Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I have read Lewis for years and enjoyed him immensely. When I started reading this book, I kept asking myself, "Who is the audience?" People well read in Lewis will know most of the material presented. People who are curious about Lewis should just read Lewis. To me this book is just a good reference work for some limited applications.

The author does present the material in a very accessible form. He writes in a very clear and friendly manner. He has short chapters on different topics like marriage, sex, salvation, God, and the incarnation. You can tell the author's real affection for Lewis's writings. The real advantage of this book is that the author references materials that the average fan of Lewis does not read: the letters, sermons and talks. Another benefit of this book is that the author shows how Lewis changed his theology over his life time.

The main problem with the book is, using Lewisian terms, the book spends too much time "looking at," instead of "looking alongside." The book feels too much like a research paper and does not encourage the reader to enjoy the magic of Lewis for themselves.

I have a website on C. S. Lewis and I get questions all the time about these topics. Frankly, this book is much better than my website and I will probably quote from it in my FAQ section. If you have questions about what Lewis believed on certain theological topics, this book will be a very good guide. However, reading Lewis is the very best method and the most fun way to find out what Lewis thought.