A Review by Theresa Dalton
C.S. Lewis in a Time of War:
The World Broadcasts that Riveted a Nation and Became the Classic Mere Christianity
by Justin Phillips

foreword by Walter Hooper

Recently, I came across this book. Of course, C.S. Lewis is an icon to many, his many books highly respected and inspirational to millions, so its subject matter was enough for me to begin reading with interest.

I, myself, “discovered” C.S. Lewis when I was a teenager, when a friend loaned me the first installment of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. It captivated me, and I “zoomed” through this and the rest of the Chronicles, and I’ve been a fan ever since, reading and re-reading most of his works – marveling at his amazing ability to write clearly and succinctly about so many deep issues.

Well, here was a book that purported to reveal C.S. Lewis’ launching into the radio medium – against the backdrop of one of the most starkly challenging periods in history. And it not only met a profound need of the time, but first brought him to wider fame and the experience also honed and sharpened the communication style of this Oxford don and literary author.

It is a fascinating view. The author, Justin Phillips was a radio journalist with the BBC for over 20 years.   He passed away in 2000, soon after submitting his completed manuscript of this book, and his daughter, Laura Treneer, acted as editor and brought the manuscript to publication in 2002. Mr. Phillips love of his subjects – the BBC and Lewis – is revealed in every chapter, but so is his extensive research into the BBC documents and transcripts of recordings of this time.

One amazing aspect of the book is the clear portrayal of the BBC’s vision during WWII, spearheaded by the Rev. James Welch, Director of Religious Broadcasting, and Rev. Eric Fenn, his Assistant Director. They literally transformed the broadcasting medium during these years from a peripheral entertainment source to become a powerful force to uphold the morale of the British people. The customary sources of entertainment, intellectual and spiritual enrichment, and information were all closed down, as Blitzkrieg pounded the nation. These men grasped in understanding the great opportunity to use this medium to fill these needs and speak directly to those behind the “blackout” blinds, addressing the challenges, doubts and fears at hand, as their cities burned around them, and life and death issues came to the forefront. And who better to speak to these issues than C.S. Lewis, who come to their attention after writing Problem of Pain.

The book reveals that Lewis was a reluctant broadcaster. His focus and attention were on his students at Oxford, writing and lecturing, and his home responsibilities. The coaxing and courting of the BBC is documented, as is the difficult process of producing the programs, difficult in part because of dealing with wartime security concerns, time constraints, and even bombs!

The collaboration, in the end, took the nation by storm – releasing a landslide of letters, as the audience wrote to Lewis with questions, comments and thanks, leading to further radio series.

More interesting is the author’s chronicling how Lewis, because his talks needed to be limited to 15 minutes each, edited them for clarity and brevity – a honing of Lewis’ style that would hold him in good stead the rest of his life as he continued to write and publish his works.

As the subtitle says, “The….Broadcasts that Riveted a Nation and Became the Classic Mere Christianity- for those who haven’t experience reading this “classic” – it is a book to read for many reasons, not least of which is the clear explanation of what Christianity really is. In this day in age, when we are presented with so many “pictures” and definitions of what is to be a Christian, I find Mere Christianity refreshingly “mere” – basic and clear. Justin Phillip’s work fills out the how and why this book came to be.

History buffs, C.S. Lewis fans, or anyone interested in the story of the world at a time when the lines of good and evil were more clearly drawn and recognized, and people stepped forward to do their parts, will enjoy this book. I know I did. It is a “good story, well, told,” as Lewis himself would say.