Christianity for people who use their minds

books:


	• Miracles C. S. Lewis HarperOne, 2001 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Lewis at his best

First, you should know what this book is not. It is not a work of Christian apologetics--a survey of the historical evidence for the authenticity of specific miracles. It is, instead, an extended meditation on nature, the world and the world's Redeemer--a meditation that establishes a framework in which the reality of miracles can be entertained and their nature explored. A portion of the material is counterintuitive and immensely thoughtful. This is Lewis at his best--drawing on his knowledge of language and literature, of scripture, of classical antiquity, of philosophy, and of the very nature of 'creation', i.e., his experience as a creative writer.

The book takes a somewhat circuitous route to its subject, but when we are finished we realize, from the nature of Lewis' arguments, that what appeared to be circuitous was actually a frontal assault. One of the most important points of the book is that we often misunderstand the subject through our own focusing on what we thought was central but which turns out (under the force of Lewis' examination) to be peripheral.

In some passages of the book he is literally attempting to confront the ultimate questions--the nature of heaven, e.g. (will there be sex there? and, if so, in what form?). He gives a decisive critique of Hume's work on miracles (which, admittedly, is not as powerful as Hume's comments on the argument for God's existence from design).

This is a very subtle and suggestive book. It is not an easy book, but neither is it forbidding or recondite, and, of course, part of Lewis' rhetorical strategy (very much in evidence here) is to make this sort of thing look easy.

Highly recommended.

for more information click here

Christianity for people who use their minds

This book requires you to leave children's Sunday School behind and have your mind stretched so you can start to experience an intelligent, mature, and insightful way of thinking about what Christianity is really about. As for agnostics and atheists they should spend their time critiquing this book instead of targeting Christian's who think like children. Lewis's use of language and metaphor, make his piercing logic very entertaining. The ocean of ideas surges forth. Another under appreciated book by Lewis, the Problem of Pain, is an excellent companion to this. How I wish Richard Dawkin's (of The Selfish Gene, The God Delusion etc) and his followers were arguing with CS Lewis and not the modern, superficial christian evangelicals. All concerned would be so much better off!

for more information click here

Convincing Logic

Well written though the man is admittedly taking on a huge task to provide a logical proof for the existence of the divine and its willingness to "invade" the natural world. He does spend a lot of effort logically rebuffing naturalism to make his point. I'm not sure if it's a good thing to attempt to make a point by rebuffing another view. Maybe so. Anyway, be prepared to re-read several topics just to make sure you understand the man before moving on - or maybe I'm just a little "thicker" than I thought. I had a similar experience reading Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time". I had to re-read a lot of the material to really get it down in my mind.

So I'd had this laying around the house for a couple of years. I picked it up to read because though I was raised in an Evangelical church, I disown much of what my "old family" has gone on to achieve (such as Will Perkins authorship of Colorado's hate-filled Amendment 2 back in 1992... or was it 1988? Perkins was once my youth group leader - shudder). As a middle-aged man, I found I was having a great deal of trouble accepting much of what I see in the world today, like precious little children being victimized by sexual monsters, random killing on campuses, a President who claims to know God but has inflicted untold misery on hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions. I was really struggling with these issues. I needed something to reconcile what I wanted to believe (like Fox Mulder and his poster on his X-Files office wall professing "I want to believe") about the existence of God and what might really be the awful truth. As it turns out, this book is a step back toward God and Christianity for me (but not the Christianity of the evangelical right-wing, neo-con movement - that is a is a wolf in sheep's clothing and may very well be evil).

Read, ponder, wonder, enjoy, ask, pray, and so on.

for more information click here

Truth's a Gem That Loves the Deep

Out of all of C. S. Lewis's books in the The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics, I would recommend reading this last. Due to the conceptual density, this does not make for as light as reading as his other more accessible books. In fact, this books requires several prerequisites. Begin with "The Abolition of Man," the three chapter dynamo that is the keystone to Jack's philosophy. Second, round out the arch with "Mere Christianity" and "The Problem of Pain," paying particular attention to Chapter 2 of the latter book. Furthermore, read "Weight of Glory," "Transposition" and "Is Theology Poetry?" in The Weight of Glory. You may also want to read Christian Reflections and God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics, just to get a feel of his lines of reasoning.

This is a lot of preliminary reading, but trust me it is worth it. These books and essays contain core concepts that he describes in full, which he only alludes to in "Miracles." The ides are so subtle an novel that I recommend getting a full chapter explanation as opposed to the two paragraph version we get in this book.

