Interesting and Unusual Facts about C. S. Lewis

[lighthouse]

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2005/004/2.02.html

Interesting and Unusual Facts about C. S. Lewis

Did You Know?
Interesting and Unusual Facts about C. S. Lewis
Compiled by Robert Trexler and Jennifer Trafton


A Jack of all genres
C. S. Lewis is probably the most well known, widely read, and often quoted Christian author of modern times. Between 1931 and 1962 he published 34 books






Just call me Smallpigiebotham
Lewis had a fondness for nicknames. He and his brother, Warnie, called each other "Smallpigiebotham" (SPB) and "Archpigiebotham" (APB), inspired by their childhood nurse's threat to smack their "piggybottoms." Even after Lewis's death, Warnie still referred to him as "my beloved SPB." They called their father Albert "Pudaitabird" because of his Irish pronunciation of "potato." Tolkien was "Tollers," Mrs. Moore was "Minto," and Lewis's physician Robert E. Havard was usually "Humphrey" but occasionally "the Useless Quack" or "U. Q." Lewis dubbed his walking companion A. C. Harwood "the Lord of the Walks."




The apologist and the evangelist
In 1955, C. S. Lewis was invited to meet Billy Graham, who was leading a mission sponsored by the Cambridge

Inter-Collegiate Christian Union. Graham remembers the encounter this way: "I found him to be not only intelligent and witty but also gentle and gracious; he seemed genuinely interested in our [mission] meetings. 'You know,' he said as we parted, 'you have many critics, but I have never met one of your critics who knows you personally.'"




Not allegory but "what if?
"Tolkien disliked the Narnia stories partly because he felt the Christian meaning was too obvious, but Lewis insisted he was not writing allegory in the strict sense of the word. In a letter to a fifth-grade class, Lewis explained that Aslan is not meant simply to "represent" Jesus: "Let us suppose that there were a land like Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a Man in our world, became a Lion there, and then imagine what would happen

[lighthouse]

http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/cslewis.html

C.S. Lewis
Scholar, author, and apologist


"The intellectual life is not the only road to God, nor the safest, but we find it to be a road, and it may be the appointed road for us. Of course, it will be so only so long as we keep the impulse pure and disinterested."

"I'm tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double-chinned, black-haired, have a deep voice, and wear glasses for reading," Clive Staples Lewis wrote to a young admirer in 1954. If the famous author had been prone to notice clothing, he might have added that his trousers were usually in dire need of pressing, his jackets threadbare and blemished by snags and food spots, and his shoes scuffed and worn at the heels.

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cont..

Fame and fortune
Preaching sermons, giving talks, and expressing his theological views over the radio throughout the United Kingdom bolstered Lewis's reputation and increased his book sales. With these new circumstances came other changes—not the least being a marked upswing in annual income.

Throughout the 1920s Lewis had been getting by on little money. During his student years his father provided an allowance, and Jack supplemented that in various ways. Nevertheless, money was always scarce. And when the young academician took on the responsibility for a friend's family, finances were always tight even with the regular tutorial stipend.

Now, with money no longer an issue, Lewis refused to upgrade his standard of living, and instead established a charitable fund for his royalty earnings. He supported numerous impoverished families, underwrote education fees for orphans and poor seminarians, and put monies into scores of charities and church ministries.

[bopeep1909]

C.S. Lewis started out an atheist and ended up one of the most well read Christians in the world. God you are awesome:pray:hail<><

[lighthouse]

he wrote the chronicles of narnia
which
the first book
of 7
will be out
in the theaters friday 12/9

[The Sower]

C.S. Lewis started out an atheist and ended up one of the most well read Christians in the world. God you are awesome:pray:hail<><


He sure is!!!:clap :clap :D:

[lighthouse]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/editorial/13325421.htm



The heart of Narnia

By Margo Hammond and Ellen Heltzel


As the Dec. 9 release of the big-budget film ``The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,'' draws near, the two sides of the culture wars are going at it again.

Incensed fundamentalists saw witches and sorcery in the movie versions of J.K. Rowling's ``Harry Potter'' books as the work of Satan. And they grumbled over the emphasis on the dark side when Lemony Snicket's ``A Series of Unfortunate Events'' was adapted for the screen. This time, it's liberals who are raising Cain, contending that Disney's version of ``Narnia'' is a Christian plot to capture the minds of America, a virtual second coming of the 2004 box-office hit ``The Passion of the Christ.''

The New York Times' Charles McGrath, warning against such brainwashing, concluded that the lion in C.S. Lewis' story is ``nothing less than the Son of God, who dies and then comes back to life and through the seven volumes repeatedly tests but ultimately saves the children and leads them to eternal safety.''

