The C. S. Lewis Bible

A visitor brought a “special” Bible to my business, proud of his find and eager to show us. The book was covered in friendly-feeling pastels, pink and lime green.

I checked inside and found that it was purportedly an NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) containing the deuterocanonical books requisite for Catholics. But it also had something unique – it featured excerpts inserted throughout from popular fiction writer C.S. Lewis.

I could hardly contain myself. My visitor had punched my big red outrage button dead-center. The C.S. Lewis insertions instantly called to mind a couple of places in Deuteronomy and vivid words relating to this subject in Revelation, Chapter 22 Verse 18, thus:

“I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city described in this book.”

I’m no Bible expert but that looks to me like a fairly serious exhortation. I would rather avoid Revelation’s plagues.

But my visitor was proud of his new purchase. It’s been our merchants’ policy for many years not to denigrate a purchase someone has made from another vendor. It’s not good customer relations to say, “Where did you get this piece of junk?”

However, there is a principle involved in this instance which gives me great pause. The idea of a comingling of sacred scripture and fiction in one book is frightening, appalling. It is patently wrong to publish a book like this.

Can’t say I’ve read much C.S. Lewis. Makes me yawn. I doze. My eyes wander, looking for spiders and cracks in the plaster. Suddenly, watching the street sweeper go by seems quite interesting.

Other people seem to like writing by Lewis, and they’re certainly welcome to it. But to me it’s only fiction. It’s stuff he made up. It is conjured, fabricated, assembled, faked.

The only writing I do know as absolute truth is in the Bible. Fiction can be true but is not necessarily true. Fiction is the intentional muddying of the facts. Mixing Biblical truth and fiction and calling it a “Bible” set my teeth on edge.

C.S. Lewis readers claim spiritual benefit from reading about lions with human speech and an imaginary land known as “Narnia.” It’s probably harmless for the most part – but it is fiction, and mixing it with Scripture sets a dangerous precedent.

In discussing this, I immediately encountered a defensiveness of C.S. Lewis. True, I don’t find any evidence at all that his writings go against Church teaching. However, I have to try to make it clear: It’s not C.S. Lewis I am “going after” here. The issue is the comingling of fictional work and scripture.

The potential for confusion between Scripture and fiction is enormous in the format I saw. If someone thought of throwing Mr. Lewis into a mixed book, why not do one with Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Philosophy? Why not an Oprah Bible? An Oral Roberts Bible. A Walt Disney Lion King Bible.

Pick your own. The door is open.

St. John’s precaution in Revelation is very close to the end of the entire Bible. The few words that come after it are: “The one who gives this testimony says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen! Come Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.”

Maybe the C.S. Lewis/Holy Bible isn’t such a good idea.

-0-

Recently, I had the blessing of undergoing a medical test called “Magnetic Resonance Imaging,” better known as an MRI.

I didn’t require sedation like some do; I could see that physical escape from the tubular machine was possible in two directions. I wasn’t comfortable, but I felt confident I could put up with it for 20 minutes.

Before the test began, I was presented with a pair of earplugs. Obediently, I put them in my ears. Must be a reason, I thought.

Well there was a reason – an entirely fake reason. The rattling, banging, slamming percussive noises and vibrations made during the imaging process were nothing more than mechanical theater. Yep. The machine itself is quiet. The technicians add the noise and vibration as a distraction for claustrophobic clients. To me, the sound track was an obvious fraud.

I guess they figure we all need to be entertained these days. For myself, it would have been preferable to use my 20 minutes in quiet prayer.

The result of the MRI scan? Inconclusive.

-0-

Back in 1974, Annette and I decided to replace our well-worn 1962 wedding-gift stereo. We went to Pocatello and got “the best,” mostly for Mr. Tom. We spent $1,500, as I recall, an enormous amount for the time.

Later, as part of a gut-wrenching division of property, I ended up with the stereo, which I have carted with me everywhere, wherever. Over the years, I have replaced the receiver twice and the turntable three times. But the original speakers I have always retained.

With the most recent new receiver, I blundered. I ignorantly pushed one little switch and instantaneously subjected my antique speakers to enormous volume. One of the bass speakers went kerphlooey. I actually heard it blow out. Not a pretty sound.

I tried, our son Ben tried, Radio Shack tried, and we couldn’t find replacement bass speakers. So for several years, we limped along, not really “using” the stereo much because there was little bass sound, and balance couldn’t be achieved.

Monday after Christmas I drove the truck down to the mobile court to empty our household trash in the dumpster there. I drove around the corner at the #3 house.

Voila! There they were. Under the awning. Rather beat up and weathered, two lost sisters.

Yep. Exact matches. Identical Jennings Research Laboratories stereo speakers, made with pride in California. Rare today, to understate it. Made in 1974. Walnut speaker cases with walnut veneer. Abandoned property. Previous owner in jail.

In our home, coincidence is a word viewed with suspicion. What are the mathematical chances of this happening?

Now they’re ours. We have four now. Oh, and the newly found ones, the wooden boxes are beat up pretty badly from weather and rough handling, but the speakers inside appear to be brand new. We combined the original speakers with the newly “found” hardware, and on the whole the historic stereo actually sounds better than it did in 1974. Much better.

We have been enjoying our newly regained musical blessings. The vinyl – some of it from as early as 1958 – is mostly in excellent condition. What fun. I’ll take it.

-0-

Word of the week: Lamentations. A book of the Old Testament attributed to Jeremiah. To lament is to feel deep sorrow, to mourn or grieve. Lamentable is grievous, deplorable, distressing – such as the C.S. Lewis/Bible stew.