If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis: Exploring the Ideas of C. S. Lewis on the Meaning of Life

by Alister E. McGrath

What if you could ask C. S. Lewis his thoughts on some of the most difficult questions of life? If you could, the result would be Dr. Alister McGrath’s provocative and perceptive book, If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis. Best-selling author, prominent academic, and sought-after speaker, Dr. McGrath sees C. S. Lewis as the perfect conversation companion for the persistent meaning-of-life questions everyone asks.What makes Lewis a good dialogue partner is that his mind traveled through a wide and varied from atheism of his early life to his conversion later in life; from his rational skepticism to his appreciation of value of human desires and imagination; from his role as a Christian apologist during World War II to his growth as a celebrated author of classic children’s literature. The questions Lewis pondered persist Does life have meaning? Does God exist? Can reason and imagination be reconciled? Why does God allow suffering?Let McGrath be your insightful guide to an intriguing conversation with Lewis about the ultimate questions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Biography, Theology, Philosophy, Religion, Christianity

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2014

About the author

Alister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.

Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.

McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

An astonishing number of books about C.S. Lewis have been published in recent years. I'd trade them all for one new book by Lewis.
Since that's not possible, I occasionally read one of the "abouts." It's nearly always disappointing. It's perhaps too much to expect any of the "abouts" to write as clearly, as wittily as Lewis himself did, but that is what I seek.
I had some hope for this short book by Alister McGrath, who I understand to be a highly regarded theologian. I was hoping for a clever series of imaginary dialogues, over lunch, between the author and Lewis. Peter Kreeft carried this off rather well in his "Between Heaven & Hell," an imaginary dialogue among President John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley. (All three died on the same day.)
McGrath explains that doing so might have seemed clever but really wouldn't have suited his purpose. Perhaps, but it makes the title seem, at worse, a lie, and at best, an awkward contrivance. It might better be titled, "Lunch with Alister McGrath in which he talks about what he thinks of C.S. Lewis."
He thinks a lot of Lewis, as it turns out, but doesn't withhold criticism of some of Lewis' works. "The Pilgrim's Regress" is called "clunky" and "The Abolition of Man" "boring." I think that is overly harsh in both cases. And I don't mean to be mean, but it's my opinion that "Lunch With" is more clunky and boring than anything Lewis ever wrote.
But it's not without interesting insights that were new to me. An example: McGrath suggests that the "Underworld" in "The Silver Chair" (one of the "Narnia Chronicles") "reworks a famous image used by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato -- a dark underground cave."
That had never occurred to me (I'm not all that up on my Plato), but I'll be it's spot-on.
"Lunch With" might serve as a good introduction to Lewis for a reader who has read little or nothing by Lewis. But I'd suggest just plunging in instead. Start with "Narnia." Or "Mere Christianity." Or "Screwtape Letters." Or Clyde S. Kilby's wonderful Lewis anthology "A Mind Awake." Can't go wrong.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to Lewis for someone just dipping into his works and life, almost like a supplement to a Lewis biography. But for someone who already knows Lewis it's rather repetitive and over-simplified.

McGrath likes to repeat himself a lot, throwing in the typical Lewis quotes several times. Considering the highly academic and excellently complicated way McGrath can write, this prose was actually dumbed down a lot. There were several spots that could have been smoothed out, expanded, or enriched. Though I suppose McGrath is writing to a different audience here, so he needs to take a more unschooled approach.

Despite the premise that this is a "discussion" with Lewis in real time, this is not the approach McGrath takes. Instead he condenses some of Lewis's beliefs about certain subjects and summarizes Lewis's books, while bringing in quotes and paraphrases. Only very rarely, like once in every chapter, does he actually let Lewis appear within the prose, giving him action or dialogic remarks. It's not at all like a conversation, because there's no "back-and-forth" feel to the writing, letting us ask questions and Lewis answer.

But once you get past the misnomer that is the title of this piece, there is valuable information in it. I learned a few new things, but mostly sped through the re-hashings of Lewis's beliefs McGrath serves up for us.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author postulates what subjects might arise if you had lunch with Lewis. Taking quotes from Lewis' written works, we can guess what direction the conversation would take and generalize things that Lewis would probably say. However, this is not a book of imagined dialogue. It is a compilation of generalizations and paraphrases about what the author thinks Lewis would be likely to think and say on certain topics.

There are chapters about finding meaning in life, friendship, grief, education, hope, and faith. There are chapters about Narnia and how they illustrate the importance of imagination and storytelling. Each chapter begins by posing a question about a certain topic, then the author details some history from Lewis' life that show how he experienced friendship or grief or hope or faith. Then we dive further into the topic with deeper explanations of what Lewis wrote and said about the topic. It was nice to see how certain of Lewis' life events directly corelate to his writing and philosophy.

