a robed priest lifting up a golden chalice full of red wine.

[David T. McKee]

I agree, David. I heard an interview on a local Christian radio program the other day with woman who is noted for having a powerful ministry of prayer. I was impressed by some of the things she said about prayer and how to pray, things that were definitely Scriptural. Certainly, her ministry has borne much fruit for Christ. I found it interesting to note that as an adult and young mother she had been a strong and committed atheist. But God led her to seek him after she read C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. One of Lewis's arguments that helped convince her was this:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

So, I have great difficulty with people who want to suggest that Lewis was a false teacher. Yes, Lewis had some strange doctrinal ideas. And his old intellectual self sometimes got in the way of God's spiritual truths, leading him into potential error. But he was never intended to be a teacher. He was an atheist who came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior and, because he was a noted intellectual and author, he naturally chose to write about what he had discovered. And God has used him to lead many to His truth.

I have Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Screwtape Letters in my library. I would not recommend his other writings to people, but I would not refrain from recommending those three. Personally, I have no doubt the man loved God, believed the truth about who Jesus is and what He did (and does), and trusted in Him alone for his salvation. We should warn people away from those few errors of Lewis's that stemmed from intellectualism and an incomplete theology, but allow those who have read Mere Christianity, for example, to be instructed by his discovery and exposition of the truth of the gospel and be encouraged by his personal faith in Christ.

Mattfivefour - I could not have said it better - thank you! That logic by Lewis was instrumental in my own conversion! Between Lewis' "Mere Christianity" and McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" - I was led to the incontrovertible place where I had to decide.

And yes, sure, Lewis said some things I am totally in disagreement with, such as his feeling that Christianity is compatible in some regard with socialism, which I think it totally false. But so what, Lewis was a human man like myself, and prone to error like all flawed humans are. Look at Luther... a anti-Semite! Go figure that one out! Yet he was used mightily of God.

Thanks again!

-DTM

[BuzzardHut]

Mattfivefour - I could not have said it better - thank you! That logic by Lewis was instrumental in my own conversion! Between Lewis' "Mere Christianity" and McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" - I was led to the incontrovertible place where I had to decide.

yep, Josh delves into the third level, but also the first level as well, the main instrument of his ministry.

And yes, sure, Lewis said some things I am totally in disagreement with, such as his feeling that Christianity is compatible in some regard with socialism, which I think it totally false. But so what, Lewis was a human man like myself, and prone to error like all flawed humans are. Look at Luther... a anti-Semite! Go figure that one out! Yet he was used mightily of God.

Which is why we follow no one but Jesus. (the purpose of this thread)

[Faulty]

I have a number of theological differences with Lewis as he puts them out there in his Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce books. He had some problematic views on what happened to people when they die. But his book The Screwtape Letters is something that gave me a major case of the heebie-jeebies and remains one of the most disturbing books I've ever run across.

[BuzzardHut]

I have a number of theological differences with Lewis as he puts them out there in his Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce books. He had some problematic views on what happened to people when they die. But his book The Screwtape Letters is something that gave me a major case of the heebie-jeebies and remains one of the most disturbing books I've ever run across.

What are some of the points in his books that make you uncomfortable?

[Faulty]

What are some of the points in his books that make you uncomfortable?

It was just the mindset needed to write such a book that I found to be a bit off putting. I consider it an amazing book, one-of-a-kind.