The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C. S. Lewis

“We are far too easily pleased.”

C. S. Lewis stands as one of the most influential Christians of the twentieth century. His commitment to the life of the mind and the life of the heart is evident in classics like the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity―books that illustrate the unbreakable connection between rigorous thought and deep affection.

With contributions from Randy Alcorn, John Piper, Philip Ryken, Kevin Vanhoozer, David Mathis, and Douglas Wilson, this volume explores the man, his work, and his legacy―reveling in the truth at the heart of Lewis’s spiritual genius: God alone is the answer to our deepest longings and the source of our unending joy.

• Explores the life, work, and theology of C. S. Lewis―one of the most influential Christians of the twentieth century
• Contains contributions from influential Christians leaders, including John Piper, Randy Alcorn, Philip Ryken, Kevin Vanhoozer, and Douglas Wilson

John Piper is founder and lead teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. He served for thirty-three years as a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the author of more than fifty books, including Desiring God; Don’t Waste Your Life; and Providence.

David Mathis serves as senior teacher and executive editor at desiringGod.org; a pastor at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota; and an adjunct professor at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis. He and his wife, Megan, have four children. He is the author of several books, including Habits of Grace.

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a New York Times bestselling author of over sixty books, including Heaven and Face to Face with Jesus. His books have sold over thirteen million copies and been translated into over seventy languages. Randy resides in Gresham, Oregon. Since 2022, his wife and best friend, Nanci, has been living with Jesus in Heaven. He has two married daughters and five grandsons.

Philip Graham Ryken (DPhil, University of Oxford) is the eighth president of Wheaton College. He preached at Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church from 1995 until his appointment at Wheaton in 2010. Ryken has published more than fifty books, including When Trouble Comes and expository commentaries on Exodus, Ecclesiastes, and Jeremiah. He serves as a board member for the Gospel Coalition and the Lausanne Movement.

Kevin Vanhoozer (PhD, Cambridge University) is research professor of systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of several books and serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Systematic Theology and the Journal of Theological Interpretation.