Will Vaus

Here are the discussion questions for the chapter on Creation in Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis. I look forward to your responses and discussion. . . . If the creation story in Genesis was derived from earlier Semitic stories how does this affect your view of the creation story? How does Lewis's illustration of creation ex nihilo in The Magician's Nephew affect you? What do you think of Lewis's perspective on the purpose of human creation by God? Do you agree or disagree with Lewis's view of Genesis 1 and Lewis's theistic evolutionary stance? Why? What do you make of Lewis's view of science and scientism? What do you think about the way Lewis rings the changes on the theory of evolution?

This chapter was the first piece I wrote which eventually became Mere Theology . It was originally given as a Lenten lecture to the Anglican Society of Columbia, South Carolina. After refining it a bit, I delivered this chapter as a paper at a C. S. Lewis conference at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and it was originally published in the bulletin of the New York C. S. Lewis Society. Thus, this chapter has had a long and varied life so far! If I were writing it over again today I might put a few things differently, but that's another story. Here are the questions for discussion. I look forward to hearing your responses. . . . What do you think of Lewis's answer to the question: Why did God give free will to human beings? What do you think Lewis means when he says in Perelandra that predestination and freedom are identical? How does Lewis use the concept of God being outside of time to explain the apparent contradiction between predestination and free will? Is t...

We are up to chapter 3 in our discussion of Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis . Here are some discussion questions to get us started on this chapter on the Trinity: Do you think Norman Pittenger's criticism of Lewis's teaching on the Trinity was fair or not? Does Lewis's explanation of how the doctrine of the Trinity developed seem reasonable? Which one of Lewis's Trinitarian analogies best helps you to understand and embrace the Christian doctrine of the Trinity: the cube? the prayer closet? the books? the relationship between imagination, image and will? love? or the Great Dance? Why? What do you think of the Trinitarian images in Lewis's fiction? Do these images make the Trinity more attractive or understandable to you? Feel free to chip in your thoughts apart from these questions, or raise a question of your own.

Origin Entertainment now has a web site up for A Severe Mercy , the movie. You can visit the web site by clicking here: http://aseveremercythemovie.com . Or to learn more about the author and original book click here: http://www.willvaus.com/sheldon_vanauken .

I have just finished reading The Company They Keep by Diana Pavlac Glyer. This is the definitive treatment to date of the literary group known as the Inklings--that group of writers and friends who gathered around C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien beginning in the 1920's and 30's in Oxford, England and continuing on, in some fashion, until Lewis's death in 1963. Glyer is professor of English at Azusa Pacific University in California, having received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Therefore, as one might expect, this is an academic book reflecting the highest level of scholarship. The chapter endnotes are a feast in and of themselves for every reader fascinated not only with the Inklings but every reader intrigued by the study of literary influence and how writers can positively effect one another and the world when they work together in community. Glyer attacks head-on the common assumption about the Inklings, Lewis and Tolkien in particular. ...

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 object...

Here we go with week 2 of our discussion of Mere Theology . This week we get into the meat of the book and talk about Lewis's work as an apologist. I look forward to hearing your responses to these questions, as well as hearing questions of your own. . . . Do you agree with the statement: We cannot prove the existence of God?Why or why not? Have you experienced sehnsucht? If so, describe the experience. Do you think the experience of sehnsucht is an echo of our human longing for God? Many people today say they do not believe in any kind of absolute right and wrong. Do you think this belief can be held consistently? Do you think that some sort of belief in ultimate Reason is necessary to science or clear thinking in general? Why or why not? What do you think of Lewis's evaluation of various world-views? Do you think they hold water, or are they too superficial? What about Lewis's argument that Jesus was either a madman, something worse, or the Son of God? Is this ar...

Here we go! This is the beginning of our discussion of Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis . The plan is for each of us to read one chapter of Mere Theology every week and then discuss it. Each week or so I will offer a few questions to get us started on each new chapter, starting this week with the Introduction to the book. We may go slower than a chapter a week if a lot of discussion is generated. So here are the questions for the first week: How were you introduced to the work of C. S. Lewis? What Lewis books have you read? Why do you think Lewis denied being a real theologian? What do you think of Lewis's definition of theology as "the science of God"? Do you think theology is more like science or more like art? In what ways does Lewis approach theology like a science? In what ways does he treat theology as an art? Do you agree with Lewis that theology is like a map? If so, is it a helpful map? Why or why not? Do you agree with Lewis that t...

