The C. S. Lewis Book On The Bible: What The Greatest Christian Writer Thought About The Greatest Book [Paperback]

Jacob Schriftman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2008

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was the most influential Christian writer of his day, and the effect of his work has still not abated. Quotes by him can be found in almost every modern work on Christianity. "The C. S. Lewis Book on the Bible" examines his view on the Bible, in which he differed from many of those who quote him. In laying out Lewis' approach to faith and Scripture, Jacob Schriftman does not only draw on Lewis' popular apologias such as "Mere Christianity" or "The Problem of Pain," but on his many letters, essays, fictional writings, and academic works. The result is both informative and a pleasure to read. Schriftman's admiration for Lewis clearly shines through, but he does not put him on a pedestal. Anyone with a deeper interest in C. S. Lewis or the Bible will not want to miss this volume on their shelves.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jacob Schriftman is a freelance author, artist, and speaker. With the exception of Antartica, he has held seminars on every single continent. Find out more at www.schriftman.net.

Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (September 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438254962
• ISBN-13: 978-1438254968
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,367,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacob Schriftman (aka the unpronounceable Jokim Schnoebbe) is a freelance writer, translator, artist, and speaker. He has a degree in Biblical Studies but likes to explore a wide field of literature. Together with his wife and children, he currently lives in Ireland.

Visit schriftman.wordpress.com for more information.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging and liberating journey into the world of C.S. Lewis, October 29, 2008

By 

Daniel Korol (Gothenburg, Sweden) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The C. S. Lewis Book On The Bible: What The Greatest Christian Writer Thought About The Greatest Book (Paperback)

Jacob Schriftmans latest book the C.S Lewis book on the bible has been an insightful, thought provoking and truly enjoyable read. It's one of those books I will return to, and enjoy again. Schriftman gives us a carefully-reasoned yet entertaining read. His writing style is superb and clear.

The book centers around two parts. The first part is a critique and a defense on how we know whether the Bible is from God (epistemology) and the second part centers around; the study of the general principles of biblical interpretation. (hermeneutics)

Both of these parts are then divided into two parts a critique and a defense. My favorite parts were the critique presented throughout the book. The arguments were clear and well presented. Only the critique parts are a must read for anyone interested in apologetics, or a student of religion and faith in general.

Schriftman critiques, and explores the arguments used in a big part of the evangelical (it would be good with a definition of what is meant by evangelical) part of Christianity. An evangelical Christian could say; the Bible must be inspired by God because of how the bible changes lives or fulfilled messianic prophesy to name a couple examples Schriftman critiques. In each case the argument falls short to justify the bibles claim to be from God.

Schriftman tells the story of how C. S Lewis came to accept the Bibles inspiration not as a starting point but as the final conclusion. An important part of the book follows Lewis argument and Journey towards the acceptance of the Bible as inspired by God.

A part of that journey consisted of understanding the Bible differently from for example Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer viewed the first eleven chapters of Genesis, the same way as the rest of Genesis. Lewis on the other hand read the first eleven chapters as myths.

Schriftmans is at his best in this part of the book, and shows a deep understanding of Lewis when he takes us on a journey of thought with Lewis.

The second part of the book is also a gem waiting to be uncovered, explored and thought through. I enjoyed the parts where Schriftman gives examples of how the Bible fails to live up to the perfection many Christians demand from it. Part of the conclusion in this part is as follows.

"The above should be sufficient to show in what sense the Bible cannot be from God. It cannot be a kind of divine encyclopedia, a catalogue of"thus-saith-the-lord" articles on various topics." Then how can it be from God? Scriftman ends the book by answering that precise question.

The book is not only a dive into the mind of C. S Lewis and his student mister Schriftman. It is a critique against a Christianity that is afraid to lose its faith by asking difficult questions. Schriftman puts it like this.

" Many denominations, movements, and individual Christians hold to a certain position not because they have honestly examined all possible viewpoints and then arrived at their conclusion; they simply believe what they believe because they have never heard anything else. Or, if they heard of an alternative, they immediately dismissed it without serious consideration - because they felt threatened in their beliefs and were perhaps frightened that their strong fortress would turn out to be a house of cards."

This book deserves a wide audience, and is certainly a starting point not only for C. S Lewis fans but also anyone wanting to explore faith, God and the bible from a different perspective than what is the norm in a big part of western Christianity.An engaging, liberating and highly recommended read.