Re: CS Lewis trilemma misunderstood

>From: "Dr. Blake Nelson" <bnelson301@yahoo.com>

> Howard, I respect very much your views on many things,
> but you have misunderstood C.S. Lewis, in part,
> because of what Josh McDowell did in actually changing
> C.S. Lewis' use of the trilemma. A very good analysis
> is written up by Andrew Rilstone and is found here:
> http://www.aslan.demon.co.uk/trilemma.htm

<snip>

> I think the disservice thus lies not with CSL but
> those who took an argument intended for one purpose
> and applied it to a wholly different purpose.

Blake,

Thanks for this contribution. I had expected more from Lewis, and this helps
to get him off the hook.

My earlier comments would then apply more to McDowell's use of the argument
than to Lewis'. As I understand it, McDowell's dismissing of one of the
three positions of the trilemma and reducing the trilemma to the "God or
madman" dilemma still requires making several strong presuppositions about
the character of the NT text, presuppositions that would radically
distinguish it from the canonical text of most other religions.

Howard Van Till
Received on Sun Dec 21 17:43:13 2003