5 C.S. Lewis quotes that may shock you

[hrmjustin]

Jonathan Merritt
When most Christians think of C.S. Lewis, they probably picture a reserved Englishmen in a tweed suit with a pipe protruding from his lips. They may be surprised to find out he lived secretly with a woman for years. Or that he loved to drink. Or that he may have been, in the words of CNN’s John Blake, “so turned on by S&M that he once asked people at a party whether he could spank them.”

But Lewis’ fan club might be surprised by more than his personal life. Here are five quotes from the Narnia author that might make some Christians scratch their heads:

1. Lewis on Scripture: Though he held a high view of scripture, he might have deviated from some modern conservative Christians’ understanding of what that means. Shortly before he died, Lewis commented in Reflections on the Psalms, that Christians “still believe (as I do) that all Holy Scripture is in some sense—though not all parts of it in the same sense—the Word of God.”

2. Lewis on sexual chastity: Aside from living with a woman with whom he was likely sexually intimate, Lewis’s pragmatic view of chastity might have been unsettling to pietistic Christians, who tend to be rigid in their sexual standards. In Mere Christianity, Lewis sounds quite pragmatic when he says, “We may indeed be sure that perfect chastity—like perfect charity—will not be attained by any merely human efforts. We must ask for God’s help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.” He went on to say that this doesn’t mean Christians should not strive for “anything less than perfection” in sexual holiness.

- See more at: http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2014/03/12/5-c-s-lewis-quotes-surprising-shocking/#sthash.VuLptA1g.dpuf

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

1. I can't say that "surprised" is the right word

Quote 1 says that Lewis does not accept the inerrancy of Scripture -- i.e., he is not a fundamentalist. Since the vast majority of Christians aren't fundamentalists either, this places Lewis firmly in the mainstream. Indeed, such atypical Christian thinkers as Augustine and Basil the Great made similar statements. Hugh of St. Victor wrote a longish book on the various ways of interpreting scripture in the 12th Century.

Quote 2 says that we can avoid sin only through the help of God. The opposing view, called Pelagianism, was deemed heretical in the Fourth Century. BTW, Lewis did not "live with" Joy Davidman, he was married to her. Indeed, the marriage came well before any sexual intimacy, since he originally married her so that Joy -- an American -- could stay in the UK when her visa was not renewed. The two did not live together until she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. See the film Shadowlands for their relationship.

Quote 3, Lewis on Genesis: “I have therefore no difficulty in accepting, say, the view of those scholars who tell us that the account of Creation in Genesis is derived from earlier Semitic stories which were Pagan and mythical.” This is saying that, like the overwhelming majority of Christians, Lewis was not a creationist.

Quote 4 is merely saying that we do not know exactly how Christ's redeemed us. Quelle surprise!

Quote 5 is perhaps surprising. He is saying that perhaps, instead of going to Hell, the souls of the damned may be destroyed instead. He is, of course, not the first to entertain that idea.