Christianity has given the world a hefty volume of great authors and books. Obviously, you’ve got the Holy Bible, which is by far the best-selling book in the world. And outside of that, you’ve got a rich tradition of the Church producing excellent literature. Some of it is philosophical, some of it is allegorical fiction, some of it is straight fiction (and sometimes even science fiction), some of it is poetry, some of it is revolutionary ideology aimed at the church and of course, some of it is theology.
It’s no secret that my favorite author of all time is C.S. Lewis. Nearly every one of his 40 something books astounds me. He had an unrivaled gift for simplifying the complex and revealing truth that was previously hidden. His Space Trilogy inspired many lyrics on BTA’s album Dichotomy. His Chronicles of Narnia have been a huge hit in the Church and in the mainstream world. Books such as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters revealed his insights into the sometimes obscure nexus where theology met with philosophy.
But Lewis wasn’t alone. Writing in the early 1900s in Britain, he was part of a culture that celebrated great literature by Christian authors. Lewis was part of a group of writers called the Inklings, which included such notable minds as J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams. Friends with these authors was a great author named Dorothy Sayers, whose book “The Mind of the Maker” has been influential to lots of Christian artists. Also in this era of British literature were such well-known authors as T.S. Eliot.
So for the next couple weeks, let’s celebrate great Christian literature. This week was obviously focused on British authors of the early 1900s. Who are your favorite authors and what era/culture should we look at next week?