No More Narnia? Why Canceling C.S. Lewis Will Fail

Canceling C.S. Lewis + Deep Discipleship + Why We Need More Monasteries

Dear Barred Aged Christians,

It was recently reported that English authors—C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and George Orwell—were flagged by the U.K.’s department for fighting terrorism (PREVENT). This news was controversial in Britain and shocking for Lewis and Tolkien fans. Here is my take on this story along with some commentary by Fr. Michael Ward on Lewis’ Abolition of Man and why the book challenges the current world system.

Recently, Dr. Jordan Peterson held an interview with EWTN where he describes why the Church has failed to challenge the next generation with adventure and why it is critical to pick up our crosses to follow Jesus. Although I do not agree with everything Peterson says, there are many times when he sounds very much like C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton who could also be quite controversial in there day as well.

How do we attract spiritual seekers to the Church if we are not trying to be relevant? My answer is with what I call ‘High Hospitality.’ This means having coffee with people in the morning or an ale with them late at night to discuss the person of Jesus. It means hosting meals at your home with intentional conversations about the meaning of life. It also means having more welcoming meals after Sunday worship (Mass, Divine Liturgy, etc) for visitors as well as parish festivals to build a sense of community. Jesus was the Lord of meals as He was often seen dining with others in all sorts of settings. He demonstrates how a simple meal with strangers may lead them eventually to partake of the Meal of meals, the Holy Eucharist, which is the gift of Christ Himself to a spiritually, starving world.

Lastly, we need more monasteries in the United States that take holiness, hospitality, and the deep challenge of asceticism seriously. There are already many who do this well, but we need more so that our parishes and societies can be strengthened by their presence near us. Historian Philip Jenkins notes how the Middle East used to be filled with monasteries like flowers in the desert before Islam wiped them out. The monastery was the source of strength, stability, and renewal for ordinary parishes, particularly during challenging times. Let us pray that God raises up more missionary monks and monasteries in our midst! (This last video clip comes from my interview with my son on the connection between the monastery and Hogwarts in Harry Potter).

Be entirely His,
Kyle