I am often puzzled at the willingness of Conservative Evangelicals to throw in a CS Lewis or GK Chesterton quote here and there. Chesterton was of course a Catholic convert and Lewis an Anglican who believed in some sort of purgatory after death. He also believed that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, when practiced in their purity, shared common space. What follows is from a letter he wrote to someone who had recently converted to Catholicism:
Magdelen College,
Oxford
Nov. 10th 1952Dear Mrs. _________,
It is a little difficult to explain how I feel that tho’ you have taken a way which is not for me I nevertheless can congratulate you — I suppose because your faith and joy are so obviously increased. Naturally, I do not draw from that the same conclusions as you — but there is no need for us to start a controversial correspondence! I believe we are very near to one another, but not because I am at all on the Rome-ward frontier of my own communion. I believe that, in the present divided state of Christendom, those who are at the heart of each division are all closer to one another than those who are at the fringes. I would even carry this beyond the borders of Christianity: how much more one has in common with a real Jew or Muslim than with a wretched liberalising, occidentalised specimen of the same categories. Let us by all means pray for one another: it is perhaps the only form of “work for re-union” which never does anything but good. God bless you.
Yours most sincerely
C. S. Lewis
Thank-you to Michael Spencer at internetmonk.com for the quote.
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That crazy Lewis. Always trying to connect and come alongside others instead of condemning and shaming them. I really do like him.
Yes Roland, my sentiments exactly. I always chuckle when I hear someone quote him… and I chuckle again when I think of how that person would stop quoting him if they knew some of the things he believed. Quoting Chesterton is even more odd since he was a proud convert.
Two of my favourite authors and proud to say it.
I don’t think I’ve heard of Chesterton. What’s he written?
As usual, all the information you could possibly need can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._K._Chesterton
Ah, Wikipedia, how I love thee. Let me count the ways…
All truth is God’s truth. That is why evangelicals like Lewis even when they can not affirm all that he writes, and I think Lewis looked for God’s truth where ever he could find it, even if it was in Islam. However, he was an evangelist at heart, as revealed by writings such as “Mere Christianity.” I think that we also should look for truth where it is to be found and affirm those areas that people get write before revealing where they go wrong. If we do so, we will have a better hearing when we do correct and teach the truth of God’s Word. Blessings,
Nick
Nick seems like he realizes we have two ears and one mouth. Understanding goes a long way.
Nick,
Yes, we agree on that all the way! All truth IS God’s truth and must be praised wherever it is found.
My amusement stems from people who quote him without fully knowing his beliefs. I think they would hesitate to quote him further if they knew.
For example, here is his take on purgatory:
http://rootsbranches.blogspot.com/2006/03/cs-lewis-on-purgatory.html
(that is my unpublished blog from a couple of years ago when I was working through Catholic theology)
It sounds like you are in a more liberal (small “L”) evangelical environment. I envy you in some ways.
My wife burnt the risotto the other day. We just ate the top layers. The meal still fed and sustained us. Why can’t I do the same with Lewis and Chesterton.
PS: I’m not sure that anyone would agree with everything that Chesterton said anyway. I suspect that if he found out someone did he would probably have changed his mind somewhere (in the more provocative direction)
Also Christianity, Islam and Judaism do have common space. Christianity is the fulfilment if O.T. Judaism, and Islam is a poor copy of them both. The thing we have to discern is whether the bottom is a bit burnt or whether a bit of arsenic got tipped in the pot as well.