The following is the ninth essay chat produced by William O’Flaherty. It is the second of a two-part discussion of “Fern-seed and Elephants,” a shorter work by Lewis that is best found in Christian Reflections. My guest is Lewis enthusiast Reggie Gates. Reggie runs another podcast website called “All About C.S. Lewis.” In this program the final point is explored along with favorite quotes and related works.
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(Click “Read More” to Listen to this Interview)
FACT OF THE DAY:
“The Grand Miracle,” preached earlier this month in 1945 was printed on the 27th in The Guardian.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“If I remember rightly, St. Augustine raised a question about the theological position of satyrs, monopods, and other semi-human creatures. He decided it could wait till we knew there were any.”
Religion and Rocketry
(Published as “Will We Lose God in Outer Space” in the April, 1958 issue of Christian Herald)
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QUIZ OF THE DAY:
What non-Narnia book was published sometime this month (in what year) that was part of a series?
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)
Highlights for the final third of April (20th – 30th) include: Publication of Perelandra, a talk “On Three Ways of Writing for Children” and Lewis’s first marriage to Joy Davidman.
Before Lewis gain fame from a series of books about a place called Narnia, he had written a trilogy that had a science fiction theme. The second of those books, Perelandra, came out on the 20th in 1943. In it we take a trip to Venus with the main character, Ransom and follow his quest to save that world from impending corruption. In the U.S. it wasn’t released until a year later on the 11th. In 1953 a paperback version came out under the title Voyage to Venus. On some occasions in his life Lewis considered this novel to be his best (this was also said of Till We Have Faces). Perelandra was dedicated “To Some Ladies at Wantage,” as in Wantage,
C.S. Lewis made comments on the Incarnation and Resurrection in several writings over the years. Previous on my C.S. Lewis Minute blog I shared this post and felt there were those who probably hadn’t seen it there, and so it would be useful to add it here.
From “Christianity and Literature” (found in Christian Reflections):
To believe in the Incarnation at all is to believe that every mode of human excellence is implicit in His [Jesus’] historical human character. . . . But if all had been developed, the limitations of a single human life would have been transcended and he would not have been a man; therefore all excellences save the spiritual remained in varying degrees implicit.
FACT OF THE DAY:
Lewis preached “The Grand Miracle” in April (on the 15th) in 1945 at St. Jude on the Hill Church in London. Now found in God in the Dock.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“The question ‘Who is in the right’ (in a given quarrel) is quite distinct from the question ‘Who is righteous?’— for the worse of two disputants may always be in the right on one particular issue.”
Letter to Dom Bede Griffiths OSB on 4/16/1940
(Published in The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume II)
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QUIZ OF THE DAY:
Complete the quote and name the source (4 words):
“The great thing is to be found at one’s post as a child of God, living each day as though _____ _____ _____ _____ , but planning as though our world might last a hundred years.”
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)
FACT OF THE DAY:
While serving in WWI Lewis was wounded by a British shell on this day (4/15) in 1918 during the Battle of Arras.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion being that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing nature up with Him.”
The Grand Miracle
(Sermon Preached on 4/15/1945 at St. Jude on the Hill Church)
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QUIZ OF THE DAY:
Two individuals close to Lewis died this month (one after his own death on this day); who are they?”
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)
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 April (11th – 19th) include: Publication of third BBC series; Publication of second book from BBC Talks; four posthumous books and the final installment about a bus ride to heaven.
Christian Behaviour: A Further series of Broadcast Talks tops the list of happenings over the years in the life of Lewis. It was first published on the 19th in 1943 in the U.K. (and nine months later in the U.S.). As you may be aware, it was just the second book printed of three that eventually became part of Mere Christianity. What gets confusing to some is that when you examine the book from 1952 Christian Behavior is stated as being “Book III.”
