My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. James 3:1
Recently I wrote a piece that Biblically exposed Huffington Post contributor, Steve McSwain for the heretic that he is. From the response to the blog, it appears that many Christians agree — McSwain is masquerading as a follower of Jesus Christ and the false doctrines he espouses should be avoided at all costs. You can read the rest of that post here.
Today, this blog, ‘The Lion, The Witch, and the Happy Meal: Christian Beware,’ was brought to my attention by a friend and I immediately saw some parallels. The article was written by Dean Taylor on a blog-site called, “The Heartbeat of the Remnant,” a ministry of Ephrata Christian Fellowship, Ephrata, PA.
You Don’t Know Jack
I was intrigued by the post primarily because the author had much to say about the novelist, poet, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian, and Christian apologist, Clive Staples (C. S., aka; Jack) Lewis. The report Mr. Taylor shared was not very good news at all — he reveals, by means of Lewis’s own words, that the yoke of Christian theology that Lewis has bridled himself to, is flawed. In abridged fashion, I’d like to share some of those quotes, along with some others I have stumbled upon. At the conclusion, you decide what to do with Mr. C. S. Lewis.
C. S. Lewis on ‘Salvation’
“There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example, a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ’s birth may have been in this position.” (Mere Christianity)
God’s Rebuttal
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6)
C. S. Lewis on ‘Hell’
“Hell is a state of mind – ye never said a truer word. And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind – is, in the end, Hell.” (The Great Divorce)
God’s Rebuttal
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
C. S. Lewis on the ‘Inerrancy of God’s Word’
“I have the deepest respect for Pagan myths, still more for myths in the Holy Scriptures.” (The Problem of Pain)
“I have therefore no difficulty accepting, say, the view of those scholars who tell us that the account of Creation in Genesis is derived from earlier Semitic stories which were Pagan and mythical.” (Reflections on the Psalms)
God’s Rebuttal
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ… Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Corinthians 10:1-4, 11)
C. S. Lewis on ‘Atonement’
“Christ’s death was not a substitution for us, but rather something like the Roman Catholic idea of the storing-up of grace.” (Lewis speaking on the subject of atonement)
God’s Rebuttal
For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7b)
C. S. Lewis as to ‘Humanism’
“Safety and happiness can only come from individuals, classes, and nations being honest and fair and kind to each other.” (Lewis quote)
God’s Rebuttal
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety… Happy are the people whose God is the Lord! (Psalm 4:8; 144:15)
C. S. Lewis on ‘Purgatory’
“Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age, the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to him…I believe in Purgatory.” (Letters to Malcolm)
“A process by which the work of redemption continues, and first perhaps begins to be noticeable after death.” (Letters of C. S. Lewis)
God’s Rebuttal
It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27)
C. S. Lewis as to ‘Evolution’
“For long centuries God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself” (The Problem of Pain)
God’s Rebuttal
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
C. S. Lewis as to ‘Darwinism’
“…But he (man) remains still a primate and an animal.” (Reflections on the Psalms)
God’s Rebuttal
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind (Genesis 1:25)
In contrast to these quotes, C. S. Lewis said many things of God, of the Bible, and of Christianity that are true and accurate. The problem for the disciple of Christ becomes, where to draw the line. It’s one thing to keep Lewis on the one side of novelists, poets, and essayists ‘who happen to proclaim Christ as their Savior,’ and quite another to elevate his status to that of a theologian or a Christian apologist. I submit to you that because of his errant doctrines, he’s best positioned to the left of center. In other words, it would be unwise for the Christian to esteem C. S. Lewis as a bona fide teacher of God’s word. I suppose as always, there is a bottom line — be careful where you go for your theology. While there may be good and moral things to glean from a Lewis book (or movie), the fact remains that even a little poo always ruins the cake. Mature Christians should partake carefully, while immature Christians should be suitably cautioned.
