Between Interpretation and Imagination

Between Interpretation and Imagination, Leslie Baynes. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802874009) 2025.

Summary: C.S. Lewis as Bible interpreter, vis a vis biblical criticism, the trilemma argument, and Narnia.

I am among those shaped profoundly by the works of C. S. Lewis. Mere Christianity spoke to me of the reasonableness of Christian belief as a young believer in conversation with skeptical friends. Over the years, I often used his “Liar, Lunatic or Lord” argument, also referred to as “the trilemma.” And like many, his works of fiction opened up to me the reality of a Christian imagination.

Yet like all human beings, C.S. Lewis was fallible. He discovered this painfully when bested in debate by Elizabeth Anscombe, discussing the problem of pain. Leslie Baynes, who is associate professor of New Testament and Second Temple Judaism at Missouri State University has steeped herself deeply in the work of Lewis as a scholar in residence at the Kilns as well as in New Testament scholarship. She combines these two foci to examine and critique Lewis’s engagement with scripture. On one hand, she will find numerous flaws in Lewis’s engagement with biblical scholarship. On the other hand, she will take us deep into the world of Narnia and how Lewis’s scripture-saturated imagination shows up in these stories.

The first part of the book considers what Lewis read about scripture and how this influenced him. James Moffatt shaped his ideas about the harmony of the gospels, including the very different gospel of John. Charles Gore more than anyone shaped his doctrine of scripture with his emphasis on the incarnation, how not all scripture is divine in the same way, how the Old Testament prepares the way for Christ and how Jesus, not scripture is the word of God.

The second part of the book addresses specific case studies and controversies. Lewis identified with neither the fundamentalists or the modernists. He did not, unlike the fundamentalists, consider scripture inerrant, even though he shared other common ground with them. If anything, he was more scathing in criticism toward modernists. And it is here that Baynes most strongly criticizes him as a scholar. She highlights his essay “Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism.” She notes errors of Lewis in citations, and believes he fundamentally misread Bultmann. Rather, she thinks Lewis and Bultmann may have had more in common than Lewis thought.

Then, she comes to Lewis’s “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord” argument. She observes how Lewis invents statements by Jesus found nowhere in the canonical text. Basically, she contends that Lewis’s assertion that Jesus taught that he was God overstates the case. Only in his trial does he unambiguously say this (although it may be argued that other statements infer, if not state his identity as God). She observes that the argument as Lewis states it collapses with the knowledgeable.

The third part has a very different tone. Here, Baynes takes each of the Narnia stories and explores how they reflect Lewis’s biblical imagination. She finds biblical allusions others have missed. For example, she concludes her chapter on The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader” with a chart of ten allusions to the Gospel of John and the corresponding plot element in the story. Many of the allusions are subtle, and Baynes concludes, as have others that Lewis does so to steal past watchful dragons.

Baynes concludes that Lewis’s errors were those of a theological amateur. She wishes he were alive because “he loved a healthy intellectual brawl.” She thinks there was a lot Lewis got right, including his rejection of biblical inerrancy combined with his life of loving obedience.

Baynes close reading of Lewis points up legitimate flaws in his scholarship, something academics do for each other in the service of truth. For any of us engaged in apologetic work, her critique of Lewis’s framing of the trilemma points the way to making a stronger argument. What I had wished for was more balance in affirming the strengths of Lewis’s critique against the modernists, particularly the subjective character of their judgments. On the other hand, she offered an extremely helpful “readers guide” to the Chronicles that made me want to read them again. This is Lewis scholarship that breaks new ground and reminds me of the legacy of riches he left us.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.