Okay, I figure if Yancey can pull John Donne out of the Middle Ages and credit him as a mentor, I can at least pull a man who lived during my lifetime. I'm not going to delve too deeply into Lewis' personal history - there have been numerous biographies written about the man utilizing much better research than I am capable of. This post will therefore concentrate on the impact Lewis has had on my life.
I actually have to start with a little bit of history on myself. Somewhere in the dark mists of my childhood, I experienced my first realization of my own sins. My parents had a "bank" in the house where they would toss loose coins and some dollar bills, and I broke into the bank and stole most of the money - regaling some friends with candy and soda. I was caught, of course, and spent the rest of the summer trying to figure out ways in which I could repay the money.
Another event happened that summer, however. Some new kids moved in across the street. As I got to know them, they invited me to attend what would today be called a "Backyard Bible School". It was here that I first heard of God's grace through his Son Jesus Christ - that my sins would be forgiven if I would ask Christ into my heart. I was a child who was devastated by guilt, and here was forgiveness for the asking. I asked.
From what I remember, however, the reaction at home wasn't quite so ecstatic! My father forbade me from associating with those kids again. My oldest sister told me how "those people" didn't allow attending movies or anything fun. Apparently I had fallen in amongst members of the Alliance Church of Canada - an evangelical denomination. Oh the horror!
So the boy drifted away from Christ, but when I look back, I realize that Christ did not drift away from me. I became a self-styled agnostic bordering on atheist, but He was always there, keeping me safe, holding me back from getting too deeply involved in a life that would destroy me.
Fast forward about 16 years. I'm once again grappling with the decision to give my life to Christ, or rather give it BACK to Christ. During this process, I was pounding Linda (the woman I've been happily married to for almost 21 years) with all kinds of questions. You see, at this point in my life I saw myself as some kind of intellectual (ah, the folly of youth!). Linda patiently answered many of the questions, but I wouldn't stop. One day - I think out of exasperation - she handed me a book called "Mere Christianity".
For those unfamiliar with it, Mere Christianity actually started out as a series of radio broadcasts that Lewis delivered during World War II. The book requires concentration, but it is written in a style that makes you feel like you're sitting by the fireplace, listening to a man that you very much respect and admire. Lewis calmly took all of the myriad of arguments that I had against Christianity, examined each one, then systematically and logically destroyed it. "Christ was a moral teacher, but He certainly wasn't the Son of God". "Well," Lewis explained "based on what He said, Christ was either the Son of God or a colossal nut case" (I'm paraphrasing). By the end of the book, I realized that the foundation for my unbelief had been removed and I was faced with either accepting Him as my Savior or living the rest of my life in a lie that was out there for all the world to see.
So Christ - the Hound of Heaven - pursued me for years and finally caught me. Or did I catch Him? Doesn't really matter either way. Lewis was able to break through my pseudo-intellectual veneer and help me to realize the truth.
In the years since, I have also enjoyed many of Lewis' other books. The Great Divorce is an entertaining, thought provoking suggestion of what Heaven might be like. The Problem of Pain grapples with - well - the problem of pain. (As a quick aside, Lewis also had someone whose writings impacted him - GK Chesterton. Chesterton pointed out that as big as the problem of pain is for Christians, the problem of pleasure is even more insurmountable for an honest atheist). Lewis' The Screwtape Letters was not only wonderful entertainment, it also provided me with a character for one of my first acting performances.
I know that my beady little brain has no comprehension of what Heaven will be like. I do know, however, that I am very much looking forward to meeting this man in person when I get there.
