Sorting through the dusty boxes of old book stock in our Bible College library we came across a real gem.
Tatty and heavily inscribed, with the spine sadly coming adrift, was a first-edition copy of Broadcast Talks by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1942 it is essentially a transcript of a series of BBC radio addresses delivered by Lewis during the war.
Hidden letter
However, what makes the book a gem is a letter tucked into the front of the book, signed by Lewis. It was typed by his brother Warnie in 1946 and sent along with the book as a gift to a friend in London.
I asked a C. S. Lewis Society for further information and the response was overwhelming. The interest in anything related to Lewis and to his personal correspondence is striking. Within a few hours I knew lots about the circumstances surrounding the letter and the recipient, along with a number of well-meaning offers to house the artefact! (Is it legal for someone to offer you their right arm?)
Whatever the monetary and sentimental value of Lewis’ signature, the theological and evangelistic value of his words is inestimable. The very fact that Lewis was asked to present a prime-time radio series on the Christian faith tells us something. It was in February 1941 that the BBC contacted Lewis. Britain was now at its darkest time in the war with Nazi Germany. The Battle of Britain had been won, but France had fallen and America had not yet entered the war. The bombing of cities attempted to demoralise the citizens. What did the BBC do? They turned to C. S. Lewis to present a series of short talks on the Christian faith, originally broadcast at 7.45 on a Wednesday evening, to encourage the nation. They proved so successful that Lewis went on to broadcast 25 addresses which would form the basis for three different books, eventually compiled into a single volume, Mere Christianity.
Crucial book
Mere Christianity would go on to become a Christian classic, ranked number three in Christianity Today’s list of most influential books published since 1945. Charles Colson, Francis Collins and Jonathan Aitken have all identified the book as a key to their own conversion. In 2016 The Wall Street Journal claimed that 3.5 million copies had been sold since 2001. What is particularly striking about the sales figures is that the book has grown in popularity over time when you might have expected wartime radio addresses to have fallen by the wayside.
Why so effective?
So why is the book so effective as an apologetic for the Christian faith and what can we learn from it? Whatever Lewis’ eccentricities, he was a genuine Christian who understood how to harness the right words with logical thought. His ability with language was the expression of profound ideas in simple but attractive words.
What about this line on the problem of pride? – ‘A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.’ A perceptive comment on pride as a stumbling block to faith.
Or how about these words summarising our need for faith? – ‘If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.’ There is a good reason why you often hear Lewis quoted in a sermon: he is eminently quotable.
The main thing
But there is also a sharp logic to Lewis’ book. He builds a case for ‘mere’ Christianity with a careful, thoughtful structure. The very title (borrowed from the Puritan Richard Baxter) made it clear that Lewis did not want to get distracted by denominational differences or peculiarities. He focused on making the main thing the main thing. Whatever one might consider missing from the argument is more than made up for by what he did communicate and how.
Our 80-year-old library copy of Broadcast Talks shows its age, with yellowed pages and discoloured cover. But the ever-growing interest in Lewis, his life and his work, are evidence that apologetics is about the long haul. Effective arguments made well can stand the test of time, the scrutiny of the scholars and the fashions of culture. Lewis is here to stay, and his arguments continue to be a model for us.
