by Crystal Hurd
In the wee hours of September 23, I traveled five hours
through the idyllic Kentucky countryside to Asbury University to hear Douglas
Gresham, step-son of C.S. Lewis. Gresham had three speaking engagements at
Asbury that day: “chapel” (the audience comprised mainly of students), a
question and answer session in the media department discussing aspects of the
first three Narnia films, and the final talk open to the general public about
growing up with C.S. Lewis.
The first talk perhaps gave me the best first impression of
Gresham. He was introduced by an Asbury student who had been writing to Gresham
since she was fourteen. Nearly every day
for the past five years, the student corresponded with Gresham and now considered
him a dear friend and mentor (following in the footsteps of his step-father,
Gresham answers every email he receives). Humbly, Gresham approached the podium
in a white turtleneck, khaki vest, and brown riding boots and began to unravel
the events which influenced his conversion to Christianity. He recalled the
loss of his mother to cancer, of his father’s suicide, and of the equally
painful loss of his step-father. These emotional tempests did much to tarnish
his faith. However, the lessons Gresham learned while living at the Kilns with
Lewis surely made an impression on him. He began to understand the importance
of service as part of the body of Christ. “Faith, hope, and charity”, he
stated, “and the greatest of these is charity”. Choosing the translation of “charity”
over the popular preference “love” is, I believe, intentional. Charity is a
state of “giving”, contributing tirelessly and generously even if it becomes
inconvenient. Once Gresham made the leap, once “the armor was off” as Lewis so
poignantly states in Surprised by Joy,
he came to realize that there was nothing glamorous in Christianity; the glory
belonged solely to God. As he spoke, I detected glimpses of his mother, the
wisdom and whimsical wordplay of Joy Lewis: “A man who worships himself has a fool
for a deity”. Later, Gresham remarked that Lewis taught him that life was not
about “understanding more” but “misunderstanding less”. His jovial nature and
gentle spirit were immediately evident when he spoke. As Lewis’s step-son, he could easily have
developed into a pretentious, flamboyant personality, but true to Lewis’s
example, Gresham was effortlessly humble and gracious. I was most touched at
Gresham’s now unwavering devotion to Christ and his persistence to serve
humanity. Gresham and his wife ran a successful ministry for nearly 30 years in
Ireland.
C.S. Lewis display in Kinlaw Library featuring unpublished Lewis correspondence
The second session took place in a small “theater” located
in the media building. Seats filled
quickly, as did the floor space. To a full house, Gresham discussed aspects of
producing the Narnia films. Students asked a range of questions from, “Do you
think Lewis would like the films?” to “What is the deal with that kiss at the
end of Prince Caspian?”(Just for the
record, Gresham declined this alteration and the director ignored Gresham’s
protestations). Gresham fielded each
question with kindness and occasionally with humor. Gresham recalls being on set and rumors
swirling that he was having passionate affairs with the female actresses. Gresham chuckled, “I didn’t have the time…or
the inclination!”
It is significant to highlight Gresham’s dismissal of these
fabrications because I think it truly illustrates something genuine and
admirable about his character. Some Lewis scholarship has not been kind to Joy
Lewis. Earlier this year, Alister McGrath painted Joy as a “gold-digger”, an
ex-communist divorcee who “seduced” Lewis into marriage to obtain control over
his finances. Don King, who edited Joy’s
correspondence into a volume titled Out
of My Bone: the Letters of Joy Davidman, claims, “For some time now I have
been surprised at the negative attitude otherwise compassionate Lewis devotees
adopt with regard to Joy; perhaps they are suspicious of her Communist
background, embarrassed by her New York brashness, or upset by her winning
Lewis’s heart. This negative attitude, combined with the fact that most of
Lewis’s friends did not have many kind things to say about Joy, has relegated
Joy to the status of an interloper in the minds of many” (xxx). Despite these calumnious indictments against
Joy, Douglas Gresham remains undeterred by these accusations. He displays much
affection for his mother, and focuses his energies on serving the Kingdom,
rather than engaging in heated debates about his mother’s perceived personality
flaws or motivations in migrating to England.
David Gresham with author Dr. Devon Brown
The final event of the day was “An Evening with Douglas
Gresham”, a discussion led by Lewis scholar and author Devon Brown to celebrate
the release of Brown’s new book C.S.
Lewis: A Life Observed. Brown
enthusiastically led Gresham in nostalgic recollections of his time at The
Kilns. Perhaps most interesting was a picture of Lewis with Douglas and David
Gresham as children.
The juxtaposition of the youthful Gresham, standing erect
and smiling in his school uniform and the wiser gentleman seated now upon the
stage was quite fascinating for the audience. Gresham fondly recalls various
stories about his first meeting with Lewis, the kindling of friendship and love
between his mother and Lewis, and the solemn weeks and months after his
mother’s death as he and his step-father shared a deep, unrelenting grief. Gresham
recalls Lewis’s funeral in which a solitary candle was placed on the casket and
flickered fearlessly throughout the service. This, Gresham states, symbolizes Lewis’s
continued contributions to Christian culture, an inextinguishable flame that
counters our current darkness.
At day’s end, I recalled my experiences with great joy. Here
is a man who has endured unspeakable heartbreak at the premature loss of his
parents and who lived, day in and day out, with a literary giant. His complex,
serpentine journey to faith paralleled that of his mentor, hero, and
step-father. It was a pleasure to hear, in his own words, Gresham’s life
experiences with such conviction and transparency. Perhaps most importantly, it
was an opportunity to “misunderstand less” this intriguing and enigmatic
figure.
4 comments:
That sounds like a wonderful way to have spent your day, Crystal. thank you for bringing us insights into Douglas Gresham and the legacy he carries on.
Tim
So cool you got to go, Crystal!
What a fascinating experience! You've described it so vividly, Crystal, I feel like you've brought me along! And "to miss understand less" is a very noble life goal. Thank you for passing that wisdom along.
So pleased to find your blog :) I look forward to getting the emails when you post. I have Inklings on the brain just now--recently posted on my walk in the steps of C.S.Lewis on my blog happylittlesigh.com.
Avonlea
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