Let’s Bust a Recap : Miracles

Y'all. For the life of me, I tried to make this picture live so you could see the steam curling up out of that mug, but I can not do it. Your girl is stuck in the 20th century, and 97% of the time, I'm happy to stay there, but why couldn't this picture just do the little loopy thing it does on my phone and look all cute and cozy and steamy? 

It's fine. We're over it and we're moving on. 

Miracles by C.S. Lewis was originally published in 1947 and revised in 1960, and the book covers the probability of whether Christian miracles recorded in the Bible really happened. While Lewis does talk about a lot of the principal New Testament miracles in this book, the bulk of his argument stems from the question of whether miracles are even logically possible from a philosophical point of view. Once establishing that, he then covers actual recorded miracles in the last three chapters. 

And it's all brilliant. Even though a good two-thirds of this book is spent in defining terms and clarifying the difference between a "naturalist" and a "supernaturalist", every word is worth its weight in gold. I'm sure I'm getting to sound like a broken record when it comes to Lewis, but I'm just always so dumbfounded by how smart he was. I'm certainly not the only one. English theatre critic and writer and one of Lewis' contemporaries Kenneth Tynan expressed his admiration for Lewis' genius saying, "If I were ever to stray into the Christian camp, it would be because of Lewis' arguments as expressed in books like Miracles." I can't think of much higher praise than that. Whether or not you agree with Lewis' beliefs, you have to respect the logic of his arguments. He is one of the most thorough thinkers and writers I've ever had the privilege of reading. He always follows a thought all the way through and argues it from every possible viewpoint. I always feel smarter and dumber after I've read something he's written. It's a gift. 

There are also two appendices at the end of this book, and the second one—"On 'Special Providences'"—is worth the price of the whole book. In it, Lewis details the value of prayer and this dovetailed so nicely with A Praying Life by Paul Miller which I also read last year. If you happen to be browsing a bookstore and you come across a copy of Miracles, flip to the back and just read Appendix B. You won't be sorry.

I hope C.S. Lewis pops out of the TBR Jar at some point this year. I think I threw his Space Trilogy in there, but it's hard to remember what all I put in that thing. Are there any authors you read that somehow manage to make you feel smarter and dumber all at once?

Let's Bust a Recap : The Screwtape Letters

Cue the fanfare. With today's post, we have officially cleared 2022 out of the To Be Blogged stack. Life is good.

(All right, fine, in all honesty, there is actually one more book from 2022 hanging out in the stack, but it is being saved for a specific post to come so just let me have my moment!)

The Screwtape Letters turned out to be my second C.S. Lewis read of 2022. Right about now I could feed you some line about how after not managing to read any Lewis at all in 2021, I felt the need to double-down last year, but the truth is: my book club selected it for the month of October, and this was actually my third or fourth time reading it. The Screwtape Letters is probably C.S. Lewis' most famous work outside of the Chronicles of Narnia, and I chose this book for my thesis project in my high school senior English course. I spent a lot of time in the library that semester with this very copy of the book and piles of other resources on Clive Staples Lewis, sitting across the table from my friend Sydney (who is now in the aforementioned book club with me and who's project was on The Pilgrim's Progress in case you were wondering. Our teacher constantly confused the two of us because I'm pretty sure we were the only two in the class who chose religious works from the approved list—what I wouldn't do to get my hands on a copy of that list today—and now this parenthetical rabbit trail has officially gone off the rails. Can I get a show of hands in the comments if you find the scattered inner workings and random reminiscences of my mind amusing? Or is this absolutely insufferable to read?). Naturally, as I've already confessed on this very blog, I didn't finish reading it at that point in my life, but I've read it since, and it's one that hits me differently every time I read it.

