Category: The Christian Spirit

Reflections on living as a disciple of Christ.

Friendship: The Least Jealous of Loves

  

In a letter to lifelong friend Arthur Greeves, C. S. Lewis expressed his deep appreciation for the blessing of true friendship. How highly did he value it? “Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods,” Lewis declared. “Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life.” He continued with advice to young men who were contemplating where to live: “I think I shd. say, ‘sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.’ I know I am… Read more »

The Crossroads of Life

  

Decisions. Hard choices. Encountering a crossroad and not sure which way to go. Why is life so difficult at times? What about that little shortcut I see? Maybe I can take that and experience less pain. After all, isn’t that what life is—finding the best way to avoid pain and misery? Yet what if I’m mistaken? What if life’s pains are where I find the greatest meaning over time? C. S. Lewis, in an essay, “The Vision of John Bunyan,”… Read more »

The Cultural Shift & the Christian Response

  

When we lived in the northern Virginia suburbs in the 1980s, we sent our children to Christian schools because we wanted an environment for them that supported our beliefs. Training up a child in the way he/she should go is a requirement for Christian parents. One of the schools we entrusted with our children for a few years was Immanuel Christian School. While no Christian school is perfect (indeed, can we find a perfect anything in this world?), we were… Read more »

The Journey That Never Ends

  

By late 1951, C. S. Lewis had written the majority of his most influential books: The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Abolition of Man, Miracles, his Space Trilogy, two of the seven Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian), and his WWII BBC broadcasts were about to be repackaged and published under the title of Mere Christianity. Why refer to this litany of Lewis’s works? One would think that… Read more »

The Witness of Hilary of Poitiers

  

Periodically, I share a story sent to me via e-mail from Christian History magazine. This one, which highlights the fight for maintaining orthodoxy and the ability to unite those who are true Christians despite minor differences, was inspiring to me. I hope you find it to be also. HILARY OF POITIERS was one of the best-known churchmen of the fourth century. His fame rested largely on the holiness of his conduct and his defense of orthodox Christianity. However, Hilary was… Read more »

Man’s Praise or God’s?

  

You know how you can be reading through the Scriptures and a passage jumps out at you? That happened for me this morning as I was meditating on chapter 13 of the Gospel of John. Here’s what stood out: Many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise from God…. Read more »

No Excuses

  

“Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea,” C. S. Lewis famously remarked in Mere Christianity, “until they have something to forgive.” People then balk at forgiving someone when they think whatever has been done is unforgivable. Yet Lewis reminds us, “It is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive we shall not be forgiven.” Not that’s a quandary. It appears we have no choice. Lewis returns to the topic in an essay called, quite plainly, “On Forgiveness.”… Read more »