C.S. Lewis
and Mere Christianity by Paul McCusker
Author
Paul McCusker gets into the crisis that spurned the conversion of C.S. Lews to
the Christian faith but also the influences that led him there in his book, C.S.
Lewis and Mere Christianity: The Crisis that Created a Classic. Drawing on the rich resources from Lewis’
youth, the turbulence of the war (WWII) and the influence of friends, McCusker
draws out the picture of Lewis in a quite extraordinary way. The beauty of such a work is that you get
Lewis in all his varied array speaking about his own life and McCusker drawing
together the details.
Lewis
grew up in rooms full of books and immersed himself in the affairs of the
imagination in a very real and tangible way.
Led to study under some of the notable atheists of his time, it was his
imagination that drew him to study those whose work brimmed with religious
optimism and hope. McCusker writes, “The
First War nearly clinched Jack’s conviction that God, if he existed, wasn’t “good”
in any way at all. But while
recuperating from trench fever in a French hospital, Jack read a collection of
essays by G.K. Chesterton. Though he
disagreed with Chesterton’s theology, he was drawn in by the “goodness” of his
writing. Both Chesterton and MacDonald
(George) baptized Jack’s imagination.”
Yet, we know from later on that it was his friend Owen Barfield who held
out firm Christian convictions to Lewis and even held his own in argumentation. Further, his conversations with Oxford
teachers J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson led him further to discover that
Christianity was the true myth.
What
is quite remarkable about C.S. Lewis is his uncanny knack from writing about
the real concerns of humanity and cutting across all stripes of Christian
denominations. In his book, The Problem
of Pain, Lewis was met with much criticism from reviewers. Tolkien strongly disapproved of the work,
noting that it should not be laypeople tacking theological matters but
professional clergy. And yet, as Paul notes, “…The Problem of Pain cut across
most denominational lines. Jack was able
to deal with his subject without alienating any particular branch of
Christianity.” It was this book that led
James Welch, frontman for the BBC to go get Lewis for his religion
broadcasting.
This
is a truly unique book in that it combines history, Lewis’ story, and the way
his life helped shaped millions.
Thanks
to Tyndale Publishers for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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