Let's focus. The Screwtape Letters is an epistolary novel made up of thirty-one letters from a senior demon called Screwtape who is acting as a mentor to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. Lewis used this self-termed "demonic ventriloquism" to address Christian theological issues having to do with temptation and the resistance to it. Throughout the novel, Screwtape gives Wormwood detailed advice on various methods of undermining God's directives, interspersed with observations on human nature and the Bible. The result is a masterclass in satire, entertaining and enlightening readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles. The letters were originally published weekly in an Anglican periodical during wartime from May to November in 1941. The book was published the next year in February of 1942. Later in 1959, Lewis wrote a short article entitled "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" which was published in the Saturday Evening Post, and nowadays, this is typically included with The Screwtape Letters.

In a foreword to "Screwtape Proposes a Toast", Lewis stated he had never written anything more easily or with less enjoyment than The Screwtape Letters. Although he received numerous requests throughout his life to add to the letters, he resolved never to write another one saying the process of writing them almost smothered him before he finished. Despite that, in writing The Screwtape Letters, Lewis inspired loads of other authors to prepare sequels or similar works of their own. Even apart from literature, The Screwtape Letters can be seen cropping up in all forms of pop culture from comics, to music, to political discourse. 

As I mentioned earlier, each time that I read The Screwtape Letters, a particular letter will usually stand out like a sore thumb and hit me in a new way. On this particular go-round with the demons, Screwtape's words in his seventeenth letter to Wormwood seemed to jump off the page, and I've been ruminating on them ever since. In this letter, Screwtape is postulating on the temptation of gluttony, and he gives Wormwood the demonic distinction between the gluttony of Delicacy and the gluttony of Excess. While we humans tend to think of gluttony only in terms of Excess, Screwtape makes the point that quantities do not matter, "provided we can use a human belly and palate to produce querulousness, impatience, uncharitableness, and self-concern". He goes on to explain that "because what [the human] wants is smaller and less costly than what has been set before her, she never recognizes as gluttony her determination to get what she wants, however troublesome it may be to others. At the very moment of indulging her appetite she believes that she is practising temperance." 

I mean, right?! This hit me like a load of bricks. In our culture, we seems to be increasingly obsessed with every single thing that goes into our bellies. We have to count calories, or we have to eat clean, or we can't eat off plastic, or, or, or....the list goes on and on. While we're merely "trying to be healthy", the ultimate reality is that instead of keeping our attention on Christ, we're being ruled by our own bodies. The deception is subtle, but aren't the cunning ones the most devious?

In sum, I highly recommend The Screwtape Letters. It holds up to multiple re-readings, and if it doesn't spark some self-examination, I'm not sure what will. It's good fun while still packing a punch, and no matter when I read it, it usually sends a little chill down my spine at some point or other which makes it a particularly good read for the fall when witches and demons and the forces of darkness tend to abound. 

Next up in my pilgrimage through the work of C.S. Lewis: Miracles.

Let's Bust a Recap : Present Concerns

And speaking of our favourite 20th century Brits (which we were on Tuesday, in case you missed it) let's talk about our C.S. Lewis selection for 2022. 

C.S. Lewis gets an automatic slot on my book list every single year. Last year, I didn't really make much of a list and decided to let my whims guide my reading. And horror of horrors, I didn't end up reading anything by C.S. Lewis. And his literary presence was sorely missed. 

But this year, we're back on track and I read this collection of essays that was published posthumously in 1986. 

(Sidebar: I've gotten in the habit of photographing my C.S. Lewis books with a hot beverage because it just seems appropriate, and I thought it was very clever—and aesthetically pleasing in this particular instance—to photograph Present Concerns with a cuppa from Starbucks. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)

Anyway, moving on. Present Concerns includes nineteen essays that reveal his thoughts about democratic values, threats to educational and spiritual fulfillment, literary censorship, and more, demonstrating Lewis' wide range of interests and his absolute mastery in conveying his thoughts through the written word. These essays were originally published in various newspapers, magazines, and books between the years 1940 and 1962, and were compiled and introduced in this book by Walter Hooper. I couldn't have chosen a more fitting title for this collection. Though the topics Lewis discusses in these essays were obviously timely for their original audience, they were just as relevant in 1986 when this slim volume was published and continue in their applicability today. 

