N.T. Wright: "Simply Lewis"

you can understand falsehood from the standpoint of truth but not the other way around, just as someone who knows light can understand darkness but not vice versa

From NT Wright's essay "Simply Lewis":  reflections on a master apologist after 60 years.

My Oxford tutors looked down their noses if you so much as mentioned him in a tutorial. This was, we may suppose, mere jealousy: He sold and they didn’t. It may also have been the frustration of the professional who, busy about his footnotes, sees the amateur effortlessly sailing past to the winning post.

A very interesting essay posted over at Touchstone.  NT Wright reflects on "Mere Christianity"

Lewis himself would have been the first to say that of course his book was neither perfect nor complete, and that what mattered was that, if it brought people into the company, and under the influence (or “infection”) of Jesus Christ, Jesus himself would happily take over—indeed, that Jesus had been operating through the process all along, albeit through the imperfect medium of the apologist.

And, as another imperfect apologist, I salute a great master, and can only hope that in sixty years’ time children yet unborn will say of me that, despite all my obvious and embarrassing failings, I too was used, in however small a way, to bring people under the influence and power, and to the love and kingdom, of the same Jesus Christ

There's a discussion of the article at Treaders.

Comments

[Anthony]

Maybe this isnt fair to Lewis, but I have had enough crazies use his texts, that I am immediately suspiscious when he is qouted (the latest is the domino's pizza founder who is making that whole catholic town somewhere in the middle of florida swamps)

I also think the xianity he espouses is simple, and immediate, a bit comforting, but doesnt require a wrestle or a taking up the cross. A burghers safe desire for redemption.

As well, how he treated Susan in the last book, and the general orientalism of his depection of Calamen always made my skin crawl (http://www.physicsroom.org.nz/log/archive/2/arab/)

[joseph]

Anthony: I think the wrestling is taken up in "The Problem of Pain" and also in "The Four Loves". And my own suspicion is that the Calormene empire is based on the Ottoman (just a guess though).

[Anthony]

i know its a cliche, but said on the english attitudes towards the ottoman and turks might be helpful here...

and i might have to read those two....