Why 20th Century C.S. Lewis Might Get Canceled in the 21st Century

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a prolific writer, having written over 30 books. He was also one of the foremost Christian apologists (defender of the faith) in the 20th century.

One of his most insightful and humorous books that peer into the world of demonology is the ‘Screwtape Letters’. It is a fictional tale of Screwtape, a senior demon who was tutoring his hapless nephew Wormwood.

Another title that has found its way onto my bookshelf has been ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ which I shared with my daughters when they were children.

A lesser known series, but one of my favorites is ‘A Comic Trilogy. It is three sci-fi novels that takes the reader from earth to Mars, then to Venus and back to earth. It’s a dreamy read.

Mere Christianity

Possibly the most quoted of Lewis’ books is ‘Mere Christianity’. Possibly the most quoted of Lewis’ books is Mere Christianity. In it, Lewis’ makes the argument concerning the divinity of Jesus. You might have heard this from a pulpit: ‘ Based on Jesus’ claims about Himself as recorded in the Bible, He was either a lunatic, a lier or the Lord.

In His Own Words

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God’. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.

You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. … Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”

The Artistry of Lewis and the Doodles of an Artist

Mere Christianity began as a series of talks recorded on BBC between 1941–1944. Those talks were edited and published in book form in 1952.

One of the most creative and entertaining windows into Lewis’ and artful writings is through descriptive drawings. An artist (unknown) has created a series of Youtube videos entitled CSLewisDoodles. Some of Lewis’ best known writings have been beautifully illustrated using the simplest of tools; a white jell pen on black board. Each video is narrated.

Cancel?

I’ve viewed many of the videos. I recently came across one I hadn’t seen before. It’s from the ‘Mere Christianity’ series. At the time Lewis originally spoke the words in the 1940’s, it would have been received as the natural order of life.

Listen to this short excerpt. Do you imagine, as I do, that Lewis might be canceled in this, the 21st century? If a dog can become a cat, then maybe…