Discovering C.S. Lewis

Best-selling author, speaker and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarland, best-selling author and apologist Dylan Burroughs together bringing you truths for a new generation. This is TMG radio.

I remember a quote that really impacted my life in future wells beautifully and I was reading CS Lewis had an amazing quote that said this and it will be kind of the basis for the show today quote to be ignorant and simple mall not to be able to meet the enemies on the run ground would be like throwing down our weapons and training are less educated brethren. He said uneducated but less educated brethren who have undergone no defense put us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen… Lewis good philosophy must exist if for no other reason, because bad philosophy must be answered now, with that quote, we welcome you to today's edition of TMG radio Alex McFarland here along with Dylan Burroughs and Dylan let me ask you at what point in your Christian life. Did you discover CS Lewis was interesting because unlike many people have grown up reading CS Lewis I didn't really find him or discover him until my college years and people were talking about CS Lewis in the Chronicles of Narnia, and I thought what am I missing so I went out and and got some of the books and began to read them and I realized at that stage. These are children's writings with a powerful spiritual message and it stuck with me ever since that time when the films came out and became popular. I remember how many youth groups and how many churches were engrossed in this idea of taking out the spiritual themes in seeing how they applied and still today we can discover many lessons from this man who wrote such enduring words years ago. What, exactly, exactly. And on this show today.

You know, because with truth for new generation all of our conferences and are broadcast in writing we we are trying to encourage people to sure learn how to defend the faith.

First Peter 315 says be ready always to give an answer, but I guess one of the heartbeats of the ministry to is to call people to attend to their knowledge and the life of the mind to grow. Yes, obviously in the word of God that the Bible in support of God is paramount. We don't ever put the word of man on par with the word of God but CS Lewis is a really really important Christian leader of the last hundred years and you know summertime people are going to go on vacation. They often buy a book.

We want to encourage you to make some space in your mind and on your bookshelf or CS Lewis because he really is kind of a unique writer a very very significant writer. It was our privilege earlier this year to have Douglas Gresham Lewis. His adopted son come for about three days and be a part of a conference were putting on, and it was it was an amazing thing to hear Gresham talk about the Chronicles of Narnia that were written for he and his brother and down that he was a teenager when CS Lewis died, but Lewis's impact on his life is amazing and Gresham is kind of like the curator of all things Louis Gresham himself was a devout follower of Jesus, and he just held 2800 students in rapt attention as he spoke. But he said it was kind of an ongoing note challenge to to introduce new audiences to CS Lewis because some of his writings are really deep, Dylan. I know you've probably like myself had people that say him to get into CS Lewis him to read mere Christianity, which is a very important book. It really was an outgrowth of a series of broadcasts he did at the invitation of Winston Churchill during World War II Churchill but Lewis on the BBC one night a week to talk about God and Christianity and morality in prayer and many of those scripts. The broadcast talks became mere Christianity but a lot of mere Christianity is pretty tough sledding is in it. I mean it's it's pretty deep stuff is not yeah we were considered apologetics and material. Today, almost academic in nature. For much of it and it takes a little bit of effort to wade through it and understand some of the older language as well as the concepts for today, but it is some of the most powerful reading, you will discover for that time. Regarding a defense of your faith is been a basis for many other books and a similar regarding our generation so I'm excited to talk about CS Lewis and the impact he's had one reason I get excited about CS Lewis is this idea that he wasn't some monastic who lived in a cave. He was someone who lived out his faith in academia. He was a professor.

One of the top schools in our world.

During his time and spoke out about his faith despite the critics around him. He did, it's interesting. One of the quotes Lewis. He was very good at summarizing things and he said history begins in a meeting with God such as Abraham had as he was called out of it develops into a union and communion with God such as Paul describes in these words I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me." From Abraham to Paul to our very own lives. Lewis was really good at sort of summarizing things.

Let's briefly tell you little bit about his story. He lived 1898 to 1963. His mother died when he was just 10 years old and he was raised by his father, who I think was you know of a decent provider but pretty distant, emotionally distant from Lewis and his brother Warren. Even when not Lewis was wounded in World War I as a soldier and he was recuperating in the hospital. His dad didn't even come to see him in the hospital and so Lewis at one time said and some of you will probably really resonate with this quote the Lewis said his childhood was filled with long hours and long hallways.

