Reflections on God … Man … Life
In my blog series on C. S. Lewis’s The Four Loves (which I am teaching at my church currently), I first explained how the book came about, developed from radio broadcasts. Then I focused on an ongoing theme in the work, one that comes up in each chapter: how we can deify one of these loves so that it can go wrong—as Lewis says, a love can become a demon if it takes the place of God in our lives…. Read more »
In my previous post about the class I’m teaching on C. S. Lewis’s The Four Loves, I explained the background of the book, how it began as radio broadcasts that were then expanded and transformed into the book. Lewis’s first chapter—the Introduction—lays the groundwork for all that follows. He begins by making a distinction between gift-loves and need-loves. A gift-love, Lewis says, is the kind that moves people to do things for others even when they don’t receive anything in… Read more »
One of the blessings I’ve received over the past few years is the opportunity to share with my church many of the key writings of C. S. Lewis. I began with The Screwtape Letters, then Mere Christianity, followed by a two-semester in-depth treatment of Narnia. In quick succession after that, I taught the Ransom Trilogy, a course on Lewis’s views on life, death, and eternity, followed by a selection of his best essays, and then a look at writers that… Read more »
This weekend marks the celebration of American independence, declared in 1776. I’m an American. I’m a historian. I’ve taught American history at the university level for more than thirty years and am thoroughly acquainted with each period of that history. My constant research into that history has given me a deep appreciation for what was established in this nation. The American Experiment, as it has been called, set up a government through the Constitution that gave priority to the rule… Read more »
I have no problem re-reading the works of C. S. Lewis. It’s been a few years now since I did an initial re-reading of The Four Loves. I’m now entering my second re-reading and finding things I didn’t remember. I’m the kind of person who marks up a book so I can go back to those particular passages that had meaning for me. As I’m going through The Four Loves again, I find myself adding to the markings—words and phrases… Read more »