Pursuing Veritas

Does the world really need one more book about C.S. Lewis? Donald Williams thinks so, as is evident from his latest book, Answers from Aslan (DeWard, 2023). This volume explores the apologetic contributions and arguments of C.S. Lewis in light of Lewis’s reception and subsequent apologetic works. In brief, Williams argues that, yes, Lewis is still the dean of Christian apologetics and, yes, he is still worth learning from and listening to today.

After an introduction covering the place of Lewis among apologists today, Williams devotes seven chapters to the examination of Lewis’s most influential arguments. The first several chapters cover the moral argument for the existance of God, the ontological argument, the argument from reason, and Lewis’s famous trilemma. The next two chapters cover some abductive arguments, namely, the argument from desire and Lewis’s narrative argument for Christianity. The last several chapters of Answers from Aslan consider the problem of evil, Lewis’s practical influence on apologetics, and the importance of imagination for the apologist.

The general approach of each chapter includes a brief introduction to the topic of the chapter, a summary of Lewis’s argument, consideration of critiques oriented toward that argument, and then an application section detailing William’s conclusions about the merits and limitations for use of each respective argument. Sprinkled throughout the book are William’s own thematic poems, which bring a decisive air of beauty to a work that might otherwise feel rather technical at points.

Overall, Williams does a masterful job of summarizing Lewis, bringing him into conversation with his more modern interlocutors, and noting the benefits of continuing to learn from Lewis and deploy his arguments in today’s apologetic contexts. In addition to possessing a superlative knowledge of Lewis’s works, Williams writes and incisive, engaging work that engages secondary literature superbly while offering much for Christians interested in apologetics today. This volume would make a worthy addition to any apologetics library, and makes for a helpful book for anyone interested in continuing to learn from C.S. Lewis today.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own.