He said I'm the product of long quarters empty some lit rooms upstairs indoor silences addicts explored in solitude, distant noises of pipes and cisterns and wind under the shingles on the roof and also time alone with endless books.

Now, if you've ever like bend your grandmother's house and had a day where your quietly reflecting on old things and reflecting on you know you and time and where is your place in the world you get the sense that Lewis really thought about those things and as a boy he read endlessly and he said nothing was off limits.

You know all the books he and his brother could read whether or not they were really age-appropriate and he became a lifelong learner. He went to war and war two was wounded and was really a war hero came back and finished his education at Oxford became a professor Dylan, as you alluded to but he was an atheist for most of his life, and I may be in the next segment will talk about his conversion from atheism to Christianity by around age 33, he became a believer and a follower of Jesus, and would ultimately be some say the most important Eastern writer of the 20th century and one of the significant Christian writers have and will continue our look at Lewis and why we ought to be familiar with his work with TMG radio continues. Hey, if you are anywhere near Cary, North Carolina. You need a joint best-selling author and apologist Dr. Alex McFarland Christian apologist, a talkshow host and founder of stand to reason Greg Coble and the president of heroes of the cross and pastor of colonial Baptist Church Family Court at colonial Baptist Church on Sunday, July 22 for the reasons to believe apologetics conference because apologetics isn't a conversation of one your teams and millennial's will learn how to protect and defend the great truths of Christianity. How to navigate through hostile learning environments in college and high school doing more than just surviving. It's the reasons to believe apologetics conference at colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina, Sunday afternoon, July 22. Doors open at two conference begins at 230 and wraps up by six. Learn more@truthforanewgeneration.com first Peter 315 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have were instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the life answers teams students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The life answers. Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams. We train speaking churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times. From a biblical perspective like is there a God is the Bible true. What about gender and moral issues. Call me at 864977 2008 and we will arrange for the life answers team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come. 864-977-2000 eight and always be ready back to treat new generation without Carl and Dylan Perez were excited to be with you to mention along the way coming truth for any general conference coming up September 14 and 15th just outside of Nashville, Tennessee Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We want you to make plans to be there when to be there with Josh McDowell, Jay Warner Wallace was a former cold case detective and the person behind cold case, Christianity. We also have Tina Marie Griffin, a pop culture expert and counterculture mom and many others with us, so check all that out of truth for new generation.com and here we are to continue our discussion as we talk about CS Lewis. His enduring role and we talked a little bit about his personal life that we want to get into this section of his original writing.

This was a man who is known for writing at least six different genres.

Alex tells a little bit about some of the works that he is written, and what the significance of them are today for us. You know he was a guy who used his talents and abilities before God. He really didn't to write in so many genres. He wrote fiction. He wrote literary history and he himself was a professor of literature and how to do literary criticism not I don't mean being critical, but I mean, as in a commentator so literary history, literary criticism, theology, spiritual growth, he wrote biography.

He wrote philosophy, and of course, most famously of all, he wrote apologetics now his fiction works and and as you said, it really is a truly original body of writing the Chronicles of Narnia which are children's stories, but just overtly based in Christianity Aslan the lion who is a picture of Jesus Christ. He wrote of the space trilogy on Pearland drawer and out of the silent planet and that hideous strength. It's funny the fans of the, the space trilogy will fiercely argue with the fans of Narnia on which is a better series of books he wrote the Screwtape letters which even many non-Christians, even many atheists love this series that's like a conversation between an elder demon coaching a apprentice demon and you might say how the world is that something a Christian should know about because it really illustrates the reality and the dynamics of spiritual warfare. It really does overtly Christian on his books on on literary criticism and allegory of love. A study of medieval literature and experiments and criticism. Still to this day are used as textbooks in English literature departments around the world.

He wrote on the Psalms.

He wrote on prayer. He wrote very famously. One of his well-known books, a grief observed about how he process the death of his own wife, and that book is been a comfort to tens of thousands of people.

He wrote a book on the four loves the four Greek words that speak of love, which are stored gay filet of aga Pao and Eros and and that the four loves. He recorded for.