As is always the case, I was once again impressed with Lewis' ability to communicate his thoughts in the simplest language even while articulating some of the most profound ideas I've ever read. The man was just so dang smart and I always feel like such a dunce when I'm recapping his books because my sentences seem so lame in comparison. Of the nineteen essays included in Present Concerns, there were only two that I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend: "The Empty Universe" (while I had a vague grasp on his main point, this one was just a bit over my head) and "Interim Report" (which was an article for The Cambridge Review comparing Oxford and Cambridge, neither of which I have much firsthand knowledge of). Two of the essays that particularly stood out to me were "Three Kinds of Men" (in which I felt like old Jack proceeded to kick me in the gut, but then followed up with a pat on the back and a, "No worries, chap, I'm in the same boat as you.") and "Talking About Bicycles" (mind blown; just read it). 

All in all, another triumph from one of my all-time favorite authors. I really appreciate the people like Walter Hooper who took it upon themselves to compile these essays into books because they're turning out to be some of my favorite of Lewis' work. I saved a few quotes from this one that I'm sure I'll share on here someday. In the meantime, what C.S. Lewis book should go on next year's book list?

A Word for Wednesday

 "It remains certainly true that all natural loves can be inordinate.

Inordinate does not mean 'insufficiently cautious.' Nor does it mean 'too big.'

It is not a quantitative term.

It is probably impossible to love any human being simply 'too much.'

We may love him too much in proportion to our love for God;

but it is the smallness of our love for God, 

not the greatness of our love for the man,

that constitutes the inordinacy."

~from The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

 "Christ did not teach and suffer that we might become, 

even in the natural loves, 

more careful of our own happiness. 

If a man is not uncalculating towards the earthly beloveds whom he has seen, 

he is none the more likely to be so towards God whom he has not. 

We shall draw nearer to God, 

not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves, 

but by accepting them and offering them to Him; throwing away all defensive armour. 

If our hearts need to be broken, 

and if He chooses this as the way in which they should break, 

so be it."

~from The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis~

Michelangelo's Pietá

A Word for Wednesday

 "I have no duty to be anyone's Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. 

No claims, no shadow of necessity. 

Friendship is unnecessary, 

like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). 

It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival."

~from The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis~

Let's Bust a Recap : The Four Loves

Okay, this has exactly zero to do with today's recap but first things first: Blogger has changed EVERYTHING and in my very mature, grown-up, totally zen, go-with-the-flow-man opinion: it's stupid and I hate it. We all know I'm not a tech-savvy individual in the first place and CHANGE IS HARD, y'all. If there's anyone out there reading this who can do anything about it, make the option to revert to legacy Blogger interface permanent, prettypleasewithacherryontop! (And before you tell me to go leave "official" feedback for Google: done.)

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, on to today's recap. The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis was published in 1960 and explores the nature of love from a Christian and philosophical perspective. My edition of this book is about 80 pages long and is actually included in a larger collection entitled "The Beloved Works of C.S. Lewis" which includes four of his books, the only other one of which I've read is Surprised by Joy. Even though in regards to length this is a somewhat brief treatise on the topic of love, it was dense and took me several days to read and absorb, much like The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson did a couple of years ago.

So let's break it down a little bit. Lewis introduces The Four Loves by talking about his intention to contrast what he calls "Need-love" (such as a child's need for his mother) with "Gift-love" (God's love for humanity) and disparaging "Need-love" in comparison. But in exploring this idea further, he quickly came to the realization that these basic categorizations of love are much more complex than they may at first seem. 