These articles may or may not be related:
- Why C.S. Lewis Didn’t Write for Christianity Today (christianitytoday.com)
- Good Morning January 17 (lifesmeaningministries.wordpress.com)
- Os Guiness – Engaging an increasingly post-Christian culture in the west (Gospel & Culture Lectures) (rodiagnusdei.wordpress.com)
- An Interview with Louis Markos: On the Shoulders of Hobbits: The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis (educationviews.org)
- Everything I thought about being a christian was wrong! (anthonyqmusic.wordpress.com)
- The Uniqueness of Christianity: 12 Objections Answered (insightscoop.typepad.com)
- On the Shoulders of Hobbits – (2012) (baldreformer.wordpress.com)
- Christianity is Christ! (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
I have to wonder at what point in CS Lewis life did he say these things, my point being, if we take Martin Luther’s words when he was at the end of his life they were very different than the man who expounded on the gospel in his youth.Like wise i see the same happening with Billy Graham, who now says that evolution fits into the biblical model of creation.CS Lewis was a great expounder of the Gospel and brought many to a saving grace,these quotes need to be taken with a grain of salt so to speak, also when we look at Romans 2;14 we see that it is God who declares a person righteous in his sight even the gentiles and pagans that do not profess Christ, Have the law written on there hearts.How that all works is truly a mystery,and one which i am perfectly willing to let God deal with and sort out.From my studies on CS Lewis i believe he drew much of these comment from that verse.
Blessings
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Great question Gus. It’s also one I can’t answer. The problem is we don’t have a way to effectively sort through all the quotes. It would be wonderful if each quote was asterisk-ed, whereby we can see a person’s frame of mind when the quote was issued, but we don’t. We have a package and it’s up to us to do the sorting. All the more reason we must filter it all through the Word of God. As I’ve said previously, I cannot discount anyone’s faith experiences as they pertain to Lewis’s books. That was never my purpose. The last paragraph pretty much sums up the intent. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment Gus. Have a blessed day in the Lord!
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Let me ask you a question then, and once again, I’m not trying to be rude; I am merely enjoying a very civil conversation when, generally, theological discussions end up being fire-fights.
What defines a Biblical theology?
I see Catholics who think their views are “scriptural”. Same go for Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Calvinists, Arminians, Mormons…
Not to mention how much theology has changed and adapted from the time of men like Polycarp, Ignatius, St. Athanasius; even Luther and Calvin!
I guess it’s just interesting because I believe the Bible is necessary… but I also think there is an elevation of scripture that is present in the world, as if God is synonymous with the Bible, and that’s where a twist on the age-old adage comes into play:
Which came first? The Word or the Bible?
Jesus is my foundation first and foremost…and I think if we take a posture of humility in that manner and allow ourselves to have a fair but concise hermeneutical approach to the Bible, then even when we disagree, we are still unified in Christ.
As Peter Enns brought up in one of his articles, not every disagreement runs the risk of “tainting” the Gospel, and I agree with that, because no matter what, we will always be subjective. It is impossible to be a completely objective human…and I think God’s okay with that. But that’s my subjective opinion. 🙂
Have a great weekend.
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Let me assure that I do not believe you are being rude. You ask fair questions.
It all boils down to what is essential to the Christian faith, and what is not. For example, I believe in a pre-tribulation, rapture scenario. You may believe in a mid, or post-tribulation. We likely could each present scripture that supports our position, but in the end, not convince the other. However, if we are both ‘born again‘ believers, it probably doesn’t matter, as we’re both getting to Heaven one way or another.
Having said that, there are essential doctrines that all must agree. The first one that comes to mind is raised in in Lewis’s first quote (in the blog) — How is a person saved; can there be more than one way (Jesus Christ)? Lewis conveys that there is another way, while the Bible clearly dismisses his understanding of the matter. Jesus is the only way, and that’s the end of it.
So as you say David, we can all be unified in Christ, as long as the essential elements are agreed upon. The non-essentials we can banter around at our leisure, being careful to not bash each other as we do.
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I’m actually a partial-preterist. Go figure. 😀 I appreciate your civility, however. Very rare to stumble across nowadays. Have a phenomenal week!
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You too bro. May it be Jesus-filled!