I did not like that the author often repeats themselves, sometimes using the exact same Lewis quote again and again. It made the writing a little tiresome and annoying.

But I did like that the author doesn't just accept that every little thing Lewis ever said was golden. He questions and analyzes and criticizes Lewis' spiritual ideas, mostly approving and supporting Lewis' reasoning, but always leading the reader to think it through for themselves.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this very much!

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.753 stars. It took me a chapter or two to get what this book was trying to do. Though it is called If I Had Lunch With C.S. Lewis it is not a bunch of imaginary conversations with Lewis. Where the author imagines sitting and eating with Lewis. There was no discussion of those endearing traits like what he would eat, drink, how he carries himself, would he pray? How would he make small talk? All these random things, while not making a substantial book were what I was expecting (note: there are several books I know that have done this, the best being Peter Kreeft’s Between Heaven and Hell which imagines a conversation between Aldus Huxley, John F Kennedy and C.S. Lewis, brilliant). But once I got my mind around this book it became very enjoyable. This was a topical biography of Lewis. And not just his views on topics but some of his life events sprinkled in. This may be a good way to get into Lewis’s life without having a full sized biography to work through. Once I got it I fully enjoyed it, I took some points off simply because the title made me have different expectations. Recommended very much in spite of that!

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm already pretty familiar with a good bit of Lewis' writings, so there wasn't a lot of new insights in this book for me personally, but I did appreciate McGrath's commentary and thoughts at times.

3.5 Stars (Good).

[Melody Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis, by Alister McGrath is a treasure indeed. If you had lunch with C. S. Lewis you would probably want to discuss those tough questions that Lewis enjoyed answering. Well, McGrath invites you to join him and Lewis to have a lunch and a discussion on those very topics. Using the writings of Lewis, you can read and learn what he would have said on eight different topics including friendship, apologetics, and heaven. Not only will you discuss life's problems, you also get to learn much more about Lewis and his personal life.

I found this book very intriguing. I enjoyed being able to savor every chapter of it slowly, learning from both Lewis and McGrath. What I enjoyed best was getting to know Lewis better, hearing how the different things that happened in his life impacted and changed his writing in many ways. Not only did I learn a lot of history on Lewis himself, I was encouraged and inspired by his determination to prove the existence of God. I enjoyed the fact that McGrath used many quotes from Lewis' books to explain what Lewis would have said to our questions as well as explaining the answer more simply.

It is definitely a slow read, if you rush you may not be able to enjoy the fullness of Lewis' quotes or the teaching McGrath was explaining. When I had finished it I wanted to learn more of Lewis and wished there had been even more knowledge of his life in the book. But again, the book was more to be discussing life's meaning using Lewis' writing.

Overall, I loved it. I look forward to reading more of McGraths work, and Lewis'.

Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.

[Katherine Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

What If I Had Lunch with C.S. Lewis reveals most clearly is the way Lewis combined the reasoned analyses of his brilliant mind with his equally sparkling imagination. This…this is a combination that resonates deep within my soul. Both sides of it feel necessary, but together there is a strength that each side alone cannot attain. And Lewis articulates it all so well. As McGrath writes, “Alongside Lewis the cool-headed thinker we find a very different style of thinker–someone who was aware of the power of the human imagination and the implications of this power for our understanding of reality.”

Though the premise “lunch w/ Lewis” strikes me as a tad thin, that’s really irrelevant as the idea merely provides a cohesive scaffolding upon which to build the rest of McGrath’s exploration. Like Lewis, McGrath is Irish-born and atheist-turned-Christian. This gives him a unique perspective from which to address the life of Lewis (who in childhood rejected his given name of Clive Staples, asking instead to be called “Jack.” Yet another reason to like the man.).

I especially like how McGrath shows Lewis’ stories and apologetics to be relevant even today, decades after Lewis’ death. He says, for example, that “Lewis is one of a very small group of people who both learned from life’s challenges and was able to pass his wisdom on, elegantly and effectively.”

Though not every chapter of this book will be equally meaningful to every reader, every reader will nonetheless find much to appreciate. I, for instance, jotted reams of notes as I pored over the chapters on the importance of story. All in all, If I Had Lunch with C.S. Lewis is a worthy add to the library of any Lewis devotee.

