Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis [Paperback]

Will Vaus (Author), Douglas Gresham (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2004

What did C. S. Lewis believe about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, heaven, hell, creation, the Fall, the forgiveness of sins, marriage and divorce, war and peace, the church and sacraments, masculinity and femininity? Lewis was not a professional theologian, but anyone who has read his writings--whether fiction or nonfiction, essays or correspondence--knows that profoundly Christian convictions permeate them all. The more one reads, the more it becomes clear that Lewis could write with charity and simplicity while preserving theological accuracy because he was well informed and thoroughly grounded in the Christian faith. Will Vaus has masterfully brought together Lewis's thought from throughout his voluminous writings to provide us a full-orbed look into his beliefs on twenty-five Christian themes. This book gives us not only a comprehensive view of Lewis's theological convictions but also guidance and encouragement for our own spiritual journeys toward the God whom Lewis found so real, personal and present.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Over the years I have met many Lewis enthusiasts who have wondered, 'What did Lewis believe about _____?' (You fill in the blank)," writes Vaus. "This book is written to answer those many questions about what Lewis believed." Arranged topically, Vaus's book takes readers through Lewis's published thoughts on subjects such as creation, the Fall, Scripture, the Trinity, prayer, war, God's sovereignty, human free will and Satan. (There are also chapters on Venus, by which Lewis means sexual morality, and "the Tao," a term that he—oddly enough—uses to refer to the Jewish understanding of the law.) Vaus's chapters are remarkably concise and even-handed. In the mind of Douglas Gresham, Lewis's stepson and the author of the foreword to this book, that accessibility may actually be a vice: Gresham fears that this guide "may make the study of Jack's Lewis's theology almost too easy" and drive students away from Lewis's corpus of theological writing. Despite such trepidations, most readers will agree with Gresham that Vaus has given us an exemplary introductory guide to Lewis's thought.
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From Booklist

In this exposition of Lewis' theology, Vaus remarks in passing that during World War II Lewis' voice was the second most recognizable in Britain (after Winston Churchill's) because of his broadcast theological talks. If his physical voice has been forgotten since, his Christian apologetics in such books as The Problem of Pain and miracles have grown in popularity, helped by the even greater continuing success of his Christological fantasies for children (of all ages), the Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis advocated what he called "mere Christianity," by which he meant a commonly comprehensible understanding of the faith, unadulterated by admixtures with secular ideologies and other religions (e.g., Christian Socialism, Buddhist Christianity), by which Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox alike could live. In graceful, common language that mirrors Lewis' writing, Vaus distills Lewis on Christianity in 25 chapters on such topics as defending the faith, the Trinity, marriage and divorce, war and peace, prayer, the sacraments, and aspects of the afterlife. An ideal introduction to Lewis' warm, humane religious thought. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic; Print On Demand Edition edition (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 083082782X
• ISBN-13: 978-0830827824
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,085,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Will Vaus was born outside of New York City and grew up in Southern California. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from the University of California at San Diego and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has served as a pastor and is the President of Will Vaus Ministries, through which he has creatively communicated the love of Christ around the world since 1988. Will and his wife, Becky, have three sons: James, Jonathan and Joshua. They live in the mountains of Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource for readers of Lewis, July 16, 2006

By 

Frank Heinsohn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

Having experienced a weekend retreat on C.S. Lewis given by Will Vaus, I was somewhat hesitant to read this book because I was unsure that the pages could come close to the expereince and insight gained by personal interaction with the author. I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced the works of C.S. lewis. It could be argued that going to the original sources by Lewis is the only way to experience his works; however, not having the time to read all of his works immediately, Will gives the reader a wonderful look inside the mind and thoughts of the premier Christian writer of the 20th century. What a treasure and wonderful resource whether reading the Chronicles with your children or doing scholarly research into the thoughts and theology of C.S. Lewis. The way that Will is able to take scholarly material and present it in an engaging way to readers at all levels is very beneficial.