A few of the members of our Harrisonburg C. S. Lewis Society have expressed a desire to discuss my book: Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis . So, with this blog I hereby announce the forthcoming discussion. We will discuss one chapter per week. This should take about 27 weeks! I will post a few questions each week dealing with each chapter, just to get the discussion going. Then you can join in by posting a comment on that question. It would be helpful to know how many Lewisians out in cyberspace would like to join in, so you can let me know by posting a comment on this blog. If you need to purchase the book I would recommend doing one of two things. Click on the link to order from Amazon.com: http://www.willvaus.com/mere_theology or, if you would like a signed copy, send a check for $25 (covering the cost of the book plus S&H) to: Will Vaus P. O. Box 581 Monterey VA 24465 and I will send you an autographed copy. Any questions?

A friend's blog written yesterday ( http://wesroberts.typepad.com/ ) got me thinking about C. S. Lewis's experience of the church. I wrote this in a comment on Wes Robert's blog: It is interesting to note that C. S. Lewis attended the same small church for over thirty years. The experience was nothing spectacular on a weekly basis. For most of those years Lewis didn't care much for the sermons; he even sat behind a pillar so that the priest would not see the expression on his face. He attended the service without music because he so disliked hymns. And he left right after holy communion was served probably because he didn't like to engage in small talk with other parishioners after the service. But that life-long obedience in the same direction shaped Lewis in a way that nothing else could. Lewis was once asked, "Is attendance at a place of worship or membership with a Christian community necessary to a Christian way of life?" His answer w...

Enjoy this video blog of Ben Barnes, the new Prince Caspian from the forthcoming movie . . .

The first time I visited Oxford, in 1982, the porter at Magdalen College didn't even recognize the name--C. S. Lewis. I had asked him if he could give me directions to Lewis's former home in Headington Quarry. Obviously, he could not and did not. (Directions to Lewis's former home are now much easier to obtain. Just click here for directions and to arrange a tour: The Kilns .) Things have changed a lot since 1982. Now Lewis is remembered all around Oxford. At the pub where the Inklings met, at Magdalen College, and not least--at his parish church--Holy Trinity Headington Quarry. The first time I visited the church I only saw the outside and Lewis's grave, shared with his brother Warnie. Since that first visit I have returned to Holy Trinity a number of times and worshiped there. Father Tom Honey is a real gem. Under his leadership the congregation has grown and now includes a number of young families. I was overwhelmed by the number of children who came into t...

Every Fourth of July I wear some article of clothing in remembrance of the losing side in America's War for Independence. This year I wore a Union Jack pin on the collar of my T-shirt. Yes, I am a certifiable Anglophile. As such, I got to wondering: "What did C. S. Lewis have to say about America?" Here is one answer: "Columbus, a man of lofty mind, with missionary and scientific interests, had the original idea of acting on the age-old doctrine of the earth's rotundity and sailing west to find the east. Lands which no one had dreamed of barred his way. Though we all know, we often forget, that the existence of America was one of the greatest disappointments in the history of Europe. Plans laid and hardships borne in the hope of reaching Cathay, merely ushered in a period during which we became to America what the Huns had been to us. Foiled of Cathay, the Spaniards fell back on exploiting the mineral wealth of the new continent. The English, coming later an...

Book signings are always fun events for a writer, at least for a writer who is as new to the profession as I am. Such events are enjoyable for the obvious reason that they are flattering to the ego but also for some less obvious reasons.* I enjoy the people I get to meet, like those I met this week at a book signing in my home town of Monterey, Virginia. Who said a prophet hath no honor in his home town? I felt very honored indeed. I had the privilege of meeting a woman who was both a lawyer and a theologian--following in the great tradition of John Calvin, no doubt. There was also another person present at the signing who began reading C. S. Lewis in the 1940's. There were others who shared my interest in travel and the desire to get to know the life setting (the sitz-em-leben) behind the works of a beloved author; in fact, one other person present at the signing had been to Oxford and seen the grounds of The Kilns, Lewis's home. All that to say, if you invite me to...