Thanks to Tyndale for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

[Becky Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

C.S. Lewis was one of the most respected Christian writers/philosophers of the 20th Century, and Alister McGindexrath in “If I had lunch with C.S. Lewis,” allows readers to show a side of Lewis that we have not seen or read about before.

McGrath, with short chapters that center around giving brief explanations of Lewis' philosophies on life, writes the story as if it is a direct and real exchange with Lewis. Almost as if Lewis and McGrath are sitting on the 'proverbial front porch in the South' where families, generations and friends sit, talk and solve the problems of the world. Tyndale House Publishers sent me the book and I was so excited as a fan of C.S. Lewis. McGrath gives me the chance to see Lewis' life, his work from the Chronicles of Narnia to Problem of Pain and more and show what gave Lewis insight.

He was an atheist once, and then became a Christian and his life was real. He experienced grief, pain and sadness through turmoil and everyday life stuff. This gave Lewis,according to McGrath's tale, the validation and credentials to gain theories on life and share them.

McGrath deserves an “A” for the efforts.

[Adam Shields · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short Review: I have a read a number of good books about Lewis and a lot of Lewis' work directly, including McGrath's very good biography of Lewis. But this book failed on a number of levels. First, it just didn't live up to its title or the purpose laid out in the preface, it was not about lunch with Lewis as much as it was lectures by McGrath about Lewis. This was as much biography and book report as it was anything else. And in the audiobook at least, the tone of the narrator was very condescending and 'listen to me while I tell you all I know.' There is also a smaller, but real problem, with Lewis being sanitized here. It is always a problem with an introduction and/or evangelical biography, but this felt more like the presentation of a saint than the actual complicated Lewis.

There was good stuff here, McGrath knows a lot about Lewis. But if you have read a lot by or about Lewis, you don't need this. And if you have not, you would probably be better off reading Lewis directly and picking up one of the good biographies of Lewis. The biographies by McGrath, Sayer, Jacobs and Brown are all good options.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/lunch-with-lewis/

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid overview of Lewis's major themes (at least, major themes in his books *not* dealing with medieval literature or literary criticism). As someone who's traveled that ground rather thoroughly already, I found the summaries accurate but didn't walk away with anything new. I enjoyed McGrath's occasional bursts of analysis; if anything, I would have preferred more of it. However, since that was not the purpose of this book (alas), I suppose it's unfair of me to expect of it something not within the scope of its original intention.

[Judson David Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

shocker that i’d give a book about Lewis 5 stars, i know 😂 but truly this was a really interesting concept that could have gotten tired had McGrath not been the scholar and biographer of Lewis that he is. every chapter is tactfully woven together to create the canvas that Lewis’s life and work are painted on. though this is only a distant portrait of his work, it provides a really great reminder of what he stood for and how he arrived there, along with some really interesting and new tidbits about his life that i hadn’t come across. what’s more, the book obviously comes from an academic who cites his sources AND provides a list of other material in the appendices, for which i and my library are very grateful. having lunch with Lewis is a dream in and of itself, and within these pages you almost get to do it. a definite treat.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone whose experience with reading Lewis only extends as far as The Chronicles of Narnia, this book was a great way to expand my knowledge of the man, his life, and his works.

McGrath doesn't dive too terribly deep into any of the "lunches" that he portrays - individual chapters of the book focusing on themes like religion, education, and grief. He leans heavily on Lewis's own words, but sprinkles in some of his own analysis and conjecture, providing a comprehensive, if somewhat shallow, overview of Lewis and the worldviews that he held.

I think that this book is a great jumping off point - I've certainly made a note to read many of the books discussed throughout this one. With Lewis being one of the best-known Christian apologists of recent times, McGrath has definitely made a compelling case for why I should study more of Lewis's work beyond Narnia. These "lunches" piqued my interest, and I'm ready to dive deeper.

[Andy Bonikowsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect, never having read anything with that kind of “conversation at lunch” approach. But it is very good. The author knows CS Lewis’ writings very well and he did a great job of keeping it to that lunch table scenario. So, it was definitely helpful in my ongoing quest to better know Lewis’ brilliant way of thinking. What a mind God gave him!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful book and filled my soul. Love anything CS Lewis and this was a joy imagining having a series of lunches with him.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting approach to a “biography”, but overall was slightly repetitive and watered down. For someone who is unfamiliar with the works of Lewis, it would be a good read (still repetitive though).

