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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Part II, Essay 14, "Revival or Decay?" Lewis warns against the danger of the increasing worship of what potentially sinful activity?

2. In the original essay to which Lewis responds in Part IV, Letter 1, "The Conditions for a Just War", what is the final condition?

3. What is one reason Lewis gives in support of women serving as priests?

4. Why does Lewis advocate reading older texts?

5. What philosopher does Lewis quote in Part IV, Letter 12, "Capital Punishment and Death Penalty"?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Lewis' writings in Part II, Essay 15, "Before We Can Communicate", what challenges do Christians face in dealing with non-believing Englishmen?

2. Explain some of the problems that Lewis sees as challenges to Christianity in England.

3. According to Lewis, how might vivisection be justified?

4. What kind of compulsions does Lewis argue against?

5. Why did Lewis believe that the Nazi emphasis on Nordic myth was absurd?

6. What practical reasons does Lewis give to reject the idea of women serving as priests?

7. How does Lewis feel about the Anglican church allowing Catholic-like invocation of the saints?

8. According to Lewis' writings in Part II, Essay 10, "Modern Translations of the Bible", how do translations of the bible change over time?

9. What problem does Lewis identify in the rules discussed in Part IV, Letter 1, "Conditions for a Just War"?

10. Why does Lewis believe that the decline of religion occurring at his time was less dramatic than it appeared?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Science and religion have been in contention ever since the church began to loose its authority over science due to the work of enlightenment thinkers and scientists. The debate between these apparently opposing world-views raged in Lewis' time and continues unabated to the modern day.

1) Discuss some of the reasons that science and religion come into conflict ideologically.

2) Explain some of the arguments used by both sides to suggest that the opposing viewpoint is invalid.

3) Explain the difference between scientific thought and materialism.

4) Describe the argument that Lewis uses to suggest that science and religion need not be in conflict.

Essay Topic 2

Lewis concedes that animal pain is a major problem for theist belief. Although there are many classical arguments to explain the experience of pain by humans, who are able to learn and grow as a result of suffering, there are very few ways to explain the necessity for animals to suffer.

1) Summarize the "problem of pain" for Christianity specifically and for theist belief as a whole that Lewis outlines. Explain how Lewis resolves this problem in the case of human beings.

2) Discuss why the experience of pain by animals remains problematic for Christian apologists.

3) Describe Lewis' theory of "animal stages" and how it acts to explain away some of the problem of animal pain.

Essay Topic 3

Apologetics is the rational defense of the faith. Lewis was one of the premiere Christian apologists of his century, publishing prolifically to explain, justify, and defend the Christian faith, which he believed to be not only good, but true. Apologetics employs reason, logic, historical evidence, and rhetorical techniques to shed a positive light on the Christian faith.

1) Explain the nature and purpose of apologetics. Who is the typical audience for an apologetic discussion?

2) Discuss some of the most common problems for Christian apologists, and the ways that Lewis approaches these problems.

3) Assess and explain whether faith needs to be defended and how appropriate reason and logic are to this endeavor.

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