Comments on: The Deaths of ‘63

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 15:35:16 +0000

While on the subject of the Abolition of Man do recall its opening remarks concerning the baleful effects of elementary textbooks. The decline in textbook quality rapidly increased.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 23:40:37 +0000

“I thought Paul was alive and well in Ireland?”
Heh.

By: Jon Darby

Jon Darby — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 21:57:31 +0000

“I don’t think Kreeft was going for a Tony award, nor was he offering a real biography of any of his subjects”
He succeeded admirably*. Kreeft also wrote a dialogue between Jesus & Socrates that is bashed by some theologians and philosophy scholars and championed by others.
*In fairness one of my favorite plays, AMADEUS, also has little to do with the historicity of its characters (the real Salieri was not a dour mediocrity obsessed with Mozart but was a fat happy father of 16 whose main love was teaching).

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 19:01:31 +0000

I thought about him this morning, when I radio DJ’s were talking about JFK’s death. He is, and will forever be, overshadowed, but I don’t think he would have it any other way. After all he said pride was the “spiritual cancer.”
I agree with what Joel said. Mere Christianity and the faith it presents bridges the gap between many Christian sub-groups. It allows Christians to step back from the denominational bickering and realize that we have a lot in common.
I would argue that his writing has been the most influential on Christian thought since the time of the New Testament. He may not have been the most influential person, but his theological writing certainly has been read more widely than any other Christian writer since the New Testament.
He, more so than anyone other human, helped me to move my faith from a thing of my childhood to a serious head and heart faith during my college years. I will forever be grateful to him for showing the world that Christianity is rational and for showing Christians that the faith must and can be defended.
My relationship with Jesus is dramatically stronger for having read and studied Clive Staples Lewis. During this Thanksgiving season, I thank God for him.

By: Joel Thomas

Joel Thomas — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 18:06:47 +0000

One of the reasons I like C.S. Lewis so much is that he provides numerous opportunities for dialogue between conservative evangelicals and liberal evangelicals and to an extent, between Protestants and Catholics, respected as Lewis is among so many from both groups.

By: Foltz

Foltz — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 17:58:57 +0000

I thought Paul was alive and well in Ireland?

By: Joshua Claybourn

Joshua Claybourn — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 17:36:29 +0000

Jeff, that was a horrible misuse of a quote. The complete sentence reads, “No other Christian has come close to influencing Christian thought in the 20th and 21st centuries more than he.” Obviously Paul and Moses were not alive in the 20th and 21st century.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 17:35:36 +0000

I mentioned to one of your profs that your blog was interesting because of frequent mentions of C.S.Lewis. However, we need not go overboard in the praise of an author writing without the helpful character of being infallible. Pope John Paul’s writings will be those of John Paul the Great-even in our lifetimes.

By: Jeff the Baptist

Jeff the Baptist — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 17:28:37 +0000

OK Moses is a Jew not a Christian, but Paul still has him beat. Frankly there are a whole lot of other serious thinkers, like Augustine of Hippo that are up there too.

By: Jeff the Baptist

Jeff the Baptist — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 17:26:54 +0000

“No other Christian has come close to rivaling his place at the summit of Christian literature.”
I would argue that the Apostle Paul and Moses both have him beat.