Recently, I was asked to review God in the Dock, a collection of short C. S. Lewis writings, spanning over two decades, beginning in 1941, “excavated” and edited by Walter Hooper. In preparation, I read all of the forty-eight pieces, plus the dozen or so letters appended. I’ve drawn frequently from the book through the years, but have never worked through the whole lot, so I took this opportunity to do so. At great risk of short-changing or otherwise misrepresenting the essays, let me offer a one or two sentence summaries of the lot. 

I’m tying this to an illustration done for me several years ago by Harrison Watters. He’d contributed a bunch of illustrations to my book, Cases and Maps: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy, and he’s just completed a batch for an anthology we’re calling Apologetical Aesthetics. This one works a quote into the portrait. It’s drawn from Lewis’s The Weight of Glory and provides a nice, one-line intro to the book.

“Evil and God”—They’re not equals in substance and power, despite what the “dualists” (modern Zoroastrians) would have you think. (The Spectator, 1941)

“Miracles”—God’s not subject to the laws of nature; he sustains, accelerates, or suspends these regularities as he pleases. (Sermon, St. Jude’s on the Hill, 1942)

“Dogma and the Universe”—The vastness of the heavens does nothing to undermine the dignity of “small” man. (The Guardian, 1943)

“Answers to Questions on Christianity”—Here are short replies to seventeen queries, with topics ranging from bearing arms to ambition to the connection between happiness and religion to gambling to the importance of church attendance. (Remarks at the Head Office of Electric and Musical Industries, Ltd., 1944)

“Myth Became Fact”—Some ancient stories (e.g., re “Pagan Christs”) turn out to be true in some respects.  (World Dominion, 1944)

“Horrid Red Things”—Metaphors and anthropomorphisms are inescapable in theology; they’re useful in explaining, but not explaining away, the nature and ways of God (Church of England Newsletter, 1944)

“Religion and Science”—“Old time” Joseph, Mary’s husband, was no dummy; he knew a miracle when he saw one. (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1945)

“The Laws of Nature”—The “Laws of Nature” don’t cause things; they merely reflect patterns God initiates and superintendents. (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1945)

“The Grand Miracle”— Christianity is splendidly unique, unlike the other religions, which are exclusively constituted as either “nature” or “anti-nature.” (The Guardian, 1945)

“Christian Apologetics”—In a world held captive by intellectual fashion and the conceits of false authority, there is a clear need to discern and defend truth. (Welsh Carmarthen Conference, 1945)

“Work and Prayer”—God gives prayers leverage in the course of our lives and human history. (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1945)

“Man or Rabbit?”—So-called “moral materialists” are double fools in that they miss the fact that we’re more than beasts and the point that they can’t achieve goodness on their own. (Pamphlet, Student Christian Movement, 1946)

“On the Transmission of Christianity”— In the 1920s, British schools didn’t teach Christianity, so our current teachers don’t pass along what they didn’t receive. We must, then, rely on personal evangelism and Christian schools. (Preface to B. G. Sandhurst’s How Heathen is Britain?, 1946)

“‘Miserable Offenders’: An Interpretation of Prayer Book Language”—We err when we shy away from Prayer Book concepts, thinking that ‘miserable’ refers to a feeling rather than to the state of being “pitiable” and when we suppose that repentance is a gloomy affair (Sermon, St. Matthews Church, Northampton, 1946)

“The Founding of the Oxford Socratic Club”—It was established, uniquely, as a forum for believers and non-believers to argue the pros and cons of Christianity, “following the argument where it led them, as Socrates would have it.” (Preface to the first issue of Socratic Digest, 1942-1943)

“Religion Without Dogma”—Responding to a talk by philosopher H. H. Price, who advocated doctrineless religion, Lewis argues that it traffics in self-defeating naturalism and, in its emptiness, opens the door to all sorts of nuttiness. (Read at the Oxford Socratic Club, 1946)

“Some Thoughts”—Christianity has a two-edged character, on the one hand affirming earthly life and civilization, on the other, laying up treasures in heaven and denying one’s self through asceticism. (Delivered to the Medical Missionaries of Mary at the White Horse Inn, Drogheda, 1948)

“ ‘The Trouble with X . . .’”—When dealing with troublesome, indeed wicked, people who have no interest in personal reform, we get a sense of God’s challenge in dealing with us. (Bristol Diocesan Gazette, 1948)

“What Are We To Make of Jesus Christ?”—He presents a version of the classic Liar-Lunatic-or-Lord choice regarding Jesus, favoring “Lord,” of course. (Contribution to Ronald Selby Wright’s OUP book, Asking Them Questions)

“The Pains of Animals: A Problem in Theology”—British philosopher C. E. M. Joad argues that Lewis’s treatment of the suffering of animals in The Problem of Pain (where Lewis, for one thing, distinguishes consciousness from sentience) fails. Lewis clears up Joad’s misunderstandings of his take on the matter, explaining that a particular chapter was guesswork, and that it all comes down to presuppositions about the nature of God. (The Month, 1950)

“Is Theism Important?”—Working from philosopher H. H. Price’s take on the grounds for faith, Lewis distinguishes intellectual assent to the existence of God from trust in God, and then he examines the way in which this trust develops. (Socratic Digest, 1962) 

“Rejoinder to Dr. Pittenger”—Lewis provides tart, reasoned responses to the condescending and lame criticism of his work by this Anglican priest, who was both a process theologian and a crusading homosexual. (Christian Century, 1958)

“Must Our Image of God Go?"—John A. T. Robinson makes confusing and unnecessary hash of the notion of God. (The Observer, 1963)

