“The Theology of C.S. Lewis” by Kevin Livermore

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was many things – author, novelist, Christian apologist, radio broadcaster, scholar, writer of children’s stories, speaker, and lecturer. One thing he was not, and never claimed to be, was a theologian. His scholarly work at Oxford and later Cambridge universities focused on later medieval history and literature. He’s even remembered today by scholars for his “A Preface to Paradise Lost,” still considered one of the best works on the subject.

But a theologian he was not. And yet, given his enormous influence on several generations of Christians, and his continuing influence, it’s worth considering exactly what his theology was. That’s what Kevin Livermore has done in The Theology of C.S. Lewis.

And Lewis’s theology has to be gleaned from his writings. Livermore undertakes a close reading of many if not most of Lewis’s works, including Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Weight of Glory, The Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy, God in the Dock, The Great Divorce, Perelandra, and more.

Kevin Livermore

The book covers the problem of evil and the existence of God; love, marriage, and fidelity; human origins; the main themes of Lewis’s work; the world of Narnia; and the battle with God and grief. Livermore also includes a hefty section of Lewis quotations on a wide variety of subjects and an extensive summary of each of the works used in the discussion.

The author is a college pastor and asset management consultant in real estate. He received a B.S. in business administration from the University of Southern California, and Masters of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. He serves at Friends Church in Yorba Linda, California, and is the founder of the YouTube channel 3-ology.

The Theology of C.S. Lewis is a comprehensive introduction to what Lewis believed and how he anchored his writings in his beliefs.