C. S. Lewis in a Time of War: The World War II Broadcasts That Riveted a Nation and Became the Classic Mere Christianity

by Justin Phillips

Book Overview

C. S. Lewis is universally recognized as one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century. A noted scholar, Lewis was able to reach a vast popular audience during his lifetime and continues to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060881399
• ISBN13: 9780060881399
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A "Good Story, Well, Told ! !

by Theresa E. Dalton Recently, I came across this book. Of course, C.S. Lewis is an icon to many, his many books highly respected and inspirational to millions, so its subject matter was enough for me to begin reading with interest. I, myself, "discovered" C.S. Lewis when I was a teenager, when a friend loaned me the first installment of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. It captivated me, and I "zoomed" through this and the rest of the Chronicles, and I've been a fan ever since, reading and re-reading most of his works - marveling at his amazing ability to write clearly and succinctly about so many deep issues. Well, here was a book that purported to reveal C.S. Lewis' launching into the radio medium - against the backdrop of one of the most starkly challenging periods in history. And it not only met a profound need of the time, but first brought him to wider fame and the experience also honed and sharpened the communication style of this Oxford don and literary author. It is a fascinating view. The author, Justin Phillips was a radio journalist with the BBC for over 20 years. He passed away in 2000, soon after submitting his completed manuscript of this book, and his daughter, Laura Treneer, acted as editor and brought the manuscript to publication in 2002. Mr. Phillips love of his subjects - the BBC and Lewis - is revealed in every chapter, but so is his extensive research into the BBC documents and transcripts of recordings of this time. One amazing aspect of the book is the clear portrayal of the BBC's vision during WWII, spearheaded by the Rev. James Welch, Director of Religious Broadcasting, and Rev. Eric Fenn, his Assistant Director. They literally transformed the broadcasting medium during these years from a peripheral entertainment source to become a powerful force to uphold the morale of the British people. The customary sources of entertainment, intellectual and spiritual enrichment, and information were all closed down, as Blitzkrieg pounded the nation. These men grasped in understanding the great opportunity to use this medium to fill these needs and speak directly to those behind the "blackout" blinds, addressing the challenges, doubts and fears at hand, as their cities burned around them, and life and death issues came to the forefront. And who better to speak to these issues than C.S. Lewis, who come to their attention after writing Problem of Pain. The book reveals that Lewis was a reluctant broadcaster. His focus and attention were on his students at Oxford, writing and lecturing, and his home responsibilities. The coaxing and courting of the BBC is documented, as is the difficult process of producing the programs, difficult in part because of dealing with wartime security concerns, time constraints, and even bombs! The collaboration, in the end, took the nation by storm - releasing a landslide of letters, as the audience wrote to Lewis with questions, comments and thanks, leading to furthe

A seminal contribution towards understanding a masterpiece

As a lifelong and devoted student of Lewis -- and one who has read, re-read, written about, and lectured on Mere Christianity -- I was startled and deeply gratified to learn that the master conceived his touchstone idea, composed the masterpiece that conveys it, and perfected his popular, lean, direct apologetic style under what can only be regarded as the tutelage of the BBC. The late Justin Phillips (who died before completing his book: the manuscript was edited and brought to publication by his daughter Laura Treneer) first provides a genuinely riveting war-time context as only a lifelong BBC-man could. He then captures, with ample narrative skill and astonishingly adroit quotations from correspondence, the "Beeb's" persistence and scalpel-like judgment, as well as CSL's reservations, vexations, achievement, and finally his overwhelming success. Along the way the reader gets a concrete feel for Lewis's travel, work-habits, friendships and homelife which, though not entirely new, are utterly fresh (for example, the contributions of Jill Freud . . . ) And as a bonus we are treated to a chapter on Dorothy L. Sayers and the BBC: The corporation was sorely overmatched! From now on, Richard Baxter + CSL = Mere Christianity must become Baxter + Lewis X the BBC = Mere Christianity and a good deal of the master's pellucid style.

intriguing story

If you want a book that is just about C. S. Lewis this will disappoint, but if you are interested in a broader story of the history of the BBC and the path up to Lewis' Broadcast Talks (as well as a parallel journey by Dorothy Sayers) you will find this book enjoyable reading. The first section of the book tells the story of the development of the BBC, the political structures it operated under and the development of religious programming. This section does an excellent job of drawing the situation into which Lewis is injected with his talks that eventually became Mere Christianity. The second section is the story of Lewis broadcast talks. Perhaps most intriguing was viewing the process of developing the talks and the role of the BBC in "encouraging" Lewis to shape his talks to their needs. Just as importantly we see how he might change structure, but he had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish with the talks. In addition we see how the talks and religious programming in general were a part of the war effort. The book concludes with their divergent paths in the post war era. It's intriguing to see how many times over the years Lewis turned down the BBC, rejecting both half-baked ideas and a few that look quite promising. Also it's interesting to note that due to the authors archive searches, there is no doubt that virtually none of this material survives in recorded form-a real tragedy.

Radio's Power and Politics

This book is as much about C.S. Lewis as it is about the BBC and its internal workings, politics with the government, and its effective, or sometimes, not so effective use of its medium. The first 60 pages or so deal mostly with the BBC and the internal workings and government external forces in producing programs for the population. It is interesting in its relation to the war as well as its relation to religious programming. The censorship chapters are interesting, yet, not surprising and in the context of the situation at hand, over understood. The archives and letters about C.S. Lewis and the interactions with producing his talks, changing items for the BBC and making the "Talks" and their effect is interesting from a realistic and pragmatic standpoint more than a theological one. Phillips also touches on the work Dorthy Sayers and her BBC production of "The Man Born to be King." Her and Lewis' radio work left a lasting legacy, for good or ill (after all, most religious prod-casting isn't up to their level whether in theological discussions or plays).

Necessities of war produce timeless classic

In World War 2, Christianity and western civilization were under attack from pagan Nazi totalitarianism. Winston Churchill was battling valiantly, but he needed rhetorical reinforcement. Churchill needed someone who could rally the British people to defend Christianity, the religious soul of western civilization. That help came from Professor C.S. Lewis. In his bold BBC radio broadcasts, Lewis used plain language to defend core Christian beliefs -- the beliefs that transcend individual denominations. His broadcasts stiffened the spine of the British people as German bombs rained down upon England. He reminded them that western civilization stands for wholesome principles of eternal value. And, decades after the defeat of the Nazis, Lewis' message continues to inspire through the pages of his classic, Mere Christianity. The late Justin Phillips was the perfect author to explain this little-understood nexus between World War II and Mere Christianity. A BBC radio journalist for over 20 years and a devout Christian, Phillips understood both the medium and the message. We can be grateful to Phillips' daughter Laura Treneer, who edited his almost-finished manuscript for publication.