I believe a Methodist denomination, then that's among the only existing examples of his voice on tape and and that in itself, besides being a really good series on the uses of the word for love shows his prowess with the Greek language. He wrote biography his own story surprised by Joy and then really to another degree. The book the pilgrims regress, which was the first book he wrote after his conversion is really a history of Western philosophy and how it had deviated and gone from theism and a creator to pantheism to not only coming back to belief in a creator God. But mother Kirk KR KE Kirk being an Anglican word for the church and the Pilgrim and pilgrims regress as opposed to John Bunyan's Pilgrim's progress. But in Lewis's biographical pilgrims regress how he comes back to Christ and the church. But then, famously, and this is where we want to spend the bulk of our time. Lewis wrote, and oh boy, was he original in his approach. He really was very original apologetics and Dylan let me ask you this as an apologist and theologian and prolific author in your own right, you discovered Lewis probably in college as you said, did any particular area of apologetics that he addressed make a big impact in your own writing and speaking well. It is interesting because on the academic side near Christianity, I believe, was by far the most influential in my life talking about how Christianity provides an answer to so many of the ultimate questions in our lives today and in a way that someone who came from his background being trained in Oxford and in teaching and some of the top schools of his time could communicate with both the secular and Christian audience and make sense and be compelling in his arguments, but personally it was in his apologetics writing that was most helpful to me was actually a book you mentioned earlier, the Screwtape letters.

It's a very short book. If you want to find a book to start with would recommend it is silly for a young child with the Screwtape letters is a collection of 31 letters written by senior demon name Screwtape to his nephew wormwood to explain different ways to tempt a person who would follow Jesus and for me at that age when you're going through different temptations and struggles and you realize this is speaking directly to some of the things that I face in daily life that was influential to me. I began reading what the Bible says about spiritual warfare and temptation and how Jesus dealt with temptation in an Matthew four and those things were influential in my life in a way that was a more powerful than any of his apologetics writings exactly and let me say for CS Lewis.

The man had an intellect that was just amazing, brilliant, brilliant Oxford professor and yet.he yes he believed that Satan was real demons or real heaven and hell are real. Jesus Christ is truly God incarnate unit, things that nowadays some of the people probably would scoff at as we know you don't mean to. In the 21st century you really believe in the Trinity you really believe in Satan, absolutely.

Lewis unequivocally recognize the reality of of the things that the Bible presents as very, very real spiritual dynamics dignity he did in this refresh in a meeting so many times today in academic you see this divide between faith and between an intellect. God challenges us to love the Lord our God with all of our mind that we do that by studying we do that by learning and SES listed being a voracious leader of different topics, different themes, we hope you'll stick with us and just moments we talk more about CS Lewis here on truth new generation radio for centuries. The Bible has inspired humanity and shape the very world we live in. But how do we know this book is the word of God, not merely the words of man, what we believe about the Bible is based on what we believe about source.

The God who speaks explores the evidence of the Bible's inspiration and authority to some of the world's most respected biblical scholars have essentially a geolocation, so it's true to say that Paul wrote Romans is equally true to say that God's decision. We saw this and that sets the Bible apart from everything else in the ancient world and its religious pantheon of gods and goddesses. The God who speaks is a feature-length documentary from the American family Association available now with the God who speaks.or pay if you are anywhere near Cary, North Carolina. You need a joint best-selling author and apologist Dr. Alex McFarland Christian apologist of talkshow host and founder of stand to reason Greg Coble and the president of heroes of the cross and pastor of colonial Baptist Church Family Court at colonial Baptist Church on Sunday, July 22 for the reasons to believe apologetics conference because apologetics isn't a conversation of one your teams and millennial's will learn how to protect and defend the great truths of Christianity.

How to navigate through hostile learning environments in college and high school doing more than just surviving.

It's the reasons to believe apologetics conference at colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina, Sunday afternoon, July 22. Doors open at two conference begins at 230 and wraps up by six. Learn more@truthforanewgeneration.com is safest for that program and CS Lewis 15 G radio Alex Garland is a couple of things quickly got a great very full speaking schedule through the fall of 2018 and you can find that on my website Alex McFarland.com and then as you mentioned Dylan. The conference is coming up@truthforanewgeneration.com encourages folks as you plan your churches calendar consider doing an apologetics worldview conference with like to talk about that. We want to help you because we want your people to be equipped to defend the faith and we especially want you young people to be equipped and excited and empowered to live for Christ to stand for Christ in if you want to email us. You can email one of our staff booking@alexmcfarland.com the kingbooking@alexmcfarland.com. We do want to encourage you. Please consider supporting this ministry financially. What we do between broadcast publishing literature distribution and special events around the country. We it is our privilege and we thank God for it to be in front of thousands and thousands of people year in front of millions of people by way of broadcasts. It's our joy to call this nation to the gospel of Jesus Christ and we give God the glory for all it is doing.

