It is difficult, at first, to classify The Great Divorce. On the one hand it isn't a non-fiction work of apologetics or theology. But on the other hand, the story is so slight that it hardly counts as a straightforward novel; certainly the narrative is much less involved than any part of the Cosmic Trilogy … Continue reading As Real As What You Love: C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce”

With the first book in his Cosmic Trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, C.S. Lewis seems to have tried to invent a new Christian mythology—or as he once put it, "smuggle theology" into readers' minds under the guise of science fiction. For the second book, theology is no longer hidden; it comes right to the … Continue reading A New Theology: C.S. Lewis’ “Perelandra”

James K.A. Smith’s Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation is the first volume of his Cultural Liturgies trilogy, a series which ultimately comprises a theology of culture. He opens the book with a question: "What is education for? And more specifically, what is at stake in a distinctively Christian education?" This comes, he … Continue reading Learning By Loving: James K.A. Smith’s “Desiring The Kingdom”

Aside from The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis' most famous and widely-read book is probably Mere Christianity. It is certainly the reason that most people think of him primarily as a Christian apologist. As World War II raged on in the 1940s, Lewis gave several talks on BBC Radio on the arguments in favour of … Continue reading The Same Road: C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”

The titular sermon of this collection contains one of the most quoted passages in C.S. Lewis' writings. How often has a preacher wrapped up a sermon with the bit about how we're satisfied making mudpies in a slum because we don't know what it means to play on the seashore? It is often such a … Continue reading C.S. Lewis’ “The Weight of Glory”

It was triggered, apparently, by a boring sermon. C.S. Lewis had been sick for weeks and was finally well enough to attend a Wednesday service at his Anglican church. The homily was delivered by a guest and he found it painfully dull, so his mind began to wander. It wandered to the point of imagining … Continue reading The Bureaucrat On Your Shoulder: C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters”

The third week of September and summer already feels like a distant memory. The air is still mild in Vancouver, but rain is starting to remind us that it's one of the hallmarks of life in this city. Soon it will be a near constant companion. And of course the fall brings with it a … Continue reading Summer On The Shelf

Though we associate C.S. Lewis most strongly with the field of Christian apologetics, his first publishing ventures were almost purely literary: poetry, novels, and a book on medieval allegory. It was not until 1940, when he had been a Christian for almost a decade, that Lewis published his first book of theology. And like a … Continue reading Exploring A Question: C.S. Lewis’ “The Problem of Pain”

With his first novel, The Pilgrim's Regress, C.S. Lewis tried to revitalize the genre of allegory. His second novel, published in 1938, represents an almost 180-degree turnaround in approach and style. Aiming to craft a narrative rather than an argument, he also abandoned the medieval literary technique for a genre that was considerably more modern … Continue reading A New Mythology: C.S. Lewis’ “Out of the Silent Planet”

The Pilgrim's Regress was a book of many firsts for C.S. Lewis. It was his first work of prose fiction, his first book as a Christian, and even the first he published under his own name. Despite the noteriety, it remains one of his most unread titles and after getting into it, it's easy to … Continue reading Hidden In Plain Sight: C.S. Lewis’ “The Pilgrim’s Regress”