In these works, Lewis conveys the form and energy of classical Christian teaching not through a simple presentation of its content (although he was exceptionally gifted in that, when he did it in a different context), but by showing that the Christian vision of reconciliation between the divine and the human, the healing of human failure and rebellion, the constant pressure on us to abandon falsehood and self-sufficiency, is a vision that interprets the human world we know. No corner of our fragmented and fearful hearts remains untouched by this vision. The vivid stories that Lewis creates show us that the awareness of grace and the reality of repentance can come alive equally through imagination as through reason. In other words, Lewis shows us that reason works within and through imagination. He helps us see that faith is something that requires our whole human self. However, he never makes it easy: it requires painful self-awareness, and the humility to see where we have lied and where we have fallen short.

R. W.