Scholarship Essay - What do we think?
Few men or women have affected the world of theology and philosophy the way Clive Staples Lewis has. Lewis' numerous writings on the nature of man, God, pain, joy, and other topics, the understanding of which are vital to life, have affected millions of reader's across the globe. One might contend that Lewis is not a true world leader, but Lewis was a powerful catalyst in making Christianity what it is today for millions of Christians across the globe.

Lewis was not a Christian his entire life. I am intrigued and fascinated by the fact that a man who did not even practice a faith for half his life could be such a driving force in its development. This is precisely what I would speak about with Mr. Lewis given the chance to have a conversation with him.

There are only so many things you can glean from words on a page or even second-hand interviews. When you speak with someone in person, you can see their facial expressions, their reactions, their demeanor and their posture. I might be able to find somewhere in Lewis' writing the answer to the question, "What was it like to come to The Faith so late in your life, and how are you such a powerful theological force in spite of it?" but the most powerful, the most accurate answer would be to look into Lewis' eyes when he gave his response, to observe the way he moved his hands, the way he maybe held his pipe or crosses his legs.

Lewis also struggled with the problem of pain. For him it was so bad that he wrote a book about it. Again, reading can provide insight, but experience gives the truest, most concrete response. "Mr. Lewis," I would say in between sips of tea, "How would you help one reconcile the reality that there is pain in the world with the fact that God is a good and just God?" Lewis might ponder a moment, letting a puff of smoke from his nostrils and tapping his pipe on his knee and respond, "If the universe is so bad...how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator?" (The Problem of Pain).

Lewis was truly a brilliant yet God-fearing man, and because of this, he is the one leader from the past that I would like to meet with. Although I can learn so much of him and his mind through his writings, the most vivid and real experience would come from being with him and speaking with him.