I have often said that if you haven't read C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity before you get to heaven, you'll have to read it when you arrive. I'm sure that there's a holding room beside the pearly gates with copies in every language. Once you're done, you can step into paradise. Along with thousands of others, I consider Mr. Lewis to be one of the most effective theologians of the 20th century, his works indispensable reading for those who follow Jesus today. In the spirit of a summer reading list, I thought a week spent getting to know Lewis and his legacy might be helpful. If when we're done you're more ready for heaven, so much the better.

C. S. Lewis wrote 40 books in his lifetime; another 20 collections of his essays, letters, and poems have appeared after his death. He wrote them all by hand, having never learned to type. His books today sell six million copies a year.

Since his death in 1963, more than 100 books have been written about Lewis and his writings. By the centennial of his birth in 1998, there were four major biographies of Lewis, six collections of reminiscences, eight surveys of his fiction, and six others devoted specifically to The Chronicles of Narnia. The movie Shadowlands retold the dramatic story of his marriage to Joy Davidman and her death three years later from cancer, exposing his life to a new generation.

Clive Staples Lewis was born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland). He was the second son of Albert Lewis, a lawyer, and Flora Hamilton Lewis. Warren Hamilton Lewis, known as Warnie, had been born three years earlier. Lewis hated the name Clive Staples; at the age of four he pointed to himself and said, "He is Jacksie," refusing to answer to any other name. So he became Jacksie, later shortened to Jack, to his family and friends for the rest of his life.

Lewis spent his early years in a prosperous and happy home. Their house was known as Little Lea. It was large and gabled, with a multitude of narrow passages and an overgrown garden. It was also home to his father's large library. He and his brother spent many hours playing in the garden and reading in the library. Two of his favorites were Treasure Island by Stevenson and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Here Lewis acquired his life-long love for stories and myths. He and his brother invented their own imaginary world, with its own characters and places. But this idyllic existence was not to last, as we'll see tomorrow.

Copyright © 2007. Godissues.com. All rights reserved.