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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 the title of the essay in Part II, Essay 12, "God in the Dock", the term "in the dock" refers to a condition in which what happens?

2. How does Lewis regard scientific progress?

3. Lewis believes that Humanitarianism can lead to what outcome?

4. Lewis believes that sexual permissiveness will eventually result an a society unfriendly to what group?

5. Lewis recommends that Christians regard rulers in what way?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Bulverism?

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

3. According to Lewis' writings in Part II, Essay 2, "Two Ways with the Self", what apparent contradiction exists in Christianity regarding self-love, and how is it resolved?

4. According to Lewis' writings in Part II, Essay 1, "Dangers of National Repentance", what dangers does national repentance present?

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

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

7. Why is Lewis opposed to the commercialism of Christmas?

8. Why does Lewis reject the creation of a Christian political party?

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

10. What reasons does Lewis give to support the idea of women serving as priests?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The theory of humanitarian punishment emphasizes rehabilitation and therapy for criminals. Although many can empathize with this approach, Lewis contends that there are significant practical problems that it can lead to.

1) Explain the humanitarian theory of punishment and how it differs from traditional method of punishment. What type of punishment would most criminals prefer to have brought against them?

2) Discuss some of the reasons that Lewis gives to explain why the humanitarian theory is embraced and supported. What apparent advantages does it have?

3) Explain in detail Lewis' argument against this approach to punishment, and describe the problems that he associates with it.

Essay Topic 2

According to Lewis and the scholars he shares correspondence with, suffering appears to be nearly universal in the world. It is not difficult to find human suffering, even in wealthy first-world nations, and animals suffer both in the wild and in human captivity. These scholars agree that the problem of suffering is a significant and important one for Christians, who believe that God is loving and moreover, pure good.

1) Explain the argument that some use to explain how suffering shows that the Christian God does not exist.

2) Describe the counter-arguments made by Lewis and others on this subject, to show that suffering may be an important and necessary component of the world.

3) Assess whether or not suffering is inherently evil, and which position this quality of suffering supports.

Essay Topic 3

Lewis suggests that Christmas is the most important spiritual holiday in the year for many Christians. However, he complains that it has been co-opted by commercial interests, a phenomenon that he views as destructive and undesirable in many respects.

1) Discuss the commercial impact of Christmas according to Lewis and use his arguments to assess whether or not the commercial aspects of the holiday have a net positive or negative impact on the wider culture that they occur in.

2) Discuss Lewis opinion about the impact that the commercialization of Christmas has on Christians and their observance of this important holiday.

3) Summarize the unusual arguments that Lewis puts forward to denounce the commercialization of Christmas.

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