I can recommend this book without reservation.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource, August 13, 2004

By 

L. M. Beamer (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

I've dabbled with reading C.S. Lewis's works for years, and while they intrigue me, I've often found the content intellecutally intimidating. What a treat "Mere Theology" has been for me! Breaking down Lewis's thoughts by topic, it's been a great resource, giving me invaluable insights that will undoubtedly benefit me when I return to Lewis's original works. The author has done an excellent job of presenting the material in an organized, reader-friendly and meaningful fashion.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best summary of Lewis's thought, July 3, 2010

By 

Norse Gael "Baroque Norseman" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

As far as compendiums of CS Lewis's thought go, this is easily among the best. Vaus has extensive theological training and it shows. This work is different from the rest of the (often needless) summaries of Lewis's thought, usually reduced to a few chapters on Narnia. In many ways it is like a systematic theology of CS Lewis. Granted, we really do not need another book on CS Lewis (and surely we do not need another book review!!!); rather, we need men to write in the spirit of CS Lewis. That said, there are still elements of Lewis's thought that have not received their due reward (e.g., his violent and armed resistance to the New World Order in *That Hideous Strength!*).

Vaus loosely summarizes Lewis's worldview around the tenets of the Nicene Creed. And taking our cue from the Nicene Creed, we will start with Lewis's *mere Christianity.* Contra to the soft modernists at the CS Lewis message boards, Lewis's *mere Christianity* was not a watered-down, shave-off-the-rough-edges Christianity. Lewis said regarding the Church--you do not stop searching until you find the truest expression of Christianity. That means, ultimately, you will have to say that other expressions are--to a degree--wrong.

Vaus, an Evangelical, has a rather startling chapter on prayer. Most of it isn't any different from other evangelical manuals on prayer. Strangely, Vaus has a section on prayers to/for the dead--and for some bizarre reason refutes all of the Protestant objections to the practice! Lewis had no problem with prayers to/for the dead, and is following the historic practice of the church in this regard.

Sex and Male/Female Relations

*The Space Trilogy* is one of Lewis's least-read works. THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH shows Jane Studdock having to undo her feminism and surrender to the reality that hierarchy is real, and in that hierarchy--particularly her husband--she will have to learn to surrender to her husband's masculinity and relish in that reality. This may be Vaus's best chapter.

Following that fact, Lewis introduces us to monarchy as a real category. (I've been attacked so often for being a monarchist it's not funny. I wouldn't mind the criticisms of monarchy if they didn't suck so badly. There are good criticisms of monarchy out there; they're just rarely offered.). Accepting monarchy isn't the big issue. Vaus/Lewis suspects that our reticence to monarchy stems from a secret urge to egalitarianism. But if hierarchy is a legitimate social and moral category, then why can't monarchy be just as legitimate a political category? In any case, Vaus quotes a beautiful and stirring passage from *That Hideous Strength* telling when Jane Studdock first looks upon the face of Dr Ransom--a man who is a true warrior-priest--and her world is unmade. Reading between the lines, Lewis is telling us she looked upon the face of true, holy monarchy for the first time. She saw in Ransom the ancient wisdom and holy strength of the kings of old. You simply do not find this in democratically-elected officials.

The more theological chapters--dealing with the Trinity and Scripture--are okay, I guess. After several years and several thousand double-columned pages reading the Church Fathers on the Trinity and Christ, I'm not too interested in what Vaus has to say on it. No offense. And that's because Lewis and Vaus commit theological howlers at times (e.g., saying Christ has one will; formally, that's the heresy of monotheletism; page 81. Lewis said that and Vaus didn't call him on it.).There are some gems, though--where Vaus compares Lewis's "Cosmic Dance" to Gregory of Naziansus. That's cool by me.

Conclusion:

The book is not without it's problems. But I don't want to dwell on the problems. Vaus brings up a number of issues that Evangelicals have failed miserably at and need to work on: Holy Monarchy, prayers to/for the dead, and the reality of post-death pains, but not in the purgatorial sense.