[Mike Crews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

This was a much better book than I expected it to be. Instead of some factionalized version of Lewis, it allows us to interact with his writings and thoughts in a meaningful way

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t be put off by the title. McGrath does not subject us to a make-believe dialogue with Lewis, nor even extensive quotes from his extensive works. Instead he draws together the salient points of Lewis’ thought and presents them in a series of easily digestible essays. If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis: Exploring the Ideas of C. S. Lewis on the Meaning of Life does just what it purports. Whether the reader is new to Lewis or has read him extensively, this thin volume adds to the knowledge and understanding of Lewis’s writings.

McGrath honestly addresses Lewis, warts and all. Of course, he explores Lewis’ conversion from atheism and its implications for today.

A bonus for those more visually inclined is McGrath’s six-part video series on C. S. Lewis. Part One is found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ResoC...

An enjoyable and informative reading experience.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although i am of the opinion that one should do their own reading and contemplating of the works of C.S. Lewis, i don't think this book is necessarily incongruous to that end. It had some valuable commentary not only on Lewis' writings but also on his life and character. The author has obviously done his homework on Lewis. He gives some intimate perceptions on the man. I also found some of his commentary on the Narnia books to be insightful. An overall good read for fans of C.S. Lewis.

[Hannah]

Apparently, I bought this book for free on Kindle over a year ago. Must be the title captured my interest. But today I ran across it in my Amazon purchases and realized the author is ALAISTER MCGRATH! Suddenly, this book is a much higher priority on my to-read list. :)

Edit: There are so many awesome books to read. I've only read 10% of this one, which is hardly a fair shot, but it didn't grab my interest enough to keep going.

[Chuck Bonadies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet, another great book by McGrath! In addition to a good introduction to Lewis, I think most will enjoy the author's interpretation of Narnia.

CB

[Chris Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to C.S. Lewis thoughts on the Christian Faith.

[Hanna Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this book and learning more about Lewis.

[Patrick Porras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and brief overview of some of Lewis's big ideas. If you like this, check out McGrath's biography on Lewis.

A Dozen Great Quotes

1. A major theme in Lewis's philosophy of education is that we must expand our vision so that it is better able to take in reality, rather than limit reality to what we can cope with.

2. Theories are only intermediaries for an encounter with reality. Offering partial and reduced rather than total and comprehensive accounts of what they depict.

3. Good does not triumph unless good people rise to the challenges around them.

4. Lewis is trying to help us see that Reepicheep does not act bravely and nobly only every now and then. His point is that Reepicheep has become a brave and noble mouse, and that this shapes all his judgments and actions. Who Reepicheep is determines what Reepicheep does.

5. Lewis makes us think we are listening to an argument, when in reality we are presented with a vision and it is the vision that carries conviction

6. The Christian faith provides a map that is found to fit in well with what we observe around us and experience within us...Apologetics can be an invitation to step into the Christian way of seeing things and explore how things look when seen from its standpoint.

7. The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. (Lewis)

8. [Education's] aim is to help people become good and wise in all spheres of life, not simply to acquire knowledge or skills. (Lewis)

9. We discover that an unattainable ecstasy is ever just beyond our reach, creating a longing for a better world, which is heightened still further by suffering and pain.

10. Hope allows us to bid farewell to fear. (John Milton)

11. God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn't. (Lewis)

12. Each of us, whether remembered by others or not, is remembered by God. And that's what really matters. Human history may forget about us, as it has forgotten so many. But our names are engraved on God's hands and written in the book of life - a fitting, even inspiring, thought with which to end our series of lunches with.

[Jacob Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful little introduction to Lewis' thought and life. If someone wanted an easy read to get some exposure and conversation on his larger body of work, this could be a good early read for them.

There are also some helpful connections made by McGrath, clearly an avid reader of Lewis. For instance, the connections between Digory's sick mother and Lewis losing his mother at 9 years old deepens the weight of that story dynamic meaningfully. And Lewis' desire to supercede the interplanetary dramas of the humanists explains some of why he tries his hand at the Space Trilogy so early.

I also enjoyed the way he draws out Lewis' distinctions between puzzles and mysteries. Puzzles being things that can be solved by cool logic once the facts and pieces are all in place. Meanwhile mysteries may have intelligibility, but also bring the one examining them to the moment of encountering the divine and confessing the truth even if it they cannot fully wrap their minds around all of it at any singular point in time.

If there is anything to be said about the book as a criticism, it is simply that McGrath's personal preferences for books shapes what gets discussed most often. There are entire books that have almost no inclusion in the discussion of Lewis' thought (e.g., Til We Have Faces, The Great Divorce, his poetry, Screwtape Letters, Space Trilogy). It is an extensive enough list of omitted works to be somewhat noticeable by the end of the book.

