Reflections on God … Man … Life
“There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” That’s a rather stark statement by C. S. Lewis in his essay “Christianity and Culture.” Yet it is starkly true. And since it is so starkly true, we need to be sure we have a very clear image of who God is and what He expects of us as we live in a universe where the cosmic battle… Read more »
“If only life would get back to normal!” Have you ever said that during times of exceptional distress? If you are human, you undoubtedly have expressed that, or something similar, at times. C. S. Lewis, in an essay called “Learning in War-Time,” found in the series of essays collected under the title of The Weight of Glory, helps us to reorient our thinking on this subject. He wrote that essay, obviously, during WWII. If ever anyone might long for a… Read more »
C. S. Lewis may be from an earlier generation, but he never goes out of style. I’m always impressed with how his writings remain relevant, regardless of the cultural changes that have occurred since his death. That’s because he wrote about the “big” themes that never go out of style either. Lewis survived into the early days of the space age, which, for someone who wrote a space trilogy, was probably quite interesting to him. Yet the spirit of that… Read more »
Mankind doesn’t mind having a god of some kind, as long as that god can be made into the image that mankind prefers. Men, in general, will accept a certain type of god that meets their requirements, which normally means that he/she/it doesn’t require too much of them. Yet God—the real God—is not a product of man’s fevered imagination. “It is always shocking to meet life where we thought we were alone,” C. S. Lewis wrote in his book Miracles…. Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »