Syllabus
The Theology of C.S. LEWIS
ST574
Winter, 2006
Dr. Gary Deddo
gdeddo@ivpress.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A survey of the life and works of C.S. Lewis, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance
Literature, Christian apologist, lay theologian, and fiction writer, with the aim to discern
the major theological themes and their inter-relationships as they are developed in some
of his most important apologetic works, his essays, and in his novels, Narnia stories, and
space fantasies.
LEARNING OUTCOMES/COURSE GOALS
1. To familiarize the student with the life of C.S. Lewis and the variety and range of his
written works.
2. To be able to identify and comprehend the major theological themes and their interrelationships as developed by Lewis, including his understanding of the Christian life.
3. To be able to engage, appreciate, analyze and critique aspects of his thought and
arguments including a consideration of some of his critics listed in recommended and
secondary literature.
4. Critically engage Lewis’s thought so as to formulate and articulate convictions
concerning the Christian faith and the implications for living Christian lives.
5. To be able to identify, appreciate and reflect critically upon how Lewis understood and
so deliberately attempted to relate literary form and theological content in his writings in
a way faithful to Christian truth and so provides us a model for Christians interested in
the literary arts.
COURSE FORMAT
Discussion and lecture. The class will meet as a two week morning intensive, 8:30 am – 12:30
pm, January 5-13, 2006 in Colorado Springs. Class begins at 8:30 am on Thursday, January 5
and ends on Friday, January 13 at 12:30 pm. No class on Sunday.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Overview
1. Completion of all assigned text readings, 1,260 pages, 70% completed before the class
meets in Colorado Springs, including a reading notebook and reading report. See reading list and
notebook instructions below. (35% of grade)
`
2. Written Assignments. One 10-12 page (3500 to 4500 words) research paper exploring
an instructor approved theological theme of Lewis’s works. (35% of grade)
3. Final take-home exam (30% of grade)
Reading Assignments
Read these more or less in order as listed below. This is the order which we will take them up in
class.
Note that you are required to complete 70% of the reading before you attend the course in
Colorado Springs. This includes entries in your Reading Notebook, as indicated below. This
amounts to 875 pages. An average reader will cover about 20 pages an hour including the
notebook entry, about 40 hours of preparation.
Begin to read Surprised by Joy in 50 to 75 page sections. Read other texts as you make your way
though Lewis’s spiritual autobiography so that by the end of the course you’ve finished this
book.
Selections from Mere Christianity
Mere Christianity, Book. II, What Christians Believe
Mere Christianity, Book IV, Beyond Personality (Trinity)
Mere Christianity, Book III, Christian Behavior
The Problem of Pain
Selections from God in the Dock
“Meditation in a Tool Shed” (GD)
“Is Theism Important?”(GD)
“Christian Apologetics” (GD)
“Religion without Dogma?”
“Miracles” (GD)
“What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?” (GD)
“Myth Became Fact” (GD)
“Horrid Red Things” (GD)
“Bulverism” (GD)
“The Grand Miracle” (GD)
“Man or Rabbit” (GD)
“Evil and God” (GD)
“The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment”(GD)
“Priestesses in the Church” (GD)
“The Sermon and the Lunch” (GD)
“The Trouble with X” (GD)
“Two Ways with the Self” (GD)
“First and Second Things” (GD)
Selections from Christian Reflections
“The Seeing Eye” in CR
“The Language of Religion” in CR
“Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism” in CR.
“The Poison of Subjectivism” in CR
“Religion: Reality or Substitute” in CR
“Christianity and Literature” in CR
“Christianity and Culture” in CR
Selections from The Weight of Glory and other Addresses
“Is Theology Poetry?” (WG)
“A Slip of the Tongue” in WG
“The Weight of Glory” in WG
“Why I’m Not a Pacifist” in WG
A Grief Observed
Read only Lewis’s essay, not the Afterword.
Read two of these three novels last, in your preparation for the course
The Great Divorce
The Silver Chair
Perelandra
These Essays will be on Reserved Reading at the course site:
“On Obstinacy in Belief” in World’s Last Night, on reserve
“A Word about Praising” from Reflections on the Psalms, on reserve.
