C. S. Lewis on Scripture: His thoughts on the nature of Biblical inspiration, the role of revelation, and the question of inerrancy

Plot

Review from Amazon.com:
This little book is a gem. Attempting to read some books in defence of inerrancy by conservative evangelicals can amount to the theological equivalent of watching paint dry: tedious, torturous, and unimaginative. Thank God for C.S. Lewis! Hailed as "an unorthodox defender of orthodoxy", the author points out that Lewis was neither theologically liberal nor conservative; he defied classification. (Anyone looking for a contemporary equivalent to Lewis should read Robert Farrar Capon.)

Lewis held to the inspiration of Scripture but not strict inerrancy. This is by no means problematic for suffocated evangelicals longing for a "baptized imagination", by which one can bypass the propositions and systems that so often hinder one's intuitive perception of reality. To quote the author of the book:

"To fully grasp the essential message of the Bible, an intuitive approach to its literary images is necessary. To try to abstract truth rationally from Scripture or to reduce embodied Reality to absolute propositions is 'like trying to bottle a sunbeam'. The Bible simply is not meant to be read that way."

As the author also adds, Lewis came to learn that theology could not be completely domesticated by reason, and the mysteries of faith could not be reduced to a precise, logical system. Lewis didn't feel the need to explain away the tensions and paradoxes inherent in the Christian faith. For mature believers tired of the usual fare, this is actually a liberating thing. Others will prefer to stay within the comfort zone of predictable apologists like Josh McDowell, Norman Geisler, and recent publications by Crossway.