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Real Presence: The Christian Worldview of C. S. Lewis As Incarnational Reality
Real The Christian Worldview of C. S. Lewis As Incarnational Reality
198 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1979
About the author
Leanne Payne
37 books32 followersMrs. Payne has been active in the ministry of healing prayer for over thirty years. She is the founder and president of Pastoral Care Ministries.
Her books include: Real Presence, The Broken Image, Healing the Homosexual, Crisis in Masculinity, Healing Presence, Restoring the Christian Soul, and Listening Prayer.
She has taught for Wheaton College, in the graduate program in Christian Spirituality at Creighton University, as well as for University of the Nations. She holds both a BA and MA from Wheaton College as well as an MA from the University of Arkansas. Mrs. Payne was also a research fellow at Yale Divinity School.
Her books include: Real Presence, The Broken Image, Healing the Homosexual, Crisis in Masculinity, Healing Presence, Restoring the Christian Soul, and Listening Prayer.
She has taught for Wheaton College, in the graduate program in Christian Spirituality at Creighton University, as well as for University of the Nations. She holds both a BA and MA from Wheaton College as well as an MA from the University of Arkansas. Mrs. Payne was also a research fellow at Yale Divinity School.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 15, 2020
Leanne Payne went to college later in life, and during those years she served as an assistant to C.S. Lewis scholar Clyde S. Kilby. Dr. Kilby was instrumental in establishing the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, which has collected many of the writings of the "Inklings," a group of famous Christian authors associated with Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. As Kilby's assistant, Ms. Payne cataloged many of Lewis' letters and writings. In the process she became intimately acquainted with his work.
This book was an important introduction for me to Lewis' thought, and prompted me to read the remainder of Lewis' fiction that I still hadn't read up to that point. Ms. Payne's perspective was somewhat unique, that of a charismatic Episcopalian--a combination not unheard of but not especially common either. Her viewpoint brings a synthesis of the liturgical and sacramental perspective of Anglicanism with the more experiential and immediate outlook of the charismatic movement. As someone who grew up Presbyterian (liturgical) but was also influenced by the charismatic movement, I find Payne's spiritual perspective in her writings refreshingly balanced.
Payne's ministry focus was on spiritual and emotional healing, and as I read her take on Lewis' thought, I couldn't help but wonder how much her perspective on Lewis was colored by her charismatic viewpoint and also her emphasis on inner healing. If she had been able to discuss her understanding of Lewis' writings with the author himself, I wonder how much he would have agreed with her interpretations? I'd like to see other Lewis scholars engage with Ms. Payne's material in order to learn what they would think about her conclusions. That said, I think the book's greatest value comes in providing the theological and psychological foundation for Leanne Payne's other writings.
This book was an important introduction for me to Lewis' thought, and prompted me to read the remainder of Lewis' fiction that I still hadn't read up to that point. Ms. Payne's perspective was somewhat unique, that of a charismatic Episcopalian--a combination not unheard of but not especially common either. Her viewpoint brings a synthesis of the liturgical and sacramental perspective of Anglicanism with the more experiential and immediate outlook of the charismatic movement. As someone who grew up Presbyterian (liturgical) but was also influenced by the charismatic movement, I find Payne's spiritual perspective in her writings refreshingly balanced.
Payne's ministry focus was on spiritual and emotional healing, and as I read her take on Lewis' thought, I couldn't help but wonder how much her perspective on Lewis was colored by her charismatic viewpoint and also her emphasis on inner healing. If she had been able to discuss her understanding of Lewis' writings with the author himself, I wonder how much he would have agreed with her interpretations? I'd like to see other Lewis scholars engage with Ms. Payne's material in order to learn what they would think about her conclusions. That said, I think the book's greatest value comes in providing the theological and psychological foundation for Leanne Payne's other writings.
September 11, 2016
Leanne Payne pulls from throughout C.S. Lewis's life and works for a very serviceable outline and summary of Lewis's view of man, God, and reality. She's fair to Lewis, at least insofar as my knowledge of Lewis enables me to judge, and I found it helpful to see Lewis's philosophic thoughts systematically laid out.
Further, as a reader with a deep appreciation for Charles Williams, I thought Payne's rather severe criticism of William's view of good and evil in the appendix (titled "The Great Divorce", following Lewis) was actually quite discerning, just, and ultimately quite helpful.
Recommended, but non-essential, reading for a follower of Lewis, with a strong recommendation for readers of Charles Williams.
Further, as a reader with a deep appreciation for Charles Williams, I thought Payne's rather severe criticism of William's view of good and evil in the appendix (titled "The Great Divorce", following Lewis) was actually quite discerning, just, and ultimately quite helpful.
Recommended, but non-essential, reading for a follower of Lewis, with a strong recommendation for readers of Charles Williams.
November 8, 2020
I love the work of C.S. Lewis. His Narnia cronicles a for example the screwtape letters. I love his chain of thoughts as his diction. This tribute to all his books from the Leanne Payne read also very good. From the title it seems somekind of talk about his childern books, but very soon it begins to have much deeper undethone. I was cherishing and savoring this book as long as possible. To be with mister C.S. Lewis is like to meet Aslan himself there is innough time all time in the world just to sit and listen what he has to say.
October 21, 2023
This books systematizes C.S. Lewis' thoughts on communion with God, what Payne calls "Real Presence". It is a helpful resource not only into the mind and beliefs of Lewis, but as a call for all of us to the need for tangible (real) connection with God through the Spirit. How does this indwelling and real presence manifest itself in our lives and how does it relate to the person as a whole? Payne lays out Lewis' practices and understanding in this regard in a very helpful way.
