A Pass It On: C. S. Lewis

I Corinthians 1:10

10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[d] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose

Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.

Lewis wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. C. S. Lewis’s most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere ChristianityOut of the Silent PlanetThe Great DivorceThe Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

I was introduced to thoughts of C. S. Lewis by the associate pastor of my home church during my teenage years. His wisdom helped shape my beliefs, and I still thumb back through Mere Christianity for a faith refresher from time to time. In the introduction to this fabulous book Lewis writes:

I hope that no reader will suppose that “mere” Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions – as if someone could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I will have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place to try the various doors …. When you reach your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.

Prayer

God, I thank you that I have found a place in faith where Jesus speaks to me, and I feel the real body of Christ. Help me to invite others to share that sense of Your presence. And help me to love those who have chosen other rooms in your mansion. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.