I agree. But the Apostle Paul didn’t include his shortcomings in his theology, since he was an inspired author of Scripture. Lewis had inclusivist leanings, which I reject. BUT he has some excellent thought provoking writing as well. I don’t know that he considered his opinion to be the be all and end all — he seemed to be revising as he learned more of Scripture. For example he also had no idea why the theory of evolution was causing such a problem. He only started to see it toward the end of his life.
I’ve read most of his works and he does so state that his opinion wasn’t the “be all and end all”. Now I’m not sure what you mean by inclusivist, unless you are talking about the view that at some point in eternity, even the lost in hell might yet be saved and come to repentance. I think he parts company from George MacDonald’s views in that sense though he admits to getting started on his way to Christendom thru the readings and influence of the same man.
CS Lewis wrote for folks that as one reviewer put it..”might be interested in Christianity but who find their intellect getting in the way!”. Let’s just say he deals with the modern “Mars Hill Athenians” of this era.
Now as for the Paul not including his short comings in his theology...where do we start...”I asked the Lord 3 times to remove this thorn, he said “My grace is sufficient for thee.” “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul refers to himself as the “chiefest of sinners” before his conversion. Paul in many of his writings starts from the premise of his own imperfections but thru the work of Christ, these same imperfections being made perfect.
I’ve read that Lewis starts off as an atheist but thru the weight of the evidence and thru several “numinous” experiences becomes convinced of first the possibility of the devine and later on thru study and hesitant forays into prayer and re-examination of the faith becomes a Christian...(”convinced” by the weight of the evidence). Of that conversion, Lewis quotes an old English Bobbie...”You might as well come along quiet...”.
Lewis’s life reads like a classic wooing of the Holy Spirit, a cold God shaped vaccuum warmed and given just enough knowledge and light to empower that soul to make choices and to be directed to a place and time where that soul becomes fully energized and cleansed by Jesus Christ. Of course Lewis would never consider himself an apostle of old and neither would I consider him such. I have subjected his broad works to scriptural scrutiny, especially his later works and can’t find a thing wrong with them that would jive with orthodox Christianity.
He believed in a literal heaven and hell. In his book the 4 LOVES, he describes the 4 general types of love that men experience or have “inflicted” upon them leading up to the highest love...the love God has for all men and his creation. In one book He describes the justice of God mixed with His love in describing “Hell as a kind of tourniquet for the soul that will not allow God to do anything else for it”
His Screw-Tape Letters were spot on in describing the literal processes of temptation and the processes that Satan may use to keep a person from knowing God, to destroy a Christian’s testimony, and to wear down his faith over the long ‘plateau’ period of a maturing Christian’s life and to introduce points of error that can trip one up.
Lewis’ denomenation was Anglican and that’s where he hung his spiritual hat so I think some of the points that you and I might disagree with him about are more of denominational style. I never got a read on his views concerning the rapture for example though he knew that a general change in state of the church was coming. He wrote..”The world is a sculpture shop and all the people in it our statues...but there is a rumor going about that some of the statues are going to come to life someday”
He also knew that a final judgment was coming with a separation for those who did not know Jesus.