I know, I know, I've been a bad blogger lately. Actually, I've been a non-existent blogger. One of the reasons is because I have been working on editing my new book. To read more about that click on the My Father Was a Gangster link to the right. So, I'm sorry for leaving all of you, my friends in blogland, high and dry. Forgive me. I will try to do better in the future. Also, last Sunday I had tea with C. S. Lewis . . . sort of. Actually what my wife and I did was to invite the Harrisonburg C. S. Lewis Society over to our house for an English Tea and a viewing of the documentary-- C. S. Lewis: Dreamer of Narnia . We feasted on scones, hot out of the oven, the only way to eat scones. We munched on cucumber sandwiches, of course; how can one have an English tea without cucumber sandwiches? We also delighted in delectable Eton Mess. What is Eton Mess you ask? It is the dessert traditionally served for Parent's Day at Eton College, every June 4, I believe. ...

There was a fine newspaper article today in the Daily News Record of Harrisonburg, Virginia about our Harrisonburg C. S. Lewis Society. Ray Schneider, pictured above, was one of the members of our group interviewed by Luanne Austin of the Record. To read the article click here: Daily News Record . To learn more about our C. S. Lewis Society click here: C. S. Lewis Society .

As a follow-up to my last blog about the C. S. Lewis Trail I thought some of you, who might consider a trip to Belfast, would like to see some more photos of the Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, County Down. C. S. Lewis once said that his vision of heaven was of Oxford picked up and set down in the middle of County Down, so that should give you an idea of how beautiful the countryside is. I think I would have to agree with CSL. The Old Inn is the place where Lewis took his wife Joy on their honeymoon and it is set in a lovely part of the county. To my mind, Ulster (Northern Ireland as a whole) is the best kept secret in Ireland, at least among Americans. During our visits there we were struck by how few Americans we met along the way. Many from Europe have discovered the beauties of Northern Ireland, but I think many Americans are put off by memories of "The Troubles" in the news. Our experience in touring Northern Ireland was that it was a peaceful and breathtakingly gorgeou...

The C. S. Lewis Trail is a path around the environs of East Belfast, and beyond that to Crawfordsburn, which takes the walker and/or driver around the major sites associated with C. S. Lewis in Northern Ireland. Maps of the C. S. Lewis Trail may be obtained from St. Mark's Church, Dundela. Click here for more info: C. S. Lewis & St. Mark's Church . I have been "on the trail" on three occasions: by myself in 2002, with my wife in 2003, and with my children in 2004. The photos above are from my visit in 2002. Clockwise from top left are photos of: The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn; the blue plaque at Lewis's birthplace, a view of Belfast, the childhood home of Arthur Greeves (no longer standing), Campbell College (the boys' school Lewis attended for a brief time, the C. S. Lewis sculpture by Ross Wilson in Strandtown, the sign near Dundela Flats (where Lewis was born). My wife and I especially enjoyed our stay at the Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, where Lewis of...

Great news! I just read today that a company has purchased the rights to develop A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken into a film, and someone is beginning to work on a script for the movie. To read more about it click here: A Severe Mercy . A Severe Mercy is one of my favorite books of all time. I was blessed to correspond with Sheldon Vanauken and meet him twice during the last year of his life. To learn more about him and the book click here: www.willvaus.com/sheldon_vanauken .

In 1997 my wife and I led a C. S. Lewis Tour to England. George Sayer, C. S. Lewis's former student, friend and biographer, helped us plan what we would do for our visit to Great Malvern, the English country town where Lewis attended preparatory school between the ages of 12 and 15. Sayer told us just what we should see and even where we could go on one of Lewis's favorite walks. To top it all off, Mr. Sayer met with our group and gave us a delightful lecture on Lewis and his work, followed by a tour of Malvern College, where Lewis had been a student and Sayer himself taught English, in more recent years. To my great joy I discovered today that Dick Staub posted an interview with George Sayer on The Kindlings web site. I listened to the first part of the interview earlier today and felt like I just had a visit again with Mr. Sayer. My one regret about that visit to Great Malvern was that we had so little time together. I told Mr. Sayer that I wished we could spend a lot more...