David speaks with Dr. Mark Noll about C.S. Lewis’ initial reception in the United States.
S7E9: “C. S. Lewis In America” (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
Caution must be exercised with regard to… statements concerning the Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory and also the doctrine of Predestination… [but these matters in] no way affect the over-all excellence of the book… a truly delightful presentation of a tremendous truth… [it] consequently deserves a warm reception from the Catholic reading public.
Review of “The Great Divorce” in Dominicana
Biographical Information
Dr. Noll is an American historian specializing in the history of Christianity in the United States. He is a Reformed evangelical Christian and in 2005 was named by Time magazine as one of the twenty-five most influential evangelicals in America.
He holds the position of Research Professor of History at Regent College, having previously been the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, and he is the author of C. S. Lewis in America: Readings and Reception which we’ll be discussing today!
Chit-Chat
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Toast
- David was drinking Best Day Brewing Kölsch
- His guest had a water
Discussion
01. “Noll Background”
Q. I gave some brief biographical information at the start of the episode, but would you mind telling us about yourself and filling in any missing details?
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02. “Why was this book needed?”
Q. There are several books out there which examine Lewis’ reception in the United States. Would you mind tell us about how yours came to be and what you thought had been left unexamined?
- C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity: A Biography by George M. Marsden
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
- The Pilgrim’s Regress by C.S. Lewis
- Miracles by C.S. Lewis
03. “Book Structure”
Q. Could you talk us through how your book is structured?
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04. “The Appendix”
Q. You also have an appendix with a couple of articles from America. What were those about?
- Charles Brady published two articles in America Magazine
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
- The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
05. “Catholic Reception”
Q. So let’s begin by talking about my people, the Catholics. How did US Catholics first of all receive Lewis?
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06. “Mistaken for a Papist!”
Q. Was Lewis mistaken as a Catholic?
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07. “Sheed and Ward”
Q. Who were Sheed and Ward?
Catholics Frank Sheed and Maisie Ward established Sheed and Ward.
08. “Secular Reception”
Q. How was Jack received by the Secular and Mainstream Media?
- The Allegory of Love by C.S. Lewis
- Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton
- The Great Chain of Being: A Study of the History of an Idea by Arthur O. Lovejoy
- C.S. Lewis, Apostle to the Skeptics by Chad Walsh (The Atlantic, September 1946 Issue)
- C.S. Lewis, Apostle to the Skeptics by Chad Walsh (Book)
09. “Protestant Reception”
Q. What about the Protestant World? How did they assess Lewis?
10. “Presuppositional Alone?”
Q. I was a little surprised when I read the Westminster Seminary objections to Lewis, because you occasionally see Lewis using their evangelisation methods. Why was this group so committed to one particular method of evangelism?
11. “Protestant Acceptance”
Q. What changed that acclimated some Protestants to Lewis?
- The Living Bible by Kenneth Taylor
- Clyde Kilby
12. “The trial of C. S. Lewis”
Q. I read that in 1967, there was a trial of C.S. Lewis at Wheaton College, asking if he was a good influence on young minds. Can you tell us about that?
- A Preface to Paradise Lost by C.S. Lewis
- The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis
- English Literature in the Sixteenth Century: Excluding Drama by C.S. Lewis
13. “Lewis and Modern Catholicism”
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13. “Reader Takeaway”
Q. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
One last word. I have found that nothing is more dangerous to one’s own faith than the work of an apologist. No doctrine of that faith seems to me so spectral, so unreal as the one that I have just successfully defended in a public debate. For a moment, you see, it has seemed to rest on oneself: as a result when you go away from the debate, it seems no stronger than that weak pillar. That is why we apologists take our lives in our hands…
C.S. Lewis
14. “Future Projects”
Q. Do you have any other projects in the works? A possible sequal?
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Wrap-Up
More Information
- C.S. Lewis in America by Dr. Mark Noll
- InterVarsity Press