He goes on in his second chapter to develop the idea that in our love for the sub-human (i.e. love of nature or love of country), we find an additional categorization of love: Appreciative love. Throughout the rest of the book, Lewis shows how each of these three categories of love (Need-love, Gift-love, and Appreciative love) work themselves out within the four different types of love humans experience: Affection, Friendship, Eros, and Charity. 

He devotes one chapter to each of these four types of love and that's the book. In each chapter, he defines the love and gives positive examples; then he goes on to show how that love can be perverted if it's made out to be the absolute sovereign of a human life and gives negative examples. 

For instance, when two people discover a special common interest like stamp-collecting, a friendship may arise. These two can find fulfillment and enjoyment in their mutual friendship, but when they elevate this bond to the highest place, they are prone to become snobbish or exclusive thus distorting the love of friendship and corrupting it to something base. 

The only love that isn't susceptible to this kind of perversion is Charity or the divine love of God. Affection, Friendship, and Eros are what Lewis considers natural loves which must be contained by Charity in order to retain their integrity. He starts off his chapter on Charity like this:

William Morris wrote a poem called "Love Is Enough" and someone is said to have reviewed it briefly in the words "It isn't." Such has been the burden of this book. The natural loves are not self-sufficient. Something else, at first vaguely described as "decency and common sense," but later revealed as goodness, and finally as the whole Christian life in one particular relation, must come to the help of the mere feeling if the feeling is to be kept sweet. To say this is not to belittle the natural loves but to indicate where their real glory lies. (emphasis mine)

While I found The Four Loves very interesting and ultimately helpful, it took my full and undivided concentration to read. It's certainly not a book to be read quickly or casually, and it's one that will definitely be improved upon with rereading. As has become par for the course with Lewis, I was floored by his brilliant analogies and ability to follow a thought to its logical and rational end in a concise and intelligent manner. What a writer.

I'm thinking I may need to follow The Four Loves up with Till We Have Faces in 2021 which is Lewis' fictional treatment of the same subject, but I'm also very interested in reading Present Concerns and his space trilogy so who knows where I'll end up. Any advice?

A Word for Wednesday

"If all experienced God in the same way and returned Him an identical worship,
the song of the Church triumphant would have no symphony,
it would be like an orchestra in which all the instruments played the same note.
Aristotle has told us that a city is a unity of unlikes,
and St Paul that a body is a unity of different members.
Heaven is a city, and a Body, because the blessed remain eternally different:
a society, because each has something to tell the others—fresh and ever fresh news of the 'My God' whom each finds in Him whom all praise as 'Our God'."

~from The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

"The mould in which a key is made would be a strange thing, if you had never seen a key:
and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock.
Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit
a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance,
or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions.
For it is not humanity in the abstract that is to be saved,
but you—you, the individual reader, John Stubbs or Janet Smith.
Blessed and fortunate creature, your eyes shall behold Him and not another's.
All that you are, sins apart, is destined, if you will let God have His good way, to utter satisfaction.
The Brocken spectre 'looked to every man like his first love', because she was a cheat.
But God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love.
Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it—made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand."

~from The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: 

it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

~from The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

"We imply, and often believe, that habitual vices are exceptional single acts,
and make the opposite mistake about our virtues—like the bad tennis player who calls his normal form his 'bad days' and mistakes his rare successes for his normal."

~from The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis~

Let's Bust a Recap : The Problem of Pain

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis was first published in 1940 and in it, Lewis argues that pain, hell, and the existence of evil are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God. Reading this book killed two birds with one stone for me (if I may borrow the colloquialism) in that 1) I try to read something by C.S. Lewis every year, and 2) I chose to read The Problem of Pain to fill the  "book about a topic that fascinates you" category for Modern Mrs Darcy's 2019 Reading Challenge. 

First, let me explain why this book fits that category for me. It's not that pain in and of itself fascinates me—I'm not a sadist—but that the problem of pain is fascinating. As a Christian, I have had to grapple with this problem myself, and the problem of pain seems to be one of the biggest reasons people reject God. If there is a God and He is good and He is all-powerful, how can He allow such horrible pain to exist on such a global scale? Why are children starving? Why do people die of cancer? Why are wars and genocide and terrorism part of life on this earth?

