How important is it to read C S Lewis for your faith journey?

[RKS89]

You’re right, as an Anglican he may have been operating under the assumption most people understood a thing or two about denominational differences, especially his British audience. And again, my observation has the dubious benefit of hindsight, I know his intentions were to reach a broad base and to simply communicate what he considered the essence of Christianity, not to steer people away from an actual “church”.

 

[bettercallpaul]

A lot of them don’t even know he’s Anglican and what the implications of that theology are.

I guess I haven’t reached that stage in my Catholicism yet. At the moment my Christian faith is a higher priority than my Catholic faith.

 

[bettercallpaul]

went to a catholic high school, despite not being Catholic at the time, and the religion teacher taught MC in his senior religion class,

you were very lucky imo.

 

[bettercallpaul]

there is potential for somebody to get a wrong idea if they aren’t already fairly well versed in Catholicism.

good point

 

[RKS89]

Some people don’t and that’s totally fine. Theology and religion are my personal interests, as well as Church history. I also am a revert from Protestantism and it took a lot of research to get me back home. My parents are life-long Catholics and couldn’t tell you the difference between a Baptist and a Presbyterian, and they’re doing just fine in their spiritual walk. We’ve all got different interests.

 

[commenter]

RKS89:

never addresses the need for a church or orthodoxy.

He said the reason he did not do so was because he was nowhere near qualified enough to differentiate between the many denominations and that he was focusing on what Christians agreed on rather than the divisions.

In many writings Lewis emphasized the need to belong to a specific church , a choice we should make based on truth. And it might be RCC, Protestant or Anglican. He would not be pleased with non denominational churches or church hopping.

 

[RKS89]

I’d agree with that. My focus and comments were on MC only, which is basically his only work the group of people I’m talking about have read.

 

[commenter]

Keep in mind Lewis belonged to 1940s Anglicanism. If living today he might be in the Continuum or RCC.

 

[RKS89]

Possible, I’m not sure if his Ulster upbringing would stand for it though. I’d love to give him the benefit of the doubt, however. As a modern Anglican, maybe. We sure could use him.

 

[Kei]

If you’re Catholic I don’t think there’s a need for it.

Lewis himself was quite a fan of Chesterton’s the Everlasting Man.

Perhaps you’d like some of Endo’s works.

 

[michaelArc]

Chapter 5. I ended my last chapter with the idea that in the Moral Law somebody or something from beyond the material universe was actually getting us. And I expect when I reached that point some of you felt a certain annoyance.

C.S Lewis sums in up pretty well here. I did feel annoyed.

I felt like I was listening to some guy talk while walking around with his hands in his pockets, occasionally shrugging his shoulders while casually kicking stones on the road.

If someone would speak to me this manner, my inclination would be to whack him over the head with a rolled up newspaper and tell them to get to the bloody point.

 

[AIPM1615]

As someone who is trying to make sense of the world, I will say this…

C.S. Lewis is phenomenal.

He’s someone who found religion to be absurd and childish, ditched it, but years later (“kicking and screaming” as I believe he said) embarked on an intellectual ride to the Christian faith. It wasn’t a “blind leap” for Lewis, and rightfully so. That’s not what faith should be.

In my darkest moments, I’ve found solace in his book A Grief Observed. It speaks to the grieving heart like none other. The Abolition of Man also gives a great look into the universal morality found in humanity across time and culture. The Chronicles of Narnia are, for me, like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Definitely a fun read, complete with all the thrills of adventure and a very Christian undertone.

But would I say it’s “important” to my faith journey?

I’m still on such a journey, so maybe I can speak on that at a later date. Mere Christianity is just like the name implies. It was originally given by Lewis as a series of radio broadcasts during World War II. As such, it doesn’t read like one might expect a book of its kind would. In a sense I’d say it is overly simplistic and, at times, ridiculous. But worthwhile nevertheless. There’s a great YouTube channel that illustrates the book called “C.S. Lewis Doodle” that I highly recommend.

If anyone is concerned that he was a Protestant, I promise, it’s a trivial matter. Colleagues say Lewis had a bone to pick with Catholics - but that’s largely due to his upbringing in Belfast. Some biases never leave. Theologically, he’s on the Anglo-Catholic side of things. It’s particularly noticeable when he writes about purgatory and praying for the dead.

 

[commenter]

If you’re Catholic I don’t think there’s a need for it.

Lewis himself was quite a fan of Chesterton’s the Everlasting Man.

I am one of many who read C. S. Lewis as a young adult, then later discovered Chesterton (because there was almost a blackout on Chesterton from the early 1960s to maybe 2000, he was never mentioned, and most books went out of print).

I think both writers were far better than any religious book assigned for me to read in Catholic school. I also think Lewis got most of his ideas from Chesterton. But that said, I think Lewis may be more accessible for people nowadays than Chesterton. You can jump into the Chronicles of Narnia, or his Space Trilogy, with no preparation at all.

Sadly, I think Lewis is also in danger of fading away. Non denominational type books that have no specific theology are best sellers. Lewis takes some effort.

 

[jas84173]

Not important at all. If you want a life changing spirural read it’s the Imitation of Christ.

 

[BlackFriar]

Or just read the NT and pray reflect deeply, all true learning surely comes from within. Its just “remembering” as Socrates? was want to say.

 

[phil19034]

I would say this:

If you looking at Catholicism or Christianity for that matter from a Philosophical point of view, then CS Lewis can be very helpful.

But if you are looking at Catholicism or Christianity from a purely Biblical and/or historical point of view, perhaps not.

Cradle Catholics are typically born into and raise with a Catholic Worldview (even if we are not raised in a devout or practicing family) - esp the ones old enough to be on CAF. Therefore, we cradle Catholics often take the Catholic undertones of CS Lewis and GK Chesterton for granted.

However, for someone raised with a different worldview OR to a person with a love of philosophy, they are going to recognize those undertones and be far more intrigued.

At least this is my thoughts on the subject.

God bless