Chatting about Jack in Chattanooga

It was a lot of fun speaking to the Chattanooga C. S. Lewis Society last night. Thanks to all the good people who were in attendance for making it such a good night and special thanks to my gracious hosts, David and Sheila Beckmann. To learn more about the group click here: http://www.cslewischatt.blogspot.com/

The topic last night was my book, Mere Theology, which the group has been discussing for the past three or four months. Great questions were put forward by many in the group, including this one: "What would C. S. Lewis say to Harold Camping?"

Afterwards, I signed copies of my new book, Speaking of Jack: A C. S. Lewis Discussion Guide. I was delighted to connect with a number of friends at the meeting. Sadly I didn't get photos with all of them. One surprise was having Bill and Sarah DeWaters there. They are friends from a church I served in Pennsylvania years ago. Also, Debbie Higgins, resident director at The Kilns, C. S. Lewis' former home in Oxford, was with us. The last time I saw Debbie was when I visited the Kilns last fall. It was also a joy to have Neil Raiford and his son Ben in attendance just like last year when I visited the group. They drove about two hours from Alabama just to attend the meeting. So if you want to know what die-hard C. S. Lewis and Narnia fans look like, see the picture below....

Comments

tonyburgess1969 said…

Thanks for coming to town to speak to the CSL Society here in Chattanooga. I think CSL has taken queues from Christ by making the story of faith and salvation appeal to people of all walks of life and all times of life. Kind of a parable sort of thing.

9:07 PM

Will Vaus said…

You are most welcome. I always enjoy the group!

I agree with your analysis. I believe Lewis lived very close to Jesus. That fact, along with his broad and deep knowledge of the Western literary tradition, and his focus on "mere" Christianity, made him able to convey the Christian story, in fiction and nonfiction, in a manner that has had almost universal appeal.

A little sidelight on this: I recently had a Catholic monk tell me that he thought if Lewis had become Catholic, he would have been made a saint. This monk felt that no one could create the character of Aslan without having had a mystical experience of encounter with Christ. This monk also said he thought it was actually good Lewis did not become Catholic because if he had then his books might not continue to reach the same broad spectrum of people: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, those of non-Christian faith, as well as those of no faith at all. Interesting,isn't it?

4:42 AM

tonyburgess1969 said…

My fear sometimes is we over-intellectualize CSL. Shouldn't it be simple and easy for everyone. I don't mind the analysis of some to bring out the expanded truth of CSL's writings. Many times people tend to over analyze the Bible to the point where the spirit of what it says is taken away.

8:02 PM

Will Vaus said…

I know what you mean about what might be called "the paralysis of analysis". On the other hand, the wonderful thing about Lewis is that he could write books to delight children and at the same time write books that are so deep the intellectuals are still pondering them almost fifty years after his death. Quite a feat I think!

8:32 PM

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