My Dad and I, along with two thousand other C. S. Lewis fans and devotees, created a sort of nervous, anticipating energy that hummed throughout the mammoth Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN. The conference title: C. S. Lewis: Romantic Rationalist.
I felt awed that the conference was held so near our home! People had traveled from England, Australia, China - for this two day conference! Lead by John Piper of Desiring God ministries, the conference boasted some of the foremost authorities on Lewis and his theology, letters, friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien, and marriage to Joy Davidman.
My single greatest highlight of the conference was getting my treasured copy of Inside The Voyage of the Dawn Treader signed by author Devin Brown. He wrote, "I hope to be reading your book someday!"
I also heard Colin Duriez, who wrote A Field Guide to Narnia, speak about Lewis' friendship with Tolkien and got him to sign my treasured copy of his book.
I was rapt as Randy Alcorn spoke. He shared his personal story of how Lewis had influenced him. It began with him staring up at the Andromeda galaxy through his telescope. He was pierced by what Lewis described in his own life as a stab of longing, a stab to be on the inside.
I was astonished, however, when I arrived for the second day of the conference and was presented an hour-long talk on the slight discrepancy between Lewis' little-written-on doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture and the orthodox view on the same matter.
First he shared the flaws in Lewis' theology (first thing in the morning, too!). Then, without explaining why they were wrong (only that they were opposed to the Evangelical doctrine of faith), he proceeded to admonish us to be "charitable" toward Lewis, as he was only a layman and ought not to be held to a theologian's standards. Yet he lamented that Lewis, being so famous, had given more thought to this topic... before his errant ideas were sent into the world on the wings of his influence.
How, exactly, was Lewis to know he was to become so famous?
The conference hosts were intent in their desire to make sure conference-goers knew what to look out for in Lewis, since they were going to recommend him.
And I wondered, why did they chose him for their conference if they didn't agree with his theology, and why were they going out of their way to make sure that we knew all the "correct" theology before we opened one of his mysteriously life-changing books? Were they so afraid our little layman minds might be influenced by this great man's itinerant ideas?
It was just surprising.
When the host and main speakers spoke as a panel, they were actually asked by the moderator, "So, with all of this said, what do you recommend about C. S. Lewis?"
Is this a C. S. Lewis conference or what?
*scowly face*
Because Lewis doesn't do that.
He doesn't tell you what to think. He teaches you how to think for yourself. If you give a man a fish....
He tends to teach us how to fish.
He's not primarily influential for his show-stopping doctrine but his ability to, quickly and succinctly, show us the reasons he believes in something - leaving the choice up to us.
It is because his reasons for believing are so good that he serves, for many, as a signpost to Christ. Not for his charisma. Not for any other reason that we should be warned about.
Many of his arguments are irrefutable and have helped thousands to arrange their thinking in such a way that leads them to God - the true and living God. He has put out of commission many popular arguments that don't make sense when followed through to their logical conclusion.
And rearranging our thoughts, in turn, arranges our feelings - and feelings determine actions. C. S. Lewis has had a direct and massive influence on the world.
And it has nothing to do with his obscure and rather well-reasoned doctrine on the inerrancy of Scripture, which I shall deal with at a later date.
I felt awed that the conference was held so near our home! People had traveled from England, Australia, China - for this two day conference! Lead by John Piper of Desiring God ministries, the conference boasted some of the foremost authorities on Lewis and his theology, letters, friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien, and marriage to Joy Davidman.
My single greatest highlight of the conference was getting my treasured copy of Inside The Voyage of the Dawn Treader signed by author Devin Brown. He wrote, "I hope to be reading your book someday!"
I also heard Colin Duriez, who wrote A Field Guide to Narnia, speak about Lewis' friendship with Tolkien and got him to sign my treasured copy of his book.
I was rapt as Randy Alcorn spoke. He shared his personal story of how Lewis had influenced him. It began with him staring up at the Andromeda galaxy through his telescope. He was pierced by what Lewis described in his own life as a stab of longing, a stab to be on the inside.
I was astonished, however, when I arrived for the second day of the conference and was presented an hour-long talk on the slight discrepancy between Lewis' little-written-on doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture and the orthodox view on the same matter.
First he shared the flaws in Lewis' theology (first thing in the morning, too!). Then, without explaining why they were wrong (only that they were opposed to the Evangelical doctrine of faith), he proceeded to admonish us to be "charitable" toward Lewis, as he was only a layman and ought not to be held to a theologian's standards. Yet he lamented that Lewis, being so famous, had given more thought to this topic... before his errant ideas were sent into the world on the wings of his influence.
How, exactly, was Lewis to know he was to become so famous?
The conference hosts were intent in their desire to make sure conference-goers knew what to look out for in Lewis, since they were going to recommend him.
And I wondered, why did they chose him for their conference if they didn't agree with his theology, and why were they going out of their way to make sure that we knew all the "correct" theology before we opened one of his mysteriously life-changing books? Were they so afraid our little layman minds might be influenced by this great man's itinerant ideas?
It was just surprising.
When the host and main speakers spoke as a panel, they were actually asked by the moderator, "So, with all of this said, what do you recommend about C. S. Lewis?"
Is this a C. S. Lewis conference or what?
*scowly face*
Because Lewis doesn't do that.
He doesn't tell you what to think. He teaches you how to think for yourself. If you give a man a fish....
He tends to teach us how to fish.
He's not primarily influential for his show-stopping doctrine but his ability to, quickly and succinctly, show us the reasons he believes in something - leaving the choice up to us.
It is because his reasons for believing are so good that he serves, for many, as a signpost to Christ. Not for his charisma. Not for any other reason that we should be warned about.
Many of his arguments are irrefutable and have helped thousands to arrange their thinking in such a way that leads them to God - the true and living God. He has put out of commission many popular arguments that don't make sense when followed through to their logical conclusion.
And rearranging our thoughts, in turn, arranges our feelings - and feelings determine actions. C. S. Lewis has had a direct and massive influence on the world.
And it has nothing to do with his obscure and rather well-reasoned doctrine on the inerrancy of Scripture, which I shall deal with at a later date.