[lighthouse]

http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/index.html

the movie

[lighthouse]

great movie

heh?!

[chrislb]

Regarding the issue of Lewis' fame bringing more money, but he still lived the same lifestyle, he touches on this briefly in "mere christianity" by saying (and i'm paraphrasing here) in regards to Charity/Giving, that if we aren't pressed financially each month to make our necessary bills/budget, we aren't giving enough.

Very contrary to our current mindset.

[My Abba's Child]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/editorial/13325421.htm


The New York Times' Charles McGrath, warning against such brainwashing, concluded that the lion in C.S. Lewis' story is ``nothing less than the Son of God, who dies and then comes back to life and through the seven volumes repeatedly tests but ultimately saves the children and leads them to eternal safety.''

OH DEAR! What a DIRE warning! I certainly wouldn't want my children believing that God sent His only Son who died to pay for their sins, then comes back to life to ultimately save them and lead them to eternal safety!!! :fear :heh

In His love,

[Mindenite]

he wrote the chronicles of narnia
which
the first book
of 7
will be out
in the theaters friday 12/9
Not in Britain. Over there, the Magician's Nephew was the first book. Only in America is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the first book. Though I have no clue how that all started.

[architectlink]

This is an amazing movie and I cannot see any connection OTHER than biblical allegory. The Lion represents Christ, the witch represents Satan, the Children are the children of Adam and Eve.

Take a whole box of tissue. I thought it was an incredible story for Christians. It blew me away and I got the opportunity to explain to my daughter that the lion was not "faking" it, and neither was Christ when he died for our sins.

Incredible movie and I cannot believe HOLLYWOOD is going to accept it.

IT IS DONE...one of the final moments in the movie. I can't believe that Hollywood let this one slip past without bastardizing it first.

Praise the Lord!

[architectlink]

OH DEAR! What a DIRE warning! I certainly wouldn't want my children believing that God sent His only Son who died to pay for their sins, then comes back to life to ultimately save them and lead them to eternal safety!!! :fear :heh

In His love,

My six year old and her friend (and our entire homeschool)....LOVED it. It was an amazing story. This story reminded me a lot of HINDS FEET IN HIGH PLACES.

[ann s.]

Lewis was a wordsmith....

I'm reading "Mere Christianity" now....

Not sure about him....


I have a child who is a "wordsmith"....

[Not by Sight]

Not in Britain. Over there, the Magician's Nephew was the first book. Only in America is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the first book. Though I have no clue how that all started.

I am curious about your statements, as I am under the impression that confusion about the order in which the books ought to be read is a rather old plight that spanned the decades and the continents.

The original publication order for the books was 1950 for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, with The Magicians Nephew being published 5 years later in 1955. (Prince Caspian, 1951 ; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 1952; The Silver Chair, 1953; The Horse and His Boy, 1954; The Last Battle, 1956).

Those of us who read the series decades ago remember reading it in the order in which it was originally published. Sometime in the interim, the publisher Harper-Collins decided to switch the order to a more "chronological" ordering of events, placing the Magician's Nephew first and also switching a couple of the other books. Originally, the books were not published with "numbers" and some fans of the books wrote letters to Lewis asking his opinion in hopes he could resolve their debates. He claimed he did not write the books with any particular story or order in mind, so that he felt it was fine to read them in any order the reader saw fit, although he did see the validity of chronological ordering. His stepson was the biggest advocate of the chronological ordering now used, which was not implemented until 1994 (the earliest date I could find for the change) in Britain or the US.

It is still a topic rather hotly contested and debated amongst fans of the works on all continents. Some feel that the potential impact as an allegory tothe Gospel is more fully recognized when the books are rea in chronological order, while others feel certain literary impacts are diminished by it.

Anyway fun discussion, just had to elaborate for you as it has interested me for some time.

[Schumacher]

His stepson was the biggest advocate of the chronological ordering now used, which was not implemented until 1994 (the earliest date I could find for the change) in Britain or the US.

I think the ordering may have been as early as 1989/90 in Britain, when the books were relaunched to coincide with a hugely popular BBC adaptaion of the series. I may be wrong, as I would only have been six in 1989 (though I remember loving the series!)

As for the current film... wow! I was hugely blessed through it, which surprised me for something I presumed would be "commercial".

[Dear2HIM]

I suggest reading Lion, Witch Wardrobe first. Then when you read Magician's Nephew you enjoy it all the more and have so many moments of .... "oh! so that's where that came from!".