“On the Efficacy of Prayer” in WLN, on reserve
These books by Lewis will be referred to in the course but are not required reading
Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer
Till We Have Faces
The Abolition of Man
Miracles
Screwtape Letters
The Four Loves
An Experiment in Criticism
“On Stories” in Essays Presented to Charles Williams
RECOMMENDED SECONDARY SOURCE READING for further reading and research:
Beversluis, John. C.S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion. Eerdmans, 1985.
Reppert, Victor, C.S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason.
InterVarsity Press, 2003.
Sayer, George. Jack: C.S. Lewis and His Times. InterVarsity Press, 1988.
Vaus, Will. Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C.S. Lewis. InterVarsity Press,
2004.
See Select Bibliography at the end of the syllabus for further guidance to secondary
sources
The Reading Report
Keep a record of the chapters and essays read and entered in the reading notebook, noting
whether you completed the reading before, during or after the course meets.
The Reading Notebook
Keep a notebook (please use a loose-leaf notebook into which you can put in or take out the
pages). The purpose for this notebook is to help you prepare for class discussions, to help you
prepare for the exams, and for me to see how you are interacting with and handling the material.
a) For each individual essay and for each chapter of a book read (excluding the novels)
write the title of that essay or chapter at the top of the page. Underneath try to write in a
paragraph or two a summary stating: 1) The issue or question Lewis was addressing, 2) his most
significant points of argument or important terms used 3) his main conclusion. 4) Conclude your
entry with a paragraph including personal comments, questions or insights from the reading, and
points you’d like to discuss in class. One page per essay or one or two pages at the most per
chapter should be enough.
b) For the novels: Indicate which book and chapter you will be commenting on at the top
of the page and then for each chapter summarize 1) the main event or points of dialogue or
narrative which form the core of the chapter. 2) Note any important imagery, quotations,
interactions which communicate Lewis’s perspective. 3) Conclude your entry with a paragraph
containing any personal comments, questions or insights from the reading, especially points
you’d like to discuss in class. One or two pages per chapter should be enough.
Grading on the Notebook will be based 50% on completeness and 50% on quality of
notes and interaction with the material.
Written Assignment.
One 10-12 page (3500 to 4500 words) research paper exploring an instructor approved
theological theme of Lewis’s works. Submit your topic before leaving Colorado Springs. Include
an email address so I can reply to you. This will be due three weeks after the class time ends.
Final take-home exam
This will be handed out at the end of the course. It will be due two weeks after the end of the
class time in Colorado Springs. It should take about three hours to complete.
GRADING
95-100% =A
90-94% = A87-89% = B+
84-86% = B
80-83% = B-
77-79% = C+
74-76% = C
70-73% = CBelow = Fail
POLICIES
Attendance
Academic credit for a course requires regular class attendance, whether or not this is stated in the
syllabus, and is not just a matter of completing the assignments. Attendance means being present
in the class for the entire scheduled class meeting, not just some part of it. In the event of absence
for any reason, you are responsible for any information or class content missed. The professor
may require additional work to make up for an absence. If you are absent from a significant
portion of the course or if you are frequently late for class meetings, even due to extenuating
circumstances, this may result in a lower grade or even a failing grade for the course.
Academic Integrity Commitment
At the beginning of this course we, as faculty and students, reaffirm our commitment to be
beyond reproach in our academic work as a reflection of Christian character. We commit to
honesty in all aspects of our work. We seek to establish a community which values serious
intellectual engagement and personal faithfulness more highly than grades, degrees, or
publications.
Students are expected to review and understand the commitments to academic integrity as printed
in the Student Handbook and the Seminary catalog. Some infractions can be addressed by
personal confrontation and corrective counsel. The following violations of these commitments
will be firmly addressed formally:
Submitting the same work in whole or in part in more than one course without the permission of
the professor(s);
Submitting as one’s own work paper(s) obtained from another source;
Plagiarism: unattributed quotations or paraphrases of ideas from published, unpublished or
electronic sources;
Unpermitted collaboration in preparing assignments;
Cheating on exams by any means;
Aiding another student on papers and tests in violation of these commitments.
Any of these violations will result in a failing grade on the assignment and possibly in the course,
and will be reported to the Academic Integrity Group which may impose further sanctions in
accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy. Evidence of repeated violations will result in a
formal disciplinary process. For the full statement on Academic Integrity see the Appendices
section of the Fuller 2004-05 Academic Catalog, available online at
http://www.fuller.edu/registrar/catalogs/2004-05/
Select Bibliography:
There is no assigned secondary reading. From the vast literature a few recommendations for
further reading and research for the course follow.
