Miracles: I. The Issue of Presuppositions A. In this book Lewis comes closest to what might be called a presuppositional apologetic. When unbelievers behave themselves, he is evidentialist. When they do not, he becomes a radical presuppositionalist. B. He understands the power of paradigms. “What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy …
Abolition of Man
The Abolition of Man: I. The Issue of Education A. The Abolition of Man is a book about education, and about the subtlety of propaganda. B. “I doubt whether we are sufficiently attentive to the importance of elementary textbooks” (p. 13). C. Lewis is greatly concerned here with how the process of education is capable …
Pilgrim’s Regress
The Pilgrim’s Regress: I. Puritania A. Puritania is populated by good and decent people who do not really believe everything they are talking about. The formal position is very strict, but the informal position is conducive to what we are pleased to call reality. B. “I hope,” said the Steward, “that you have not already …
Discarded Image
The Discarded Image: I. A Bookish Cosmology A. The medieval mind was one which represented a literate culture which had lost most of its books. Consequently, they had to make do with what few books they had. This meant that they were not quick to set their books at odds with one another. B. The …
Great Divorce
The Great Divorce: I. The Scenario A. A number of shades in Hell are standing in line, waiting for a bus, which will in turn take them up to the heavenly regions. They are met by various heavenly spirits, and the book regards the conversations between the potentially damned and the blessed. B. The conclusion …
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair: I. The Scenario A. The Silver Chair is the sixth of seven stories popularly called the Narnia Chronicles. The stories generally have a lot more in them than is commonly assumed. B. In this story, two children from our world-Jill and Eustace-are taken into another world, and are given the task of …
Westminster Candy Shop
The reverend confectioners in the back of the Westminster Candy Shop one day decided to change the recipes because customers were no longer buying the Sawdust Swirl. But rather than continuing with their experiments, they took a vote and decided to return to the original recipes that had been in use when the shop first …
Blessednesses/Psalm 1
In many ways, this first psalm is a preface to all the psalms. In the space of a few short verses, we have the entire compass of righteous and unrighteous living set before us. Not every word is spoken, but the fundamental issues of life are all here. “Blessed is the man that walketh not …
Mary Jane and the Cat
Once there was a little girl named Mary Jane. Her birthday was the next day, and so her mother had spent the afternoon making her a cake, and she took special care to make just the kind of cake that Mary Jane loved, especially the frosting. When the cake was done, her mother put the …
Nicodemus and Judas
The current controversy over the objectivity of the covenant is caused, in part, by the penchant certain theologians have for ignoring the importance of plot lines in story. These plot lines obviously show up in the stories of Scripture, and consequently, a lot of confusion results from theologians treating plot problems as though they were math problems. But …