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Course overview
C. S. Lewis is one of the most famous writers in the English-speaking generations of the 2th century, and has had a huge influence on the success of Christians. Despite this, and perhaps also because his most famous books are either for children or for a popular audience, he would not normally be categorised as a theologian. But although Lewis himself tried his best to frame his apologetic works in as neutral a way as possible – as 'mere' Christianity- there are a number of distinctive theological themes that return repeatedly in his work, and which he was concerned to explore in various ways.
This course will explore a number of these themes, and examine the connection between his fiction and his more theoretical, apologetic texts. We will look in particular at how he understood beauty, imagination, sacrifice and sin, and what has become known as 'the argument from desire'. In the process, we will also explore how Lewis's ideas intersect with various debates in theology and in moral philosophy, as well as some of the key influences that shaped his writing (especially George MacDonald).
For each week, one book, or book section (highlighted in bold) will be assigned as the main focus of discussion, normally along with a short essay (available either via a link, or as a pdf, at the bottom of this page). The other books listed are also relevant, and may be mentioned in the introductory presentation.
A complete chronological list of C. S. Lewis’s writing can be found here.
Books: Surprised by Joy (esp. chs. 5 and 11); Pilgrim’s Progress (book one)
Essay: ‘Transposition’ (1944)
We begin with an idea that seems fundamental to Lewis’ thought: that humans are naturally oriented towards a good that is outside the natural world. We encounter this orientation in experiences of joy, beauty, but also in the inexhaustibility of our deepest desires.
See also: R. Holyer, ‘The argument from desire’ in Faith and Philosophy, 5:1.
Books: The Great Divorce; Perelandra
Essay: ‘Equality’ (1943) originally published in The Spectator
George MacDonald: Unspoken sermons, first series: ‘The consuming fire’ and ‘It shall not be forgiven’; second series: ‘Life’ and ‘Self-denial’
The religious books that made Lewis famous, prior to the publication of the Narnia series, develop quite a distinctive account of sin. We will look in detail at the account of sin that is given in The Great Divorce, and a few extracts from the sermons of George MacDonald that inspired it. We will also see if there are any tensions between the account of sin that Lewis develops in The Great Divorce and his appeals to the moral law in Mere Christianity, and consider his commitment to an account of an historical fall.
Books: Miracles (ch. 3: ‘The cardinal difficulty of naturalism’); The Abolition of Man; That Hideous Strength
Essay: ‘De futilitate’ and ‘The poison of subjectivism’ in Christian Reflections.
One key thread running through Lewis’s books, essays and addresses is his opposition to naturalism as a dominant intellectual force. At times this took the form of an argument (as in Miracles), but perhaps more importantly, it is expressed as a warning: of what humanity would look like without an orientation towards an objectively real, transcendent goodness.We will consider the connection between cultural critique and theology in his writing.
See also: Peter Van Inwagen, ‘C. S. Lewis’ argument against naturalism’ in Res Philosophica, 90:1.
Books: Till we have Faces; The Magician’s Nephew
Essay: ‘The necessity of chivalry’ (1940)
Poem: ‘Deprofundis’ (1919)
We will examine C S Lewis most mature (and perhaps most artistically successful) work of fiction, which explores a theme that runs throughout his writing: sacrifice. Some have said that Till We Have Faces showed what The Four Loves tried to tell, so we will also consider the relationship between the two books.
Books: A Grief Observed; The Four Loves
Essay: ‘First and second things’ (1942) in Undeceptions(pdf below)
Poem: ‘As the ruin falls’ (1960)
A Grief Observed is a short, but extraordinary book. We will explore how Lewis narrates the testing and sifting of his own theological commitments as he comes to terms with the death of his wife, and ask how his eschatology relates to his understanding of love.
Week 1
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Stuart is the Theology Lead at LJC. He graduated with a degree in Literature and Theology from the University of Hull in 2000. From 2003-9 he studied Philosophical Theology part-time at the University of Nottingham, whilst continuing to work in the third sector with vulnerably-housed or homeless people, and young asylum seekers (as well as pulling pints in a pub). He was Lecturer at York St John University for almost a decade, before moving to London Jesuit Centre in 2021. He now lives in South East London, and spends as much time as he can in the woods.
