John Beversluis' on CS Lewis (Ticker series)

[jpholding]

http://tektonticker.blogspot.com/201...is-c-s_08.html

I just finished a 4 part series on one of DJ's homeboys. John Beversluis is an apostate and author of two editions of C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion (CSRR) - one as a Christian, one as a Skeptic.

Beversluis (or "Beaverslice" as I call him here) won some Screwballs in the past for some really goofy comments about things like textual criticism. As it happens nearly all of CSRR is stuff outside my scope; I'll be sending my copy to APhoenix to do some work on those. But his Ch 5 is on the Trilemma, and Beaverslice is even more incompetent on that than my old "Trilemma critic". There were so many errors I decided it wasn't worthwhile to finish the chapter -- he's bad enough as is. Just the sort of source DJ would trust.

His tone towards Lewis was peculiar. At times he almost seemed to be in the throes of hero worship. At other times he was sneering triumphantly at any little mistake or inconsistency he thinks he found in Lewis' arguments. The guy probably needs therapy to get over this...what? CSLOCD? But I can see why other Lewis biographers diss this guy. He handles his subjects like he's wearing a cactus glove.

Enjoy.

[ApologiaPhoenix]

I do have a copy now and am reading it.

[localcontext]

I just read C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion (CSRR) and found it to be clear and fair. His observation that Lewis struggled to maintain his Platonist view of God's goodness while grieving is reasonable and understandable and his identification of Okhamism in some of Lewis's thinking is fair enough. I have not read the first edition but this Revised and Updated version published in 2007 is impressive. It is a pity Lewis is not around to continue discussing his ideas with John.