C. S. Lewis in America: Readings and Reception, 1935-1947

by Mark A. Noll, Karen Johnson (Contribution by), Kirk D. Farney (Contribution by), Amy Black (Contribution by)

Overview

Perhaps no other literary figure has transformed the American religious landscape in recent history as much as C. S. Lewis. Even before the international publication and incredible success of his fictional works such as The Chronicles of Narnia or apologetic works like Mere Christianity, Lewis was already being read "across the pond" in America. But who exactly was reading his work? And how was he received?

With fresh research and shrewd analysis, this volume by noted historian Mark A. Noll considers the surprising reception of Lewis among Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, and evangelical readers to see how early readings of the Oxford don shaped his later influence.

Based on the annual lecture series hosted at Wheaton College's Marion E. Wade Center, volumes in the Hansen Lectureship Series reflect on the imaginative work and lasting influence of seven British authors: Owen Barfield, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781514007013
Publisher:	IVP Academic
Publication date:	11/14/2023
Series:	Hansen Lectureship Series
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	731,891
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Mark A. Noll is emeritus professor of history at Wheaton College and the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of many books, including America's Book, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia, The New Shape of World Christianity, The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield and the Wesleys, The Civil War as a Theological Crisis, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, and The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.

Mark A. Noll is emeritus professor of history at Wheaton College and the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of many books, including America's Book, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia, The New Shape of World Christianity, The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield and the Wesleys, The Civil War as a Theological Crisis, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, and The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.

Kirk D. Farney (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is vice president for advancement, vocation, and alumni engagement and a member of the history faculty at Wheaton College (Illinois).

Table of Contents

Preface: G. Walter Hansen
Introduction: Mark A. Noll
1. Surprise: Roman Catholics as Lewis's First and Most Appreciative Readers
Response: Karen J. Johnson
2. "Like a Fresh Wind": Reception in Secular and Mainstream Media
Response: Kirk D. Farney
3. Protestants Also Approve (But Evangelicals, Only Slowly)
Response: Amy E. Black
Appendix: Charles Brady's Two Articles from America on C. S. Lewis in 1944
Contributors
Image Credits
Name Index
Subject Index

What People are Saying About This

Timothy Larsen

"From elite, secular newspapers to denominational magazines, C. S. Lewis's writings commending the Christian faith had an enthusiastic reception in America. In this prophetic and timely book, preeminent historian Mark A. Noll has uncovered the secret of Lewis's success: he was deeply learned, theologically focused, and unusually creative. Noll himself brilliantly models how to embody these traits today."

George Marsden

"Mark Noll offers the definitive account of Lewis's reception in mid-twentieth-century America. He skillfully uses that story as a window on the overall state of Christianity in America during an era."

Alister McGrath

"An invaluable assessment of Lewis's reception in the United States, offering important insights into both Lewis's significance and the distinctives of the American religious mind."

Alan Jacobs

"This is a deeply informed, fascinating account of the varying fortunes of C. S. Lewis's writings in America. Initial misunderstanding and mistrust give way to respect, and then to reverence, and ultimately to something not far from idolatry. Noll tells the tale vividly, and the responses from Johnson, Farney, and Black point out some vital implications of this history for Christians today. A welcome addition both to Lewis scholarship and contemporary Christian self-reflection."

Jerry Root

"Mark Noll's C. S. Lewis in America gives evidence to the principle that the academic enterprise consists in seeing patterns and exceptions. Without generalizing, no body of knowledge can be passed on to others. And without accounting for exceptions, no generalization is honest. Noll has mastered the art of abstraction. With faithful respect for the particulars, he writes as Georges Seurat painted—he applies each researched point after point to the canvas of his manuscript. What emerges is a masterpiece, unambiguous. The picture is clear. Noll convinces. All who read this book will understand, with good reason, the American fascination with C. S. Lewis."

Phil Tallon

"Every time I start to think there is nothing more to say about Lewis, a new book comes out proving me wrong. Mark Noll's C. S. Lewis in America helpfully maps the progress of the Oxford don toward the dominant position he now enjoys as evangelicalism's favorite Brit. Noll and his respondents helpfully evaluate and nuance Lewis's reception here. A valuable contribution to Lewis studies."

Jason M. Baxter

"One hundred years on, it's almost impossible for us to imagine a C. S. Lewis who was merely an Oxford professor. Mark Noll's story gives us a Lewis before he was famous."

Michael Ward

"Interesting and informative. Mark Noll sheds light on the various ways American readers received Lewis's early works and, in so doing, illuminates the state of Christianity throughout the United States more generally during the period under examination. A fascinating snapshot and a cleverly oblique approach to the study of church history."

