C.S. Lewis is one of the great, modern Christian philosophers and theologians. He is well known for his speaking and writing (both fiction and non-fiction). This book is a collection of sermons given by C.S. Lewis that have been complied under the title of the first discourse.
The Weight of Glory: We often think too little of heaven with the glory and beauty that we will experience.
Learning in War Time: Even in times of profound national stress, there is still value to learning and education.
Why I am not a Pacifist: An argument for why engagement in just warfare is acceptable for the Christian.
Transposition: As temporal creatures, we have no concept of eternity. But we understand eternity in the language of this temporal world.
Is Theology Poetry: Christian theology is the foundation for our epistemology
The Inner Ring: We often want to be in the “Inner circle.” But gaining membership to this exclusive club does not bring the freedom we desire.
Membership: What does it mean to be a member of the church, or members with Christ?
On Forgiveness: As we approach God are we seek to be forgiven or excused from our sins.
A Slip of the Tongue: We say we seek eternal things, but do we really want eternity to get in the way of our temporal desires?
Personally, I found this book fascinating. It was an opportunity to engage with some theological ideas in a completely new and deep way. Lewis has a unique way of taking a seemingly simple topic and plumbing its depths leaving the reader educated and edified.
I would certainly categorize Lewis as a profound thinker. Perhaps a modern-day equivalent would be Jordan Peterson (though Lewis has a significantly more theological emphasis). And I have noticed that there are certainly similarities between these two men and the way they communicate - specifically, the way they think.
As I read through this book, I found Lewis opening with a topic but throughout the discourse I would have to stop, back up, remind myself where we were in the argument, remind myself how we got to this portion of the argument in order to track Lewis’ train of thought. I noticed that both Lewis and Peterson craft arguments in similar way. They start with a topic. In a very linear fashion, they follow a thought thread. Occasionally their argument arborizes into several parallel points. But as they progress along their line of reasoning, they explore hidden recesses of that idea. While on the journey it is difficult to see where they are going. But at the end, they round a corner and bring the argument to a conclusion, neatly tying back to the original idea leaving the reader in awe of the resolution and also the scenery that was passed along the way.
I really enjoyed this book. Not just because Lewis talked about grand and glorious things (which he certainly did), but because it was a mental workout. Rather than reading a simple book, this book with all its topics, themes and arguments felt like the intellectual equivalent of a good, productive day at the gym. You will certainly find this a worthwhile and edifying read.
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