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December 21, 2006
C.S. Lewis quotations I have never seen before
From C.S. Lewis's introduction to St. Athanasius's "On the Incarnation":
"We are all rightly distressed, and ashamed also, at the divisions of Christendom. But those who have always lived within the Christian fold may be too easily dispirited by them. They are bad, but such people do not know what it looks like from without. Seen from there, what is left intact despite all the divisions still appears (as it truly is) an immensely formidable unity. I know, for I saw it; and well our enemies know it. That unity any of us can find by going out of his own age."
His perspective as a former outsider is interesting. I have always assumed that nonbelievers are turned off by us because of our division, but then again I have "always lived within the Christian fold." Also, this argument is Lewis's plea for us to read the church fathers, that we would see the basic unity of Christianity throughout the ages.
Another quote from the same source that affirms my rationality:
"For my own part I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand." Amen to that - the only devotional book that I can recall getting a lot out of is Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
Anna flies in today - hooray!
Also, in case you missed it: Stephen Colbert and the Decemberists. Hilarious.
| By heiders | 01:15 PM
Comments
hey Heidi!
I'd love to see you while you're home for xmas! i'm so glad the 3 will be together again at last. come by our house or email me.
i like reading your blog, too!:)
Posted by: tacyjane at December 21, 2006 01:28 PM
Well, as a rock critic, I usually just choose the band that has Jack White in it...
And I agree regarding the devotional/doctrinal books.
Posted by: funke at December 21, 2006 01:42 PM
Agree re: doctrinal/devotional books. I've read a few good devotional books, but they were the ones that had some serious theological meat "underneath".
Non-Christians I know were turned off by evangelicals, among other things, and didn't know about Christian doctrine in any meaningful sense. I think C.S. Lewis, pre-conversation, met some good Christians.
Posted by: Evan Donovan at December 21, 2006 09:39 PM
