The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics

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A very good book to get, if you are interested in theological issues and enjoy C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis is a genius!

Brilliant

The Answer Is Found.

A must for EVERY Chritian or those considering Christianity

The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Four Loves

The Collected Works of C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity

The Inspirational Writings of C.S. Lewis

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

ASIN: 0061208493
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

Seven Spiritual Masterworks by C. S. Lewis

This classic collection includes C. S. Lewis's most important spiritual works:

Mere Christianity
The Screwtape Letters
The Great Divorce
The Problem of Pain
Miracles
A Grief Observed
The Abolition of Man

Customer Reviews:

A very good book to get, if you are interested in theological issues and enjoy C.S. Lewis.......2007-10-16

This is a very good book to understand more about the Christian faith and various topics like pain, miracles, grief. I would say that parts of the book are very well written apologetics, but since there are various books in this one volume, there are also different styles and genres...

The two works that are closest to fiction resemble different aspects of various prose, with "The Screwtape Letters" being written in a form of collected letters.

I can only endorse this book: It has been very helpful in understanding my faith and the varieties in the different denominations, because it was written with much wisdom and insight that many people can prosper from.

C.S. Lewis is a genius!.......2007-10-05

GREAT book! Arrived quick and in perfect condition. Some of my favorite works by this author.

Brilliant.......2007-10-01

Those that read his several works contained in this book will appreciate his straightword and understandable writing. Yet, still readers will be amazed at his deftness in describing heaven's honesty and glorifying light, and his illumination of hell's lies and destructive darkness. The book is awesome.

The Answer Is Found........2007-09-22

If you have any questions to the way life is a certain way, or just want to expand your mind and let new things in, this is the book. Lewis shows in one occasion that truth has the same meaning no matter what time and age you live in. In MERE CHRISTIANITY (my favorite), he uses what he calls the "natural law" and not once uses the bible to show why certain things can only come from a creator. EXCELLENT BOOK!!!

A must for EVERY Chritian or those considering Christianity.......2007-09-10

Christianity is a journey of discovery and growth... Lewis, a one-time-atheist, has written incredible stories and teaching works that have inspired Christians and surprised everyone else for the better part of the last century. His way of bringing to light the answers to questions you have, and expounding on questions you might not have thought of yet will help anyone on their way to understanding powerful truths in life. Reading C S Lewis has shaped my understanding of my own faith in a way i could not have conceived. he does not present new and controversial ideas, or formulas... he merely helps to understand age old issues that affect us all.

This book is a well put together collection of some of his greatest apologetic works that prove and illuminate the Christian Faith. If you don't have it, get it! Then, go out and get his other works, like The Cosmic Trilogy, or The Chronicle of Narnia. Lewis infuses his powerful ideas into these as well, and tells brilliantly woven stories that enthrall our imaginations and inspire our hearts. Please Enjoy...

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Better to be a prostitute than a prig...
Define your terms!
Now my favourite book
The Philosophy of Religion
Good for Sunday School classes

Mere Christianity
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperOne
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060652926
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Book Description

A forceful and accessible discussion of Christian belief that has become one of the most popular introductions to Christianity and one of the most popular of Lewis’s books. Uncovers common ground upon which all Christians can stand together.

Customer Reviews:

Better to be a prostitute than a prig..........2007-10-22

One of the most insightful passages that I have ever read about sex is in this book. I cannot add to the many comments about the book as whole; but I think that Lewis's insight into sex should be noted.

"When an adolescent or an adult is engaged in resisting a conscious desire, he is not dealing with a repression nor is he in the least danger of creating a repression. On the contrary, those who are seriously attempting chastity are more conscious, and soon know a great deal more about their own sexuality than anyone else. They come to know their desires as Wellington knew Napoleon, or as Sherlock Holmes knew Mariarty; as a rat-catcher knows rats or a plumber knows about leady pipes. Virtue--even attempted virtue--brings light; indulgence brings fog."

This idea that Chastity helps one know sexuality in the way a rat-catcher knows rats helps explain what Thoreau was saying in Walden when he called Chastity the beginning of genius and heroism. It's what Freud was talking about when he talked about Leonardo da Vinci transmuting sexual energy into genius. Virtue--even attempted virtue--brings light. As a physician, I know the intimate details of the lives of thousands of people and I know no perfect people. But, I know many people who have more light by simply making a serious attempt at virtue (more light in their quest for better sex and more light in other arenas).