This is needful. Due to the delicate, complex, and absolutely fundamental nature of the ideas, this book seems wordy. But as I review and re-review the text, I keep saying, "Let it stand, and let the chips fall where they may." I wish someone like Peter Kreeft or Ravi Zacharias could write an annotated version of this book. Until that time. . .

Lewis begins his argument (not a revelation, but argument) by discussing the fundamental nature of Nature. Is nature all there is, or is there a Supernature? His main reason for believing in the Supernature comes from man's ability to think. He is, in essence, asking (my words, not his), "How do we go from rocks to DaVinci's brain, unless there is some ever-present intrusion."

Personally, I find this argument compelling. Carl Sagan finds no compelling evidence for a soul (The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence). The staunch atheist Ayn Rand also argues for the supremacy of man's mind, but she never accounts for it's origin. She denies evolution, but remains suspiciously quiet on this core aspect of her philosophy. (For the New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, 166; Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology: Expanded Second Edition).

Lewis's explanation has more explanatory power, greater explanatory scope, plausibility, no ad hoc-ness, and is superior to Rand's rival hypotheses.

I give Lewis credit for summing up Christianity in two propositions: 1) Men tell coarse jokes, and 2) they feel the dead to be uncanny (Ch. 13), which means, we have a fallen, animalistic nurture, and second, we are uncomfortable with our mortality. In fact, this is why Lewis is such a genius. He moves from the commonplace observations, to the deep treats of Christian theology.

He concludes by discussion the central miracles of Christianity: the Incarnation, the Redemption, and the Resurrection. If miracles are inadmissible, the Christianity is pointless. The central feature of the gospel is not so much biography (as found in the Gospels), but the historicity of these miracles. The point of the Atonement is to transform men, and to save souls. Everything else is secondary.

*

Of all of Lewis's books, this has to be the hardest to read. Part of it has to do with all the preliminary reading that must be done. You need to be familiar with so much of his other writing to understand his points. Even within the book, chapters 1-11 are prep work to actually discussing miracles in Chapters 12-17. The chapters are longer, and in several instances could have been sub-divided. And he tends to wander a bit within the chapters. In Chapter 13, Lewis jumps tracks by discussing the fall and redemption on other planets. This is interesting, and is the basis for his Space Trilogy, but not quite germane.

However, all of these meandering tangents do have appoint. They reveal connections between ideas that most people do not see. Thus they are a more comprehensive vista from the airy altitudes. You have a better view, but the thin air dulls the impact. Nonetheless, people still climb mountains.

So you may want to read other books first. But when you read, pay especial attention to Chapter Two in "The Problem of Pain." I think he does a better job of explaining nature in this one chapter than in chapters 1-11 in this book. But once you finish the book, you know that you have touched the mind of a genius. Remember the AHEM and chocolate analogy in Chapter 16, and laugh with his brilliance!

for more information click here

Refreshingly Reasonable

It might first be said that this work is quite unlike many of Mr. Lewis' other popular texts. While his clarity of thought and his uncanny ability to transfer thought to page in such a manner that the reader can clearly understand the author's logic remain present in this text; this work is, by no means, light or easy reading. That is, this particular work faces the tremendous challenge of formulating a logical and reasonable argument from the position maintaining that supernatural events are not entirely illogical or unreasonable. Mr. Lewis has successfully presented his argument in terms of both sound logic and persuasive argumentation; however, the presentation delves into the philosophical depths to achieve these ends. As such, the reader should be prepared for an experience which will require thoughtful contemplation if the subject matter is to be appreciated to its fullest, or any subsequent degree of entirety.

While this work is, as the title suggests, about miracles, one might want to avoid prematurely associating this work with other experiences had with similar subject material. The concept of miracles can be a stumbling block for many and, as a result, the subject might be overlooked or avoided as to not feel uncomfortable in one's own beliefs. However, this text presents the subject in an extremely approachable manner which will be appreciated by anyone who both wishes to tap into this particular issue and seeks logic in any explanation, argument, and position. If the curious reader is concerned about the depth of the subject matter, they may wish to first preview this text through any number of means before purchasing it as it might become quickly apparent whether or not that which the reader seeks to gain can be drawn from this work. Whatever the case may be, with time and a willingness to entertain the concepts contained within the pages of the text, much insight can be gained in this, yet another, masterpiece composed by C.S. Lewis.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

An impeccable inquiry into the proposition that supernatural events can happen in this world. C. S. Lewis uses his remarkable logic to build a solid argument for the existence of divine intervention.

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

miracles

A Course in Miracles
The Miracle Worker
The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce ...
The pH Miracle for Weight Loss: Balance Your Body Chemistry, Achieve ...
The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health

search for books
miracles

Impressum / about us