Of faith and fairies
From Mr D.M.C. Elwes
Sir: Further to Paul Johnson on O.K. Chesterton (And another thing, 14 September), C.S. Lewis may have called GKC a 'problem', yet in Surprised by Joy he emphasises his delight in GKC's personality and writings, and how they drew him back to Christianity. Both believed in fairies and that is why both are effective as Christian apologists. And was CSL a 'fervent Protestant' or 'Low Churchman' in the positive sense of these terms? He never questions the Apostolic Succession or any aspect of Catholic Sacramentalism. His faith was both traditional and ecumenical, It is in his very avoidance of sectarianism that he reveals what Tolkien wittily calls his Ulsterior motive. He is kinder to Catholics than GKC is to Evangelicals.
D.M.C. Dives
Lincoln
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