Editorial Reviews

08/21/2023

Historian Noll (America’s Book) and contributors Johnson, a professor of history at Wheaton College; Farney, vice president for advancement and alumni relations at Wheaton College; and Black, a professor of political science at Wheaton College, take a fine-grained look at the U.S. reception of C.S. Lewis’s works between 1937 and 1947 to “gain deeper insight into both Lewis and America” during a period of “pervasive national crises.” Combing through book reviews and writings by academics, journalists, and religious thinkers, Noll posits that “the deeply learned” and “unusually creative” author was able to garner overwhelmingly positive reception in an America riven by religious and cultural divides. Farney attributes Lewis’s success to his focus on exploring Christian religious truths, which appealed to audiences amid the Great Depression and WWII, as the public sought “something into which they could place their trust.” The book also explores how today’s Christians might communicate “God’s truth” using Lewis’s creativity, whether that entails “visual arts, musical compositions and performances, mathematical equations, historical analyses, and more.” Supported by meticulous historical context, this anthology provides insight into an influential thinker’s faith and its relevance today. Believers curious about Lewis’s legacy will be fascinated and inspired. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Interesting and informative. Mark Noll sheds light on the various ways American readers received Lewis's early works and, in so doing, illuminates the state of Christianity throughout the United States more generally during the period under examination. A fascinating snapshot and a cleverly oblique approach to the study of church history."

Michael Ward

"From elite, secular newspapers to denominational magazines, C. S. Lewis's writings commending the Christian faith had an enthusiastic reception in America. In this prophetic and timely book, preeminent historian Mark A. Noll has uncovered the secret of Lewis's success: he was deeply learned, theologically focused, and unusually creative. Noll himself brilliantly models how to embody these traits today."

Timothy Larsen

"Every time I start to think there is nothing more to say about Lewis, a new book comes out proving me wrong. Mark Noll's C. S. Lewis in America helpfully maps the progress of the Oxford don toward the dominant position he now enjoys as evangelicalism's favorite Brit. Noll and his respondents helpfully evaluate and nuance Lewis's reception here. A valuable contribution to Lewis studies."

Phil Tallon

"An invaluable assessment of Lewis's reception in the United States, offering important insights into both Lewis's significance and the distinctives of the American religious mind."

Alister McGrath

"Mark Noll offers the definitive account of Lewis's reception in mid-twentieth-century America. He skillfully uses that story as a window on the overall state of Christianity in America during an era."

George Marsden

"One hundred years on, it's almost impossible for us to imagine a C. S. Lewis who was merely an Oxford professor. Mark Noll's story gives us a Lewis before he was famous."

Jason M. Baxter

"Mark Noll's C. S. Lewis in America gives evidence to the principle that the academic enterprise consists in seeing patterns and exceptions. Without generalizing, no body of knowledge can be passed on to others. And without accounting for exceptions, no generalization is honest. Noll has mastered the art of abstraction. With faithful respect for the particulars, he writes as Georges Seurat painted—he applies each researched point after point to the canvas of his manuscript. What emerges is a masterpiece, unambiguous. The picture is clear. Noll convinces. All who read this book will understand, with good reason, the American fascination with C. S. Lewis."

Jerry Root

"This is a deeply informed, fascinating account of the varying fortunes of C. S. Lewis's writings in America. Initial misunderstanding and mistrust give way to respect, and then to reverence, and ultimately to something not far from idolatry. Noll tells the tale vividly, and the responses from Johnson, Farney, and Black point out some vital implications of this history for Christians today. A welcome addition both to Lewis scholarship and contemporary Christian self-reflection."

Alan Jacobs

10/01/2023

Noll (emeritus, history, Wheaton Coll. and Univ. of Notre Dame; The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind) applies his talents as a historian to the description and evaluation of early North American reviews of C.S. Lewis's works. The content originates in a series of lectures given at Wheaton College in 2022. Its chapters concentrating on the Roman Catholic reception of Lewis, the secular response, and the Protestant reaction are each followed by an essay from a Wheaton professor. Noll uses their book reviews as a window into the cultural life at the time, and to suggest that there was more social consensus in that era than might be expected. He also asks the question of what application can be made from the broad acceptance and influence of Lewis for evangelicals looking to emulate him today. While the attention to historical nuance and details in this study is to be commended, the takeaways and application to current issues could have been developed further. VERDICT A careful and modest addition to the scholarly conversation around the life and works of C.S. Lewis.—Zachariah Motts

Library Journal