“Dangers of National Repentance”—Lewis has little patience for those, particularly the youth, who repent of the sins of their neighbors, really condemning them without cost to themselves. (The Guardian, 1940)

“Two Ways with the Self”—Of the two ways to love the self—as God’s creature along with others, with charity, or as someone special, with partiality—only the former is acceptable. (The Guardian, 1940)

“Meditation on the Third Commandment”—A “Christian political party” is a bad idea; better to pester existing parties to do the right things. (The Guardian, 1941)

“On the Reading of Old Books”—Lewis argues that every time we read a new book, we should then read an old one to keep ourselves grounded.  (Introduction to a new translation of Anthanasius’ The Incarnation of the Word of God, 1944)

“Two Lectures”— After listening to a lecture on how evolution explains everything, Lewis dreams of a reverse lecture, in which all creatures are said to originate under the guidance of a superior being, who turns out to be the “Real Lecturer.” (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1945)

“Meditation in a Toolshed”—Using comparison between the dust illuminated by a sunbeam and a view of the sun and foliage through a crack in the shed, he contrasts looking at (from the side) with looking along (as an insider), giving the latter primacy and faulting the social scientists who foist the latter on us. (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 1945)

“Scraps”—A paragraph each on four topics—the books we’ll find in heaven; the experiential impoverishment of seraphim; the physical body’s attempt to guide us; and the equal sensibility of intercessory prayer and asking a friend to pass the salt. (St. James’ Magazine, 1945)

“The Decline of Religion”—The decline of religion, as distinct from real Christianity, is, on balance, a good thing. (The Cherwell, 1946)

“Vivisection”—Naturalists have constructed a slippery slope from animal vivisection to human vivisection. (Pamphlet, New England Anti-Vivisection Society, 1947)

“Modern Translations of the Bible”—New translations are needed to keep up with language shifts; indeed, for historical context, we should remember that the very idea of an English-language Bible such as the AV/KJV was opposed in its day. Also, those who want to play Paul off against Jesus are deluded. (Preface, J. B. Phillips’ translation of the epistles, 1947)

“Priestesses in the Church?”—The notion that men and women are interchangeable and that a woman priest makes sense is folly, and without biblical warrant. (Time and Tide, 1948)

“God in the Dock”—The modern apologist must deal with language confusions and with the notion that God himself is the one on trial for moral rectitude. (Lumen Vitae, 1948)

“Behind the Scenes”—As with the backstage at a theater, subatomic particles and the subconscious may lie behind appearances, but, as in the theater, “the play [of public human endeavor] is the thing.” (Time and Tide, 1956)

“Revival or Decay”—Lewis mocks the notion that the alleged growth of “interest in religion” is cause for celebration, for, in its lameness, it’s a far cry from genuine faith. (Punch, 1958)

“Before We Can Communicate”—We must guard against presupposing that our talk is smart and that the less-educated are dumb. Furthermore, there’s no substitute for the empirical study of language usage. (Breakthrough, 1961)

“Cross Examination”—Herein, Lewis follows prompts to discuss the craft of writing and the good and bad in literature. (Interview with Sherwood Wirt of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1963)

“ ‘Bulverism’ or, The Foundation of 20th Century Thought”—Lewis coins a word, tying it to the imaginary Ezekiel Bulver, who skirts reason by charging the opponent with motivational taint. Questions of truth and falsity get lost (or ditched) in insult, a technique that reigns supreme today. (Time and Tide, 1941)

“First and Second Things”— When you put secondary concerns and by-products (like civilization) first, you lose them in the process.  (Time and Tide, 1942)

“The Sermon and the Lunch”— Home life is fraught with difficulty, requiring hard word, and romantic descriptions of this institution are dangerously fraudulent. (Church of England Newspaper, 1945)

“The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment”—Contrary to popular notions, retribution (including the death penalty) is more humane than bottom-line reliance on deterrence, public safety, or rehabilitation. (20th Century: An Australian Quarterly Review, 1949)

“Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus”—Writing as if he were an historian or anthropologist puzzling out an alien civilization, he describes the morally, emotionally, and physically exhausting “Exmas” in contrast with the life-giving “Crissmas.” Unfortunately, they coincide on the calendar.  (Time and Tide, 1954)

“What Christmas Means to Me”—Lewis expresses and details his disgruntlement at the commercial “racket” deployed during Christmas, bemoaning the way it wears down the populace into mournful absurdity. (Twentieth Century, 1957)

“Delinquents in the Snow”— Beginning with an unhappy take on caroling, he moves to the indulgent folly of juvenile courts, wherein crimes are labeled mere “pranks.” This perspective carries over into adulthood, where criminals are coddled at the expense of victims and seeds are sown for revolution. (Time and Tide, 1957) 

“Is Progress Possible? Willing Slaves of the Welfare State”— In desperation, we turn our lives over to the smothering ministrations of vain, “scientific” technocrats, surrendering our freedoms in the pretense that “mother knows best.”  (The Observer, 1958)

“We Have No ‘Right to Happiness’”— Working from a case of broken marriage vows and from society’s obsession with sexual fulfillment, Lewis traces the logic of “happiness rights” to the issuance of moral blank checks for the accommodation of every impulse, however decadent.  (Saturday Evening Post, 1963)

“Letters”—A collection comments (some from personal correspondence, some published in various periodicals, whether as fresh observations or as rejoinders) on a dozen topics, including just war theory, liturgy updates as stealthy corruptions of doctrine, the death penalty, hymn singing in the churches, and the canonization of Anglican saints. (1939-1961)