In this slim volume, Lewis sets out to address these tough questions stating:

'If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both.' This is the problem of pain, in its simplest form. The possibility of answering it depends on showing that the terms 'good' and 'almighty', and perhaps also the term 'happy', are equivocal: for it must be admitted from the outset that if the popular meanings attached to these words are the best, or the only possible, meanings, then the argument is unanswerable.

So here's the thing about C.S. Lewis. Every time I read something he's written, I find that my mind has been stimulated and my faith has been encouraged. He always makes me think. I appreciate his unwavering honesty. Throughout The Problem of Pain, he never claims to have the solution. He makes it clear that as humans who can't see the big picture from God's perspective we shouldn't expect to fully understand all the aspects and nuances of human suffering and the presence of evil and how it all fits into God's purpose and plan for humanity. And I love that about him and his writing.

But, once again, in The Problem of Pain as in The Great Divorce (which I read earlier this year), I found myself disagreeing with Lewis on certain points of doctrine. For example, in The Problem of Pain Lewis naturally dives into Creation and the Fall of Man in talking about the origin of evil. I personally believe that God created the world and everything in it in six literal days. Lewis does not. What was so interesting to me in reading The Problem of Pain is that even though certain points of our doctrinal beliefs may differ, Lewis and I usually come to the same conclusions. In reading Lewis, Augustine's maxim "in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity" often comes to mind. His writing embodies that so well. 

And this is why I keep reading Lewis. His writing helps to challenge my long-held (and sometimes taken-for-granted) beliefs and cement them even more firmly in my heart. I appreciate the respectful tone of his writing. Other Christian writers can come off as know-it-alls at times which is a big turnoff, and Lewis isn't that way.

As with The Great Divorce, I wouldn't necessarily recommend The Problem of Pain to a C.S. Lewis newbie, but overall, as with everything I've read by Lewis so far, I thought The Problem of Pain was excellent and worth your time if it's something you're even mildly interested in reading. 

What are your thoughts on the problem of pain, the coexistence of a loving God and human suffering?

A Word for Wednesday

"...when pain is to be borne, 

a little courage helps more than much knowledge, 

a little human sympathy more than much courage, 

and the least tincture of the love of God more than all."

~from The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

"'Milton was right,' said my Teacher. 'The choice of every lost soul can be expressed in the words

 "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." 

There is always something they insist on keeping even at the price of misery. 

There is always something they prefer to joy—that is, to reality. 

Ye see it easily enough in a spoiled child that would sooner miss its play and its supper 

than say it was sorry and be friends.'"

~from The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis~

Artwork : Charles Burton Barber

Let's Bust a Recap : The Great Divorce

The Great Divorce was not on my list for this year. As you may or may not know, I'm a big fan of C.S. Lewis and have slowly been making my way through his work, trying to read at least one of his books each year. My choice for 2019 is actually The Problem of Pain (which I haven't gotten to yet), but my husband brought The Great Divorce on our recent trip to Hawaii (post on that coming soon!), and after he devoured it on our 2 hour flight from Orlando to Cleveland (no surprise—he reads so fast) he convinced me I should just go ahead and read it so we could discuss it together. (It took me like, 3 days to read it in contrast to his 2 hours.) Now that you know how I ended up reading this book, let me give you my quick take on it.

The Great Divorce is a theological "dream vision" written by C.S. Lewis in 1944 and 1945. It was first printed as a serial in an Anglican newspaper and published as a book shortly after the serial was concluded. In it, Lewis employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory to reflect on the Christian conceptions of Heaven and Hell. The writer finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven and recounts observations he makes and conversations he has with other passengers on the bus. 

