The following is part of a series reflecting on the life of C.S. Lewis. This is accomplished by summarizing various events or happenings during his lifetime for the noted period and may include significant events related to him after his death. Highlights for the second third of November (11th – 20th) include: The American debut …

Read the full post →“RETROSPECT: November 11th – 20th”

The following is part of a series reflecting on the life of C.S. Lewis. This is accomplished by summarizing various events or happenings during his lifetime for the noted period and may include significant events related to him after his death. Highlights for the first third of November (1st – 10th) include: A two-part broadcast …

Read the full post →“RETROSPECT: November 1st – 10th”

Highlights for the final third of October (22nd – 31st) include: First sermon preached, three significant posthumous books and Lewis defines “the great sin.”

Lewis-Speaking-195×300.jpgThere are many hats that C.S. Lewis wore: children’s author, Christian apologist, and literary critic being the three most common realms people are familiar with. While similar to his role as a defender of the faith, many are not aware that he also spoke on Sunday mornings several times in his life. The very first occurred on the 22nd in 1939 at St. Mary’s the Virgin in Oxford.

Highlights for the middle third of October (11th – 21st) include: Premier of the first and second Narnia books, debut apologetic work, plus three other books published!

This period over the years for Lewis likely ranks as the most significant. Aslan was introduced and Lewis began to be recognized as a spokesperson for the Christian faith from the book that came out during this time in 1940 (more about that later). The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW), released on the 16th in 1950, while the longest title in The Chronicles of Narnia series, was also how people used to initially meet the beloved characters from Lewis’s fairy tale land. While much can be said about the original first book, I want to highlight a few aspects from a special podcast mini

Highlights for the opening third of October (1st – 10th) include: Concluding book from his final BBC radio series, an unsigned review of The Hobbit and the release of A Preface to ‘Paradise Lost’.

While Lewis did go on to record a radio series on love in the late 1950’s, his final one for the BBC was given in early 1944. The book version of it was published on the 9th of October that same year as Beyond Personality: The Christian Idea of God. It is now more remembered at being the forth book in Mere Christianity where it was given a new subtitle: “Or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity.” In either edition there were eleven chapters, however, there were only seven talks on the radio, so he added four chapters. They were “Time and Beyond” (chapter 3), “Two Notes” (chapter 6), “Counting the Cost” (chapter 9), and “Nice People or New Men”

Highlights for September 12th -21st include: Another Narnia book published, a landmark professional title, a final poetry book and the start of his third broadcast series.

If you thought the previous ten day span over the years was a productive period for Lewis, then you will be no less amazed at what occurred during this time. In the above highlights I didn’t even mentioned the autobiography that came out on the 19th in 1955. Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life is not a typical life story “as told by the author.” The subtitle tries to suggest the different approach of the book and in the preface Lewis elaborates further about this point. He notes that the main goal is to “tell how I passed from Atheism to Christianity,” but he actually expresses skepticism that anyone would want to read about