Hey, everybody! Welcome back to Tumnus’ Bookshelf where we review any and all books by and about CS Lewis and the Land of Narnia. For today’s review we will be looking at CS Lewis’s The Business of Heaven.
Title : The Business of Heaven
Author: CS Lewis
Editor: Walter Hooper.
Publisher: Mariner Books (July 5, 1984)
ISBN-10: 0156148633
ISBN-13: 978-0156148634
Summary:
Arranged in 365 carefully edited selections ( including a separate selection of readings for the Lenten season) CS Lewis The Business of Heaven gives the readers an excellent look at the one plac that not even Lewis’ fertile imagination could comprehend: Heaven.
Review:
Now a days there is no shortage of devotional books written by popular Christian authors. Billy Graham, max Lucado, James Dobson, Chuck Swindoll, Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins and the like have all produced their share of daily devotional books based on their writings or in the case of Graham, their sermons. Even the popular movie Fireproof received the 365 treatment. CS Lewis’ the Business of Heaven was probably the earliest devotional book.
Unlike the more recent Year with CS Lewis and more in line with the other devotionals, Business of Heaven centers around a specific topic, that of Heaven and Eternity. When it comes to church doctrines, Lewis wrote the most on Heaven and Hell and still provides some very good incites not them. To some it may seem strange to have the writings of a dead author complied for a devotional, afterall the writings of the likes of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinus, or Martin Luther and John Calvin haven’t been complied into clear concise 365 day readings, which really wouldn’t work especially since some of them would have to be translated into English. For some reason however, this just works for CS Lewis’ writings.
Also unlike A Year With CS Lewis, Business of Heaven uses more then just Lewis’ apologetic works. There are readings from Screwtape Letters, Great Divorce, and even Narnia. Along with giving readers some things to think about concerning Heaven and Hell, Buissness of Heaven also makes for a very good “sample platter” of Lewis writings and shows just how much he wrote.
Another bonus in this devotional book is at the back there are several supplemental readings for key Church feasts and celebrations including, Ash Wendsday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Blood and Body of Christ. It is based on the Anglican calendar so even for most modern readers growing up in more non-liturgical traditions where many of these observances ( save Maybe Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter) there may be some confusion. However there is a handy calendar before that section that pinpoints what day those festivals fall in a given year. However current versions only go up to 205 so have a calculator handy to count off when some of the days may follow.
Walter Hooper did a good job editing the essay selections for the devotional. While some things certainly are cut they are logical and help get to the point of the selection. The only problem is that the selectiosn due appear to be much more weighteir then they are in their original works. Lewis did have a good degree of with in all his writings and wit tends to not be a main feature of any devotional book. Also, unlike a Year with CS Lewis, there is no one additional reading for Leap Day. One has toa dmit, it is hard to do a daily devotional every four years when there is an extra day in the year and there is nothing to read.
In all this is a very good devotional, and certainly Lewis belongs right along side Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, James Dobson and Max Lucado. The added bonus of the movable feast readings make it even more worth the purchase.
4 ½ out of 5 shields.
Order the book from Amazon.com