Beversluis, John. C.S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion. Eerdmans, 1985
Carpenter, Humphrey. The Inklings. Ballantine, 1978.
Downing, David. The Most Reluctant Convert. IVP, 2003.
Downing, David. Into the Region of Awe: Mysticism in C. S. Lewis, IVP, 2005
Howard, Thomas. C.S. Lewis, Man of Letters. Ignatius, 1987.
Kilby, Clyde S. Kilby. The Christian World of C.S. Lewis. Eerdmans, 1964.
Lindskoog, Kathryn. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christian. IVP, 1981.
Lindskoog, Kathryn. The Lion of Judah in Never-Never Land. Eerdmans, 1976.
Meilaender, Gilbert. A Taste for the Other. Eerdmans, 1978.
Montgomery, J. W., Editor. Myth, Allegory and Gospel. Bethany Fellowship, 1974.
Payne, Leanne. Real Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Works of C.S. Lewis. Monarch
Publications, 1989.
Reppert, Victor. C.S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea: Defending His Argument from Reason, IVP,
2004.
Sayer, George. Jack: C .S. Lewis and His Times. Harper and Row, 1988.
Vaus, Will. Mere Theology. The Thought of C.S. Lewis. IVP, 2004.
Reference Works
Schultz, Jeffrey and John G. West Jr., editors. The C.S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.
Duriez, Colin. The C.S. Lewis Handbook. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990.
Reprinted.
Martindale, Wayne and Jerry Root, editors The Quotable Lewis. An Encyclopedic Selection
of Quotes from the Complete Published Works of C.S. Lewis. Wheaton, Illinois: The
Tyndale House Publishers, 1989.
Reading Report
Please indicate in the space provided whether you completed the particular assignment
(B) before, (D) during, or (A) after our class time together. This includes your completing
the Reading Notebook entries as well.
Half credit will be given for reading that you complete but do not do a notebook entry for
up to 10% of the reading. You will turn in this report at the beginning of the course and
send it in with your final exam.
___ Surprised by Joy Begin to read this Lewis’s spiritual autobiography in 50 to 75 page sections.
Inbetween sections read other texts as you make your way though it so that by the end of the
course you’ve finished this book as well..
Selections from Mere Christianity
___ Mere Christianity, Book II, What Christians Believe
___ Mere Christianity, Book IV, Beyond Personality (Trinity)
___ Mere Christianity, Book III, Christian Behavior
___ The Problem of Pain
Selections from God in the Dock
___ “Meditation in a Tool Shed” (GD)
___ “Is Theism Important?”(GD)
___ “Christian Apologetics” (GD)
___ “Religion without Dogma?”
___ “Miracles” (GD)
___ “What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?” (GD)
___ “Myth Became Fact” (GD)
___ “Horrid Red Things” (GD)
___ “Bulverism” (GD)
___ “The Grand Miracle” (GD)
___ “Man or Rabbit” (GD)
___ “Evil and God” (GD)
___ “The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment”(GD)
___ “Priestesses in the Church” (GD)
___ “The Sermon and the Lunch” (GD)
___ “The Trouble with X” (GD)
___ “Two Ways with the Self” (GD)
___ “First and Second Things” (GD)
Selections from Christian Reflections
___ “The Seeing Eye” in CR
___ “The Language of Religion” in CR
___ “Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism” in CR.
___ “The Poison of Subjectivism” in CR
___ “Religion: Reality or Substitute” in CR
___ “Christianity and Literature” in CR
___ “Christianity and Culture” in CR
Selections from The Weight of Glory and other Addresses
___ “Is Theology Poetry?” (WG)
___ “A Slip of the Tongue” in WG
___ “The Weight of Glory” in WG
___ “Why I’m Not a Pacifist” in WG
___ A Grief Observed
Read only Lewis’s essay, not the Afterword.
Read two of these three novels last, in your preparation for the course
___ The Great Divorce
___ The Silver Chair
___ Perelandra
These Essays will be on Reserved Reading at the course site:
___ “On Obstinacy in Belief” in World’s Last Night, on reserve
___ “A Word about Praising” from Reflections on the Psalms, on reserve.
___ “On the Efficacy of Prayer” in WLN, on reserve
I affirm that this report is a true and accurate record of my completion of the reading and
notebook assignments: __________________________ ________________
Signed
Date