Scripture

Well, we haven't kept to our one chapter per week schedule. Sorry about that! Hopefully the discussion participants who were away from their computers are back now, and the lurkers will make themselves known! We welcome the participation of all--those new to Lewis as well as those who have been reading his stuff for a lifetime. There are no bad comments--only comments shared or unshared. We prefer the ones that are shared!

Here are the discussion questions for chapter two of Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis. I look forward to hearing your responses. . . .

What do you make of C. S. Lewis's assertion that many of the stories in the Old Testament are mythical? (Be sure to remember Lewis's definition of myth before you answer this question.)
What do you think of Lewis's proposition, as a literary critic, that the Gospels are not legends?
Why does Lewis reject the idea of biblical inerrancy? Do you agree or disagree with him? Why?
What objections does Lewis have to modern biblical criticism? Why? Are you inclined to agree with him or not?
Despite Lewis's rejection of inerrancy he still believes that the Bible is the Word of God. Do you find Lewis's view consistent and credible? Why or why not?

Comments

Anonymous said…

Re Questions 1 and 2: I don't have any opinion about Old Testament Stories as myths or Gospels as legends yet.

3. Why does Lewis reject the idea of biblical inerrancy? I think that perhaps he thought that inconsistencies and contradictions in the Bible were relatively unimportant and that we should concentrate on the overall message.

4. Re Lewis's objections to modern biblical criticism: he believes 1) that the writers are not competent as literary critics, 2) they assumed that Christ was misunderstood by his followers, 3) they did not believe in miracles, etc.
I am inclined to agree with him because of Lewis's own standing as a prominent literary critic.

5. Re Lewis's belief that the bible is the Word of God: the text seems to say (in two places) that Christ himself is "the" Word of God and the Bible would therefore be the principle supporting document.

8:41 AM

Will Vaus said…

I can't help but agree with you, Browning!

The interesting thing about Lewis's reading of certain Old Testament stories vs. the Gospels is that he is so adept at discerning different literary genres. Perhaps the average reader is too, but we tend to dispense with our normal literary sensibilities when it comes to reading the Bible. For instance, when we read about talking animals anywhere else we know we are reading a fable. But some readers dispense with this sort of sense when approaching the Bible. They seem to assume that the Bible has only one type of literature in it: historical narrative.

9:33 AM

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Will Vaus

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