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It is amazing how even the slightest slip of the tongue can be presented as truth when we begin to idolize the mouth it comes from. I believe that the same mistake has been made with a well renown Pastor and speaker Louis Giglio. I was taken back and left speechless to hear he stood his ground instead of on Jesus to retain his position to pray over the Presidential Inauguration. Our true faith and personal ambition is revealed only when we are tempted in areas we neglect to give over to Him who can be our strength. The Bible is truth and God breathed, it is alive just as much today as it was 5k years ago being lived out. It will be my strength and my shield! If you do not stand for it you will fall for anything. God bless you Dave, may The Lord keep you and make His face to shine upon you!
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Well said Christina. While C. S. Lewis is a brilliant author, whose writings typically express or imply, solid Christian morality, but he is not one who should be elevated to that of theologian.
I’ve been in contact with a few people outside of the blog who have sincerely expressed how the book ‘Mere Christianity’ has ministered to them. That’s wonderful and I do NOT want detract from the positive things that they have gleaned from the book. However, the warning must go out that Lewis’s entire doctrine is not up to snuff with true Biblical doctrine, therefore one should Father-filter (Bible-filter) everything they read. That admonition goes for ANY person whose material we are watching or reading. If the material is not Biblical it must be dealt with accordingly.
I’ve noticed, as you have alluded to, that people are quick to defend a man, but not so much a doctrine that has been violated. Our words and our deeds must align themselves with God’s words and deeds, never the other way around.
Having said that I am grateful for those who (like yourself Christina), who make a habit of Father-filtering all that enters their ear and eye, and especially those who have taken the time to put me back on the proper path through the years. The truth be told I once thought (as an immature believer), that there WERE many ways to God. Thankfully, early on there were those, who in love, taught me properly. Thanks be to God I did not stubbornly reject their wise counsel. May we all always be open to it.
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Not to be rude, but your proof-text of 1 Corinthians in light of Lewis’s thoughts about ANE history and “myths” doesn’t make sense. He was talking about the Creation of the world; you brought up a scripture that addresses Moses. I’m not necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with your thoughts, just stating that if you wanted to make your point, I’m sure there is a better passage to choose.
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I don’t take your remarks as rude David. The premise of the 1 Corinthians text is that these OT events ‘actually’ occurred (they weren’t myths or allegory) because as verse 11 records ‘all these things happened.’ Another example would be Jesus citing Noah as an actual event (in Matthew 24), and Jonah (in Matthew 12).
I fully understand that MANY Christians believe these accounts to be myths, and I believe that to be a complete shame. Once anyone makes the determination what is true and what is not [in the Bible], they have positioned themselves on a very slippery slope.
Here are some other verses I could have used in place of 1 Corinthians 10…
2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:16, John 12:47-50, John 10:35, Luke 24:25.
I appreciate you took the time to read the blog David. God bless.
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I believe you have picked and chosen CS Lewis’ words in order to be provocative. If you were well versed with his body of work, you would know that Mr. Lewis absolutely believed in a real and final hell. I don’t say it lightly–shame on you for misrepresenting CS Lewis very orthodox Christian beliefs.
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How do you defend his statement regarding salvation (the first quote)?
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Dear sir, you are in way over your head critiquing CS Lewis on Christianity. I am a Christian, an orthodox Christian, because of the writings of CS Lewis. Mr. Lewis did not consider himself a theologian and should not be compared to one. However, the yoke of Christian theology to which he bridled himself (to use your phrase) could not be truer. Perhaps your issue is with Anglican thought, or Christian allegory, but you do yourself and your readers no service by portraying CS Lewis as some sort of literary heretic. I already know what to do with CS Lewis–I’m not entirely sure what to do with you.
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Thanks Kathleen.
Based on Jack’s own quotes, his doctrine is flawed. Merely focusing on the first two quotes that I shared; there being ‘many ways’ towards salvation and his assertion that there is ‘no hell’ (except in one’s mind), the novice Christian could discern that these are not Biblical truths. If those principles are embraced by Anglican thought, than I suppose I would have an issue with that.
As it pertains to Lewis’s quotes, in lieu of my personal opinion I opted to counter with Bible scripture. As a result, I believe my characterization of him in the last paragraph was fair — we must be careful where we go for our theology.
Thank you for taking the time to visit and read the blog, Kathleen. God bless.
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