I do sympathize with some of the negative reviews that McGrath does not try to do any retrieval of Lewis and imagine how Lewis may have discussed current problems over a lunch with us. However, McGrath never claims that is his goal and so that doesn't seem like a very weighty thing to hold against him.

Overall: an easy ready with some helpful nuggets about Lewis!

[Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "If I Had Lunch with C.S. Lewis" by Alister McGrath. It was well worth my time. You see, I have not read much about Lewis and have only read a handful of his books. So, most of the content of this book was new for me, and very insightful.

A few years back I re-read The Chronicles of Narnia as an adult, the first time as an adult. They still entertain! But, even reading them as an adult there are aspects of Lewis' message, and his brilliance, that I did not catch. In one of the Narnia tales Lewis is challenging Freud's idea that God is just a projection of mankind's desire to have the perfect father. Not only does Lewis successfully challenge Freud, he draws from Plato to do so.

I read the Space Trilogy as a teen. It was enjoyable. Only in reading McGrath's book did I learn that Lewis wrote the Space Trilogy to counter the worldview being presented by H.G. Wells. Not only did Lewis write good fiction, he wrote it with a purpose.

So, McGrath's book is set up as having lunches with Lewis to discuss various aspects of Lewis' writings, philosophy of writing, worldview, and such. He deals with many of Lewis' works of fiction and non-fiction. It was a very enlightening read for me! If you like Lewis, or just want to learn more about his writing, life, apologetics and such, grab a copy. Enjoy!

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated and enjoyed this quick look at the life and writings of C.S. Lewis. It's certainly not as the deep as the writings of Lewis himself sometimes are (which is not a bad thing - at times Lewis is unintelligible to me), but it is thought-provoking and rich in its own way.

Some favorite quotes:
"A God this is reduced to what reason can cope with is not a God that can be worshiped."

"Lewis realized that it isn't enough to tell a person to be 'good.' They need someone to show them what goodness looks like. A role model is worth a thousand words! It's much better to tell a story which shows how someone acted nobly than to read a textbook about the abstract idea of nobility."

"Good does not triumph unless good people rise to the challenges around them."

"My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others....In reading great literature, I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see." Lewis

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only work I have read from Lewis was The Screwtape Letters. My experience that first time was very confusing. I couldn't deny the book itself was well written and the message the writer want it to give was brilliantly presented, I found myself very uncomfortable to be in the perspective of the action of a demon. That was hard.

After that I read a Hobbit, a wardrobe and a great war, and the book centers in the relationship that Tolkien and Lewis developed back in that time. So I became curious of the work of Lewis. I had this book in my bookshelf for more than 2 years and I felt it was time to read it.

It was no disappointment at all. It served well as an introduction to his work and what he wanted to express in Narnia... My next reading starting tonight.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated McGrath's writing in the style of C.S. Lewis. I think Lewis himself would have been glad to read a summary of his thoughts and teachings, arranged by topic in an approachable format. I recommend this for the uninitiated and those familiar with Lewis's work. After I listened to this, I re-read two of Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia (The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and I am embarking on a third. Through McGrath, I was reminded of Lewis's brilliant way of engaging the imagination to get to deeper truth.

About the Reader
I listened to Ralph Lister read this. On the positive side, he has a beautiful voice with a British accent. On the negative side, his reading inflection became tiresome as he spoke almost every sentence with the same lilting, rhythm. It was like a BBC newscast over and over. Certainly not among the worst readers, but somewhat distracting.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting dive into the life and work of C.S. Lewis framed as the conversations that could take place in a series of eight lunches with Lewis. Lewis' biographer McGrath combines selections from Lewis' writing and speeches with other information gathered from Lewis' life to discuss a variety of topics also covered by Lewis in his lifetime from his early atheism, his conversion to Christianity, love, pain, the existence of God and heaven, and the importance and uses of imagination and more are topics covered during these hypothetical lunches. An easy to read introduction to Lewis and his philosophy, interesting discussions of his friendships and how Lewis was also a popular speaker and professor due to his style and personality.

[Laura Hartness]

I had hoped that McGrath would truly write "in the voice" of Lewis, but that was not his objective. This brief work is an excellent distillation of several of Lewis' many themes, and is written at a very accessible level. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has never read Lewis and wants to get a sense of who he was, what he believed and why. Major events from his life, his nonfiction and fiction works are discussed. Quotes from his various volumes whetted my appetite to pull those books back off the shelf and read them again. While this is not a comprehensive project, it's delectable and a nice "snack" of a lunch meal with Lewis.

(This was a chosen title for a paper required for Systematic Theology 4 at Southern Evangelical Seminary under the supervision of Dr. Barry Leventhal.)