Saturday 22 April 2023

My review of the new biography of Warnie Lewis - CS Lewis's older, less famous, brother

Can be found over at the Notion Club Papers blog


6 comments:

Ilo said...

this is unrelated to this post. I just wanted to say thank you for getting me into Mormon theology, it is changing my life. no need to publish the comment. but thank you!

Bruce Charlton said...

@llo - re: your comment. You are welcome! - I think you are one of very few people who I have succeeded in inspiring to explore this wonderfully original and valuable subject.

Ilo said...

it's a well kept secret for some reason. since finding it I have been trying to talk to people about it and the reactions are exactly as you describe (mostly dismissive, some very hostile). but it's strange because everyone knows the half-truths of classical theology failed to keep coherence in christendom, and yet, no one is willing to listen to new perspectives that might provide some guidance for the future, with emphases necessary for our times (such as a positive purpose for life here on earth, the value and complementarity of men and women - seems like just these two things would address major problems in the contemporary psyche).

anyway, I have hope.

Bruce Charlton said...

@llo - I think I understand why people cannot/ will-not examine their metaphysical assumptions including those underlying classical theology - nor even acknowledge that they are assumptions; nor can people believe that Mormon theology is both profound and genuinely original. But I'm glad that I personally got to know Mormon theology while I was still converting to Christianity, and before these barriers had a chance to solidify in my mind.

Ilo said...

in my case it was the opposite, ironically: I had those barriers, but they did not provide satisfying answers to very important questions of our time - I saw a lot of half truths that did not work anymore. so I started to look elsewhere.

Howard Ramsey Sutherland said...

W.H. Lewis's The Splendid Century: Life in the France of Louis XIV is an excellent overview of a fascinating time and place. It was a great help to me when I was studying that place and time while doing history in college. Brought the people and their lives alive. Warnie Lewis deserves to be better known in his own right.