Terry Dashner“C. S. had
Right Words”
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) is undoubtedly most widely read and best known Christian author of Twentieth Century. Several years ago a movie entitled, Shadowlands, starring Anthony Hopkins was produced about life of Lewis. It’s now on video and well worth time for viewing. One thing remarkable about Lewis’ writing ability was his range. He could write books to stump most hardened agnostic, but he could also write children’s books (Chronicles of Narnia) that still circulate in market places.
When I was a young student at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK many years ago, I took a course in Lewis’ theology. It was at that time my taste for Lewis’ material developed. One of my favorite books is Mere Christianity. I want to highlight some lines in his book that are widely read by theology students everywhere. Lewis states: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying 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 one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on level with man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, 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. (Mere Christianity [New York: Touchstone, 1996] 56.)
While I’m on topic, what do you say about Jesus? Who was He? Some say that He was a myth, perpetuated through history by shallow minds. Some say that He was only a historical person. He did some great things for His fellowman, but that’s it. Some say that He was then, and His teachings are now, offensive. No one likes being called a worthless sinner. But, then again, some of us say that He is Jesus Christ, only Begotten Son of God, Savior and Lord, and He is worth savoring. The Bible says that Jesus was God’s glory revealed physically. Men and women in time of Jesus saw with their own eyes very glory of God Father standing before them—Wow!