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That's it. Even if you just put tea and G or truth for new either one will get to us. PO Box 10231 Greensboro, NC 27404 Dylan talking about the apologetics of CS Lewis mere Christianity huge.

The problem of pain. That was one of his books on what some say is maybe the most perennial apologetics issue is if God is real. If God is love wise their pain-and-suffering miracles.

Can God act in the world.

CS Lewis said of course you know if God did the great miracle of creation God can certainly reach in part the Red Sea, the abolition of man, how the. The universality of moral knowledge proves there has to be a God. If there's a moral law. There's a moral lawgiver, he really did.

He was, and I don't say this lightly. He was an original thinker. Oh my goodness, a truly original canon of work he left behind. But here's the reason that we would encourage you to familiarize yourself a Lewis number three a consistently biblical perspective on life and apologetics, and Lewis said this, he said, regardless of one's education, it is impossible to decide whether Christianity is true or false. If you do not know what it is about now. What he meant by that was some people it's not that they rejected Christianity necessarily but they they don't really even know what the gospel entails. So isn't it amazing here's a guy that devoted so much of his time to try to help people. He was a great theologian, great intellect, but bottom line, Lewis was an evangelist was in the he certainly was been in his own unique way we think of the term evangelist. Many times this person, he speaks in a stadium or in a church congregation and everybody raise their hand or walks down at the end of their lives or change and live happily ever after, but he had a different kind of impact on our culture. We see it primarily for his writings but also like he said through his letters through his teaching now through films that have gone on long after his death, and it gives me encouragement to recognize that God uses each of us and a unique and special way and I want to just mention that to your listing today.

Maybe you think of CS Lewis is great but how does that apply to my life that he has been a man who is been used by God and especially because of his talents impact others just in the same way God is equipped you in unique and special ways to change the lives of others and may not be through literature that you have something they got is put inside of you and we want to encourage you to live it out to develop. It is much as you can like CS Lewis did in his own career and to use it for God's glory and for the.

The betterment of the lives of those around you. So as we wrap up here in the last couple of minutes, Alex. Let's talk a little bit about how this information applies to us what we can do with it, and how we can at impact the lives of those in our communities and our family today LOL great point, you know, Dylan, at the beginning I sure that very famous quote where he said in a good philosophy must exist because if for no other reason. Bad philosophy must be answered now that a lot of ministries use that quote and it is true you know good truth has to be proclaimed in order to answer bad information. Lewis had another sentence. The and he said this, the learned life is then for some a duty not friend, let me say this to be saved turn to Jesus. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 1013 and that's true, and we we believe that we preach it. Salvation is a free gift that you receive. But Christian growth really is a discipline that you've got a workout and and let me challenge you to be a reader and a learner and remember the stewardship of the mind. I guess Dylan if there's one thing that Lewis it might inspire us to is the stewardship of the mind to be growing in our knowledge of Jesus and grace and truth in the word and to familiarize yourself, you know, Lewis was very very knowledgeable on some the great thinkers of history from you know Aristotle to Aquinas and you might think. Why should I learn about you know Greek thinkers that have been dead for in a 2000 years well because as RC Sproul said. Ideas have consequences.

In many of the trends in culture are due to philosophies and ideas that have been ruminating around first decades if not centuries, Lewis challenged his students to think something out to its logical and he would say to the end. The absolute ruddy and quote" and I do think Dylan a lot of people even young people, though the jump on bandwagons and do things without really thinking about the logical implications. So Lewis says the life of the mind for a Christian is is really kind of a duty is yes and I love the saying that that people see better and they stand on the shoulders of those have gone before them and CS Lewis is a great example of the kind of person we can learn from to go farther in our own lives as mythologies today and we thank you for being with us or truth for new generation joins that truth for new generation.com and join us again next time on truth for new generation truth for a new in association with Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries exists to equip Christians with the biblical worldview through conferences and camps for information about upcoming events visit for a new generation.com or give us a call at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes, God in the number one TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries PO Box 10231 rural NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231 rural North Carolina 7404.

Give online@alexmcfarland.com or truth for a new generation.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next day as we bring you more true for a new generation on TMG radio