Apart from the Narnia books, Lewis is most famous as a Christian apologist. What does his writing actually tell us about apologetics as an intellectual enterprise?
If anything is labeled "Christian Fiction," I avoid it. Not because I'm not Christian! But because I am very leery of preachy moralism. I suppose it is possible that I'm missing out on some great books. But I doubt it. I'll stick with Lewis and Dickens, etc. (Side note: I just finished Dickens' Little Dorrit and absolutely loved it. Lots of food for thought for Christians in that one!)
I'm the same way. This is something I puzzle over reading Lewis, because he is so overtly thinking as a Christian and writing about Christianity in his fiction, and yet it very rarely feels preachy. But the same can't be said for the vast majority of "Christian fiction" today. I think it may be because a lot of these authors give me the sense that they're only telling a story to make a theological point, or to present a literary altar call. And that definitely can't be said of Lewis. Dickens, of course, is preachy at points—about social issues, not about theology. But we forgive him, because the rest of what he has to say is so rich and funny and vivid. (Little Dorrit is wonderful! Have you read Bleak House? That's my favourite Dickens by far—and lots of rich theology of grace woven in there. I read Dickens really slowly, but I just love his books.)
Yes, I think that is absolutely the trouble: it feels like writers today are trying too hard to teach some moral truth, instead of just *telling the story* and allowing the art to be received by the reader.
I read Bleak House last year, but I need to re-read it. It was perhaps a mistake to read it back-to-back with Hard Times, and I wonder if some of the story lines are meshing together in my mind. I wish I had read it with someone so I could discuss it; I find I retain/appreciate/enjoy novels even more when I can talk them over with other people!
So true! I wonder how much of this is Christian writers trying to imitate Lewis in the wrong way? He can be a really dangerous model, because he is so overt, and I think some writers want to imitate his narrative theology, which translates really poorly, rather than his intellectual depth and love for story, which are really what make him worth reading. At least in my opinion.
If anything is labeled "Christian Fiction," I avoid it. Not because I'm not Christian! But because I am very leery of preachy moralism. I suppose it is possible that I'm missing out on some great books. But I doubt it. I'll stick with Lewis and Dickens, etc. (Side note: I just finished Dickens' Little Dorrit and absolutely loved it. Lots of food for thought for Christians in that one!)
I'm the same way. This is something I puzzle over reading Lewis, because he is so overtly thinking as a Christian and writing about Christianity in his fiction, and yet it very rarely feels preachy. But the same can't be said for the vast majority of "Christian fiction" today. I think it may be because a lot of these authors give me the sense that they're only telling a story to make a theological point, or to present a literary altar call. And that definitely can't be said of Lewis. Dickens, of course, is preachy at points—about social issues, not about theology. But we forgive him, because the rest of what he has to say is so rich and funny and vivid. (Little Dorrit is wonderful! Have you read Bleak House? That's my favourite Dickens by far—and lots of rich theology of grace woven in there. I read Dickens really slowly, but I just love his books.)
Yes, I think that is absolutely the trouble: it feels like writers today are trying too hard to teach some moral truth, instead of just *telling the story* and allowing the art to be received by the reader.
I read Bleak House last year, but I need to re-read it. It was perhaps a mistake to read it back-to-back with Hard Times, and I wonder if some of the story lines are meshing together in my mind. I wish I had read it with someone so I could discuss it; I find I retain/appreciate/enjoy novels even more when I can talk them over with other people!
So true! I wonder how much of this is Christian writers trying to imitate Lewis in the wrong way? He can be a really dangerous model, because he is so overt, and I think some writers want to imitate his narrative theology, which translates really poorly, rather than his intellectual depth and love for story, which are really what make him worth reading. At least in my opinion.