My Theology professor, Dr. Mark DeVine, has a book on C.S. Lewis in the works, so when he posts on Lewis, I tune in. DeVine notes:C.S. Lewis fought (and amazingly, also wrote poetry) in one of the most uniquely horrific contexts in the history of warfare—the Trenches of World War I...Less than a quarter century later, Adolf Hitler’s Luftwaffe would attempt the reduction of London to rubble. On the backend of months of air raids over London, Britain would huddle together in shelters, ears cocked toward the Wireless for words of comfort and guidance from this same C.S. Lewis.
DeVine follows up with several of Lewis's "position statements" on war. It should come as no surprise that Lewis's pronouncements on the topic are not your typical whiny "war-is-evil" diatribes. Consider:War makes death real to us, and that would have been regarded as one of its blessings by most of the great Christians of the past. They thought it good for us to be always aware of our mortality . . . in ordinary times only wise men realize it. Now the stupidest of us knows.
Lewis is famous for a reason, and DeVine reps him well. Go get the rest: C.S. Lewis Speaks Today: About War.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
C.S. Lewis on War
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1 comments:
and that essay, "On Learning in War Time" is full of invaluable thoughts about all kids of other topics, such as the arts, academia, etc., which he skillfully puts in their rightful places and heals our skewed perspectives, if we are able to listen to him. His war-logic is probably the one thing holding me back from all-out pacifism, by the way. Thanks for your insighful comment on Dr Devine's post.
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