Journey Towards Home

Clives Staples Lewis (1898-1963) called his theological writings as that "of a layman and an amateur" who merely attempted to restate "ancient and orthodox doctrines." However, S. Steve Park argues that Lewis's theological reflections are well-informed, thoughtful and weighty. For instance, Lewis's notion of "mere Christianity" consistently shows his commitment to "supernaturalism" (vs. naturalism) and "eucatastrophic salvationism" (vs. ethical developmentalism) in sharp contrast to many prevailing theologians of his time. In this book, the author expounded Lewis's theological writings rather comprehensively and organized the results according to Lewis's signature literary motif of the journey towards home, in four stages: "Away from Home," "Homeward Turning," "Home Away from Home," and "The Final Home." Under these headings, Lewis's major theological and literary themes find illuminating treatments with rich contents and penetrating analyses. In so doing, the author presents to the readers, probably for the first time, a systematic theology of C. S. Lewis. It turns out that Lewis, more than just a storyteller, was a significant participant in the world of theological reflections, demonstrating himself to be a rather formidable theological mind to be reckoned with.