March 14, 2020
Dense for me but a lot of helpful theology.
Want to Read
March 17, 2022Jeff’s recommendation
July 8, 2019
This was Leanne Payne's very first book, and she presents Lewis's writings as if they represent the epitome of orthodox Christianity. In fact, she often does the same in her later books as well.
Unfortunately, Lewis held some seriously heretical doctrines. For instance, he believed that macroevolution was a perfectly valid explanation for the origin of life. He also didn't believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. And he thought that the story of Adam and Eve might well just be a myth, not something to be taken literally. Some Christians find the themes of "white magic" that run through many of his books to be problematic as well, believing that they have occult undertones. In addition, apparently as a university professor, he was often known to go out with his students and get drunk. To learn more about the many heresies that Lewis believed, you can do a Web search for this article: "C. S. Lewis — the most beloved heretic."
And to make matters worse, Lewis married a divorced woman, Joy Davidman, in 1956. He had sought the blessing of the Anglican Church, but the Bishop of Oxford refused to marry them because Joy had been divorced. Since the Anglican Church did not condone divorce, the bishop would not give them his blessing. To be fair, Davidman's first husband William Gresham had been married before, so one could make a case that his marriage to Davidman was not a real marriage. Still, Lewis flat-out ignored the advice from the Bishop of Oxford and apparently found another bishop who would give him and Joy his blessing. At the very least, you could say that Lewis married a woman who had been living in adultery with another man for over a decade. Does that really sound like God's will to you?
Now, for the book itself. Much that Lewis wrote was insightful, and Payne evaluates various themes that run through his works. This is a short book, and not a particularly difficult read. It's often very enjoyable, helping the reader understand various key truths about the Christian walk.
What the book does, it does well. However, it's very odd that Payne offers a sharply critical critique (which is well-founded) of some of Charles Williams's views in the appendix, but shows nothing but uncritical adoration toward the ideas of Lewis. The fact that she fails to warn readers about the many serious problems with Lewis's views is a major blind spot of this book. I don't know whether she just failed to do her homework, or actually knew about all the problems with Lewis but simply chose to whitewash them (which would be engaging in, as Payne would say, the vice of sentimentality). I suspect the former.
Anyway, if you're a reasonably mature Christian and already understand the major flaws in Lewis's thinking, you might want to check out this book. But if you're a baby Christian, it's probably best to just stay away.
Overall, Payne's half-baked scholarship in regard to Lewis makes it kind of hard to take this book seriously. I mean, how on earth can you expect anyone to read a book that you've written when you haven't even bothered to do thorough research?
Unfortunately, Lewis held some seriously heretical doctrines. For instance, he believed that macroevolution was a perfectly valid explanation for the origin of life. He also didn't believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. And he thought that the story of Adam and Eve might well just be a myth, not something to be taken literally. Some Christians find the themes of "white magic" that run through many of his books to be problematic as well, believing that they have occult undertones. In addition, apparently as a university professor, he was often known to go out with his students and get drunk. To learn more about the many heresies that Lewis believed, you can do a Web search for this article: "C. S. Lewis — the most beloved heretic."
And to make matters worse, Lewis married a divorced woman, Joy Davidman, in 1956. He had sought the blessing of the Anglican Church, but the Bishop of Oxford refused to marry them because Joy had been divorced. Since the Anglican Church did not condone divorce, the bishop would not give them his blessing. To be fair, Davidman's first husband William Gresham had been married before, so one could make a case that his marriage to Davidman was not a real marriage. Still, Lewis flat-out ignored the advice from the Bishop of Oxford and apparently found another bishop who would give him and Joy his blessing. At the very least, you could say that Lewis married a woman who had been living in adultery with another man for over a decade. Does that really sound like God's will to you?
Now, for the book itself. Much that Lewis wrote was insightful, and Payne evaluates various themes that run through his works. This is a short book, and not a particularly difficult read. It's often very enjoyable, helping the reader understand various key truths about the Christian walk.
What the book does, it does well. However, it's very odd that Payne offers a sharply critical critique (which is well-founded) of some of Charles Williams's views in the appendix, but shows nothing but uncritical adoration toward the ideas of Lewis. The fact that she fails to warn readers about the many serious problems with Lewis's views is a major blind spot of this book. I don't know whether she just failed to do her homework, or actually knew about all the problems with Lewis but simply chose to whitewash them (which would be engaging in, as Payne would say, the vice of sentimentality). I suspect the former.
Anyway, if you're a reasonably mature Christian and already understand the major flaws in Lewis's thinking, you might want to check out this book. But if you're a baby Christian, it's probably best to just stay away.
Overall, Payne's half-baked scholarship in regard to Lewis makes it kind of hard to take this book seriously. I mean, how on earth can you expect anyone to read a book that you've written when you haven't even bothered to do thorough research?
April 16, 2016
Payne writes well and has some fresh insights. Well put together. But I have to say as an editor of a Lewis journal through the 90s, none of this is particularly ground-breaking in terms of insight. A good book for someone who hasn't read all the background material.
February 5, 2017
Payne synthesises the psychological, theological and spiritual in ways few others have. As far as I know anyway – any suggestions?
March 12, 2008
Very interesting particularly for any C.S. Lewis fans
July 16, 2008
This book helped put together the pieces of a sacramental understanding of life...a significant step toward finding my spiritual home.
Read
November 21, 2009None
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews