Reflections on God … Man … Life
One doesn’t normally think of C. S. Lewis as a political scientist; neither would he have relished the title. Yet while he rarely enters into any deep discussion of politics and government, he had definite views on both. All one has to do is read the last entry of his science fiction trilogy, That Hideous Strength, to see his utter distaste for any government that thinks its purpose is to control the lives of all citizens. That novel offers a… Read more »
C. S. Lewis shows in Mere Christianity how the typical understanding of “being good” is in direct contradiction to the real Biblical explanation: The Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or—if they think there is not—at least they hope to deserve approval from good men. But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him…. Read more »
The apostle Paul notes that “the god of this world [i.e., Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel.” Scripture also talks often about how those without the truth are walking in darkness. C. S. Lewis picks up on this theme in Mere Christianity when he explains how sin warps our understanding of our very sinfulness: The right direction leads not only to peace but to knowledge. When a… Read more »
Writing to his friend Arthur Greeves in 1933, C. S. Lewis offered these thoughts on the nature of good and evil: I think one may be quite rid of the old haunting suspicion—which raises its head in every temptation—that there is something else than God—some other country . . . into which He forbids us to trespass—some kind of delight wh. He “doesn’t appreciate” or just chooses to forbid, but which wd. be real delight if only we were allowed… Read more »
Life lived outside of the will of God is not really life at all. That’s something I’ve learned from experience. C. S. Lewis, in a pithy comment in his science fiction book Perelandra, puts it this way: “To walk out of His will is to walk into nowhere.” That goes beyond truth; would it be permissible to call it “true truth”? Christians should always be examining themselves to ensure they are not wandering around in “nowhere” territory. One of the… Read more »
God does take the initiative to reach out to us, yet His impact on our lives depends on our willingness to reach back. C. S. Lewis touches on this in his Mere Christianity: When you come to knowing God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. And, in fact, He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others—not because He has favourites,… Read more »
A lot of people don’t mind the idea of a god of some kind; they just don’t want him/it/whatever to be too personal or make any demands. Avoiding accountability for one’s actions is a very human trait, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. C. S. Lewis touched on this issue in his book Miracles: Men are reluctant to pass over from the notion of an abstract and negative deity to the living God. I do not wonder. Here… Read more »