Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the murder
of JFK. I have walked Dealy plaza,
visited Parkland Memorial Hospital, and have sat in the Texas theatre. Each place has an air of haunting history within
its existence. Many wonder what would
have been had Kennedy not been killed and America kept its innocence.
Also On that same day, one of my few heroes died. His death did not make front page news, as is
understandable given the circumstances.
But that same day, Clive Staples “Jack” Lewis entered the gates of
heaven, and I am sure was surprised by joy beyond even his imagination.
Lewis, a former atheist turned Christian apologist had an
air of thinking about him that is still revolutionary. Like Jonathan Edwards, Martyn Luther, and
Charles Spurgeon, Lewis had a way of seeing God that has led others to embrace
the truth of God despite the venomous perversions of false
representations. Logic and wonder are
often what sets Lewis apart from his peers.
It is well known that Lewis would not have come to Christ
had it not been for the influence of J R R Tolkien. Yet it is Lewis, who taking the lead after
Tolkien had opened the wicket gate of Christianity, inspired further thinking
that led to such tomes as the Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and thus a
genre of stories bidding imagination.
None the least is the Narnia series.
What Lewis inspired in fantasy type novels had been stirred
in his own mind by the writings of Rev. George MacDonald; especially his book
Phantasies. Lewis and Tolkien had a
purpose in their writing, which is often lacking in today’s dollar driven
market. The purpose of a Lewis fantasy
was teaching through shadows and kinds a greater truth. Perhaps Lewis best book using metaphor would
be The Screwtape Letters.
Let it suffice to say, Lewis has shaped our culture today. It would do us good on this fiftieth
anniversary of his home going to reflect on the message of Christ within his
writings. For his longing for joy previous to conversion found
him running from God only to discover that joy can only be found at the pure
undefiled source, God himself.
Lewis was about the things of God and how life as we know it
is a mere shadow of what is to come. That
being said, I believe that reading Peter Kreeft’s book, Between Heaven and Hell
is an excellent way to gain an introduction to the ramifications of November
22, 1963. Not only did that day see the
end of the earthly life of JFK, and C S Lewis, but also Aldous Huxley. This book does a wonderful job of helping the
reader see how Lewis’ understanding of God rivals the thinking of worldly
philosophies. The book is challenging of
our complacencies and it too opens a wicket gate for belief.
