It is no secret to anyone who knows me or chats with me for any length of time, that the writings of C.S. Lewis have had a tremendous impact on my life.
Up until about 10-11 years ago, I hadn’t really paid attention to anything Lewis had written. Sure, I had read the Chronicles of Narnia…at least, a couple of the volumes in the series…but, honestly, I was unimpressed.
It wasn’t until, out of desperation and in following-up on a suggestion from a friend, that I dove head first…literally…into his non-fiction writings, starting with “Surprised by Joy”. And, after diving head-first, my soul followed after. Here was an author that “thought” like I did – who questioned some of the very same things I questioned. Who approached God and suffering and heaven and theology in such a way that it 1) resonated deeply with my own way of thinking and looking at the world and these subjects, and 2) drove me to scripture…where I, like Lewis, was confronted with the truth of who God is….and I am, when standing in that truth.
Since that first introduction, I have pretty much devoured all of Lewis’s writings, along with anything written about him – so when given the opportunity to review Joe Rigney’s new book “Lewis on the Christian Life” for Crossway Publishers, I was “all in.”
I’m not sure what I expected from Rigney’s examination – so much has been written about Lewis’s theology by so many people, that sometimes I wonder if there is anything new to be penned – but I do know this – Rigney definitely brought new insight to the vast world of Lewis’s thoughts, views and theology….or, at least, new insight to me.
What I appreciated most about Rigney’s treatment of the subject was his very careful and thorough analysis of C. S. Lewis’s works of fiction. As I alluded to above, I have found his fiction writings to be not nearly as captivating as his non-fiction, though I have read both his series work, and his stand alone novels. But because I am not a fan in general of allegory or fantasy, I’ve walked away from each of them a bit underwhelmed. However, after reading Rigney’s book, I have a renewed interest in going back and re-reading some of Lewis’s books – such as “Till We Have Faces”, and “The Great Divorce”, and even his Cosmic/Space trilogy.
Rigney doesn’t shy away from the thicker theology subjects, just as Lewis never shied away from them – Satan, Prayer, Christian Hedonics, Introspection, Love, Hell, Heaven – they are all in here, and well-covered. At times, maybe a bit “too” well-covered, as I found myself having to re-read sections to make sure I was following Mr. Rigney’s points, and not lost in the examples pulled from Lewis Literature. That’s not a criticism, per se – it caused me to have to slow down and really contemplate what I was reading; and, as a fast reader and comprehend-er, I don’t always do the whole “slow down” thing well. It was a good challenge.
Rigney also did not shy away from pointing out areas where Lewis’s theology might not always fall in lock-step line with scripture. This was always done so respectfully, with fully thought out arguments/reasonings, and solid scriptural study. I think Lewis would have enjoyed and even applauded these moments, in Rigney’s book. In fact, I believe Joe and Clive would thoroughly enjoy cigars and tea together, or long walk-abouts over the English countryside in deep conversation – if the years had permitted them to be peers.
Fantastic Book. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity from Crossway to read and review the review copy they provided me, and I am grateful to Mr. Rigney for his words. And, I will always be indebted to Mr. Lewis, for his.
