Theologians of the Twentieth Century (3)

C.S. Lewis

C. (Clive) S. (Staples) Lewis was raised in a Christian home but became an atheist. He graduated cum laude with a degree in literature and taught literature at Oxford until 1954. Gradually, he again became interested in Christianity, and in 1931 he became a convinced Christian. Following his conversion he became one of the most influential defenders of the Christian faith. The reader must realize that it is not easy to do justice to this thinker, dreamer, and poet in a short article.

Works

Lewis became well-known following the publication of his books for young people dealing with the fantasy land Narnia wherein he wove a Christian message. He who takes the time to study these books can discover some profound facts. Another well-known work is The Screwtape Letters, wherein he warns of the cunning and deceitful attacks of Satan. In A Grief Observed, he delves into the difficult question how it is possible for suffering to exist in the world if God is good. The Great Divorce is a book about the inhabitants of hell who are allowed a glance of heaven, but none of them when looking at it closely wishes to become a resident of heaven. The Case for Christianity discusses the articles of faith where, according to Lewis, all Christians somewhat agree. Lewis’ ideal was, more or less, the Christianity of the early church before the church split into a number of different groups.

Esteem and questions

Lewis was a deep thinker and a good writer. Even when you do not agree with him, it is not difficult to continue to read his books. The pleasant and non-compelling composition is his greatest apologetic strength. In making his arguments he leads his readers along in a very casual and unrestrained manner.

Yet the question must be asked: was Lewis Reformed in his thinking and writing? In any event, not always, and that does not concern unimportant matters. There are times that Lewis clearly departs from biblical doctrines. He believed in purgatory and in prayers for the dead. His vision of the authority and inspiration of Scripture is also dubious. There are other instances when he repudiated the Reformed doctrine because he did not understand it fully. Let me give you two examples.

Lewis believed that God directed all things and that His gracious call precedes the calling of a sinner unto God. At the same time, he knew from experience that conversion and faith were not the result of coercion. That is a right insight, for grace is free and makes a sinner willing. Lewis’ opinion, however, was that the Reformed doctrine took that freedom away. What he actually repudiated was a form of hypercalvinism. What he agreed to in place of that was not properly Reformed either, for he chose a position between Reformed and Remonstrant. On the face of it, we perhaps cannot call Lewis’ position unorthodox, but his formulation of these doctrinal thoughts are. In any event, they arouse this impression and also place the reader upon the wrong track.

Something similar is found in his thoughts about being saved either without or by the works of the law. Lewis acknowledged that we are saved only through grace without any merits of our own, but he posed, in another sense, that we do a great deal toward our salvation. He who does not do good works, he said, cannot be saved even though these works are not a condition for the forgiveness of our sins. Here Lewis does not properly differentiate between justification and sanctification. He realized that his concepts or ideas were contradictory, but he could not find a solution to the problem, so he chose to let it remain that way.

In these examples, it becomes clear that Lewis was not a theologian but a man of letters. He was a creative writer who was clever in writing about his subject. He has used this talent to serve Christianity. Unfortunately, he does not always succeed in fully thinking through the theological subjects under discussion. Such questions dealing with Reformed theology had already been discussed earlier and more fully than they were by Lewis. Sad to say, his knowledge of these doctrines was insufficient.

Do not accept uncritically

Can we learn from Lewis? Of course, we can learn from every deep thinker. I, therefore, do not join with those who disapprove of the reading of Lewis’ works. On the other hand, I do not join with those who revere him as a church father and accept everything which he wrote without criticism. His thought process too often strays from the Reformed biblical doctrines, or it is very unclear.

The reading of Lewis’ theological books is definitely not recommended without taking some provisions beforehand. If you have never read Calvin’s Institutes or Brakel’s Reasonable Service, then it would be well worth your while to study them first. With the knowledge that you obtain from them, you will be able to read Lewis with the necessary discernment, and you can perhaps reap some profit by the reading of his books. Without this knowledge, you run the risk of being drawn along in his errors.

(Our next article will be about John Piper.) p

(To be continued)

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