The connection between sexuality and spirituality is complicated but direct and profound. When understood, this connection offers a way to both deeper spiritual and sexual relations. I'm not sure that I completely understand it yet (after studying that connection for 30 years) but this book (in Chapter 5: Sexual Morality) offers important clues.

Having counseled thousands of women and having treated them medically, I have found that real virtue (not the fake stuff) does bring clarity and the most sexual and skilled women are often the most virtuous. The over indulged frequently suffer with difficulty with orgasm and depression and forms of self abuse.

Here's another one of my favorite passages:

"Finally, though I have had to speak at some length about sex, I want to make it as clear as I possibly can that the centre of Christian morality is not here...The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the worng, of bossing and patronizsing and spoiling sport, and back-biting; the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteious prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither."

I have attended (as physician) prostitutes and am a friend to women who have worked in the sex business--some as prostitutes. I've found the mark left by work in the sex industry usually leaves a woman with a hard shell but very tender and forgiving heart. While the fluffy woman on the front seat at churh will sometimes have a soft shell and very hard and unforgiving heart. I would agree with Lewis that the Prostitute is nearer to heaven than the Prig.

I'm sorry if this review sounds preachy. I don't mean to try and expain what Lewis explains so eloquently in his book. But, as someone who has treated thousands for sexual dysfunction, as the author of what is presently the best selling sex manual on Amazon, I thought I might hopefully write a note to encourage more people to pay attention to Lewis's chapter on sexual morality.

Peace & Health,

Charles Runels, MD

Define your terms!.......2007-10-22

Metaphors preferred over definitions, equivocations, unsupported premises, logical fallacies... And this is only in chapter one.

Now my favourite book.......2007-10-18

I read this book with low expectations (I am a bit of a science geek), but was blown away by what I read. C.S. Lewis describes the fundamentals of Christian faith in a clear and concise way. But don't think it will be boring either. It's reasonable and it's fascinating.

The book starts by describing what he calls the "moral law", before going on to talk about particularly Christian beliefs and behaviour. He does this in a way that avoids divisions, which is very refreshing. This book is important for people of any belief to know about what Christians believe - regardless of if they believe it themselves.

I don't normally write reviews, but "Mere Christianity" is so good that I feel compelled to. I was constantly underlining the best bits with real urgency. If you're even slightly interested then I can't recommend this book highly enough.

The Philosophy of Religion.......2007-10-18

Brilliant book!! I found myself nodding in agreement through 90% of this book. His chapter on marriage seemed a bit biased and naive, nevertheless, I can not deny I walked away from this book with several epiphanies and the desire to return to it again.

Good for Sunday School classes.......2007-10-13

Our Sunday School class is using this for our weekly lessons. The writing is very conversational and tends to repeat itself to get the point across. The book comes from BBC broadcasts C. S. Lewis made in the 1940s. This tone fits the style of lesson we have where one member of the class reads aloud while the others listen. We use the journal Mere Christianity Journal as a guide for discussion questions in class. The questions presented are equally applicable to today as they were in the 1940s. Lewis has made us think about what it means to be "Christian" in the WWII era as well as today and how the life of a christian is challenging no matter what place or time you live in.

You may have trouble "getting" some of his references and following his train of thought without re-reading some sections. The reader can tell that C. S. Lewis is an academian through the way he writes. This is not leisurely reading, but makes you think about where your life as a christian can fit into the world. Recommended.

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An Interesting Read
Death of a loved one
Breathtaking
Wrestling with God
A Grief Observed

A Grief Observed
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperOne
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ASIN: 0060652381
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Amazon.com

C.S. Lewis joined the human race when his wife, Joy Gresham, died of cancer. Lewis, the Oxford don whose Christian apologetics make it seem like he's got an answer for everything, experienced crushing doubt for the first time after his wife's tragic death. A Grief Observed contains his epigrammatic reflections on that period: "Your bid--for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity--will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high," Lewis writes. "Nothing will shake a man--or at any rate a man like me--out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself." This is the book that inspired the film Shadowlands, but it is more wrenching, more revelatory, and more real than the movie. It is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

In this classic trial of faith, C. S. Lewis probes the fundamental issues of life and death, and summons those who grieve to honest mourning and hope in the midst of loss.

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Read.......2007-09-19

C.S. Lewis's "A Grief Observed" is quite different from most of his other works. It is a thoroughly honest recording of his thoughts about the death of his wife. Whereas Lewis carefully argued for the compatibility of suffering and a loving God in "The Problem of Pain," he never claimed that his arguments and philosophical thinking would be any comfort for the actual suffering a person may experience. "A Grief Observed" reveals this to be the case- Lewis finds himself doubting God (mostly doubting His goodness) because of his tremendous grief.