All things considered, this is the first book I've read by Lewis that I didn't love. It was a bit weird and some of the potential theological implications could lead you down some strange paths. Keeping in mind, though, that this is a book about Heaven and Hell and we won't know what either are actually like until we're there, I can't exactly disagree with Lewis about anything in the book. It's an interesting allegory, and the biggest takeaway from The Great Divorce is not about the physical realms of Heaven and Hell. The thing that Lewis does so well in this book and what impacted me most in reading it were the issues he pointed out that keep us from living the abundant Christian life, the things we love or prize more than Christ. Each chapter depicts a different scenario or conversation that highlights a different trait: pride, self-reliance, intellect, idols, and so on. That's where the value of this book lies. It was challenging to think about the subtle things that can creep in and take God's rightful place as lord of my life. 

If you're looking to wade into the world of C.S. Lewis for the first time, this is not the book I'd hand you (grab Mere Christianity or lose yourself in Narnia), but I would say it's worth a read if you're already familiar with his work or if you're a fan of books like The Pilgrim's Progress. And if you do read it, let me know what you think. Next up in my journey through the work of C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain—unless my husband throws another wrench in my plans. 

Have you read The Great Divorce? What is your favorite book by C.S. Lewis? What book needs to go on my list for 2020? 

A Word for Wednesday

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy,

the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

~from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

"Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did.

As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets.

When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him."

~from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

"But when a thing has to be attempted, one must never think about possibility or impossibility. 

Faced with an optional question in an examination paper, 

one considers whether one can do it or not:

faced with a compulsory question, one must do the best one can. 

You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: 

you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. 

Not only in examinations but in war, in mountain climbing, in learning to skate, or swim, 

or ride a bicycle, even in fastening a stiff collar with cold fingers, 

people quite often do what seemed impossible before they did it. 

It is wonderful what you can do when you have to."

~from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis~

A Word for Wednesday

"A real desire to believe all the good you can of others and to make others as comfortable as you can will solve most of the problems."

~from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis~

Let's Bust a Recap : Mere Christianity

Mere Christianity began as a series of radio talks C.S. Lewis gave during World War II while he was at Oxford. He was invited to give these talks by James Welch, the BBC Director of Religious Broadcasting, after he read Lewis' book The Problem of Pain (which I have not read yet but it's a strong contender for my 2019 book list). The talks were gradually published in three separate pamphlets entitled Broadcast Talks (in 1942), Christian Behaviour (in 1943), and Beyond Personality (in 1944). Later, all these talks were put into the single volume we now know as Mere Christianity, easily one of the most influential theological works of the last century. In these talks, Lewis succeeded in defending Christianity and explaining its fundamental beliefs. He chose to avoid denominational controversies and focused instead on what core beliefs all Christians have in common. 

This was my first time actually reading the complete book, cover to cover. I've started it several times (there was still a bookmark in there from a previous attempt). I've read excerpts, quotes, even full essays. But this was the first time I started from the beginning and read to the end. And, unsurprisingly, I found Mere Christianity to be an invaluable resource. Lewis was the master apologist, and it never ceases to amaze me how he could use the most mundane objects or activities in the most beautiful and helpful spiritual analogies. Lewis wrote for every man, and that is what makes his writing so profound. He wrote for the bricklayer and the philosopher, the ditch-digger and the intellect. As I was reading Mere Christianity, it was clear, it made sense, it seemed simple. And yet I know that if I tried to articulate or defend my beliefs in the way that Lewis did, I would trip over my tongue. Reading books like Mere Christianity make me thankful for men and women like C.S. Lewis who broaden my understanding of spiritual matters and give me resources I can pass on to others. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and, much like The Weight of Glory, this book instantly earned a spot on my "To Re-Read Again and Again" list. 

What's your favorite non-fictional work of C.S. Lewis? I've still got a ways to go, but what should come next? As mentioned above, I'm really leaning toward The Problem of Pain but how do I choose?