The book is composed of four short chapters, and you can easily see changes in his demeanor and ways of thinking throughout the short book. By the end, Lewis seems to have regained a level of confidence in his faith, although he was shook to the core by the death of his wife.

For me, the book was a strange read, and I had little ability to relate to Lewis. I have not experienced such a tragic loss yet, though there is little doubt that one day, this book will connect with me on a deeper level. However, as to whether or not this short book offers a good source of comfort to those who have suffered a great loss, I cannot say. Yet, if you want to see C.S. Lewis at his most human, most honest moments, then "A Grief Observed" is the book to read.

Death of a loved one.......2007-07-29

This book was recommended to me when my son died. I found it very helpful in dealing with my sorrow, and I would recommend it to anyone who has lost someone very dear to them.

Breathtaking .......2007-07-28

The fact that only five stars can be awarded is, in this case, a travesty. The acuity of Lewis' mind, in direct correlation with his ability to transfer his thoughts to paper is that which places him amongst the most riveting authors of the twentieth century, if not of all time. It is by the pen of this individual that many have come to understand the Christian religion with greater confidence due to the fact that Lewis has a way of evoking personal sentiments that may have been otherwise buried in the subconscious. It is from the mind of Lewis that some have come to terms with The Problem of Pain. From this same mind, others have been provided with the information necessary to see through the theological differences across Christian boundaries in an effort to discover Mere Christianity. However, A Grief Observed is a work of art like no other.

What differentiates this work from all others is that Lewis applies his amazing ability to the evaluation of his own mind, as opposed to an effort directed towards helping others grasp difficult concepts. A Grief Observed may be the most honest and moving literary masterpiece ever created by a human hand. It appears as if Lewis commenced the documentation of his experience uncertain of whether he would publish it for public consumption, or retain it for his own purposes. It would be difficult to determine if Lewis, himself, knew with any degree of certainty what was to become of his somewhat stream of consciousness jottings when he began. This stream of consciousness, however, could not be compared to that of James Joyce or the like. While it is jumbled at times - as one might expect the mind operating after a significant loss - Lewis maintains a flow of logic and reasoning that is just as seemingly clairvoyant as his most premeditated works.

Many may turn to this short work only after themselves suffering a personal loss. While one cannot be certain as to how reading this would affect their grievances; it is fairly apparent throughout this work that Lewis would not expect that anything created by the hands of man could dampen the blow suffered by the loss of a loved one. However, the fortunate might be those that have an opportunity to experience this amazing walk through another man's thoughts while they are free from their own emotional suffering. Whatever it is that might bring an individual to the thought of examining A Grief Observed, it can be assured that they only serve to gain by following through with their initial curiosity. To expect this work to fill a void would be comparable to throwing a penny into the Grand Canyon; outside of this expectation, this text is worth its weight in life.

Wrestling with God.......2007-07-15

There are only two marriages I've ever been interested in: that of Francis and Edith Schaeffer, and that of Lewis and Joy Davidson.
This book, while it hints of what the Lewis-Davidson marriage was like, is not about their marriage. Instead, it's an absolutely no b.s. recording of a mind as its world has turned bleakly, seemingly inconsolably, black. But this is no ordinary mind. This is the mind of C.S. Lewis, arguably the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century, if not all time.
If you have read any of Lewis' other books, you will sense that Lewis had some deep personal struggles, going back to his early childhood. It's not obvious. You have to read between the lines, and even then very carefully. But people who have had similar struggles will know what he's communicating to them, consciously or not.
When Lewis married Joy, I don't think he knew what he was getting into. Or maybe he did. Whichever, somehow a former Marxist, divorced mother of two boys, and powerful Christian thinker in her own right was able to get in, under and on Lewis' skin. She was God's unlikely choice for him, which is probably the best kind.
There's was a marriage steeped in levels of love and truth unknown by most couples and certainly most of us unmarried folk. How can you tell? Well, when it ended, it just about ended Lewis' other great and even longer relationship, that of Lewis and his Lord.
This is a tough book. The lesson I got from it is: don't put anything above your realtionship with Christ. Because when that anything comes to end, which it invariably will, it's only the unfailing grace and love of God that will bring you through it. And even experiencing that will be a battle.

A Grief Observed.......2007-07-05

This book really is an aid to anyone experiencing the loss of a loved one. C.S. Lewis describes so eloquently the feelings of loneliness,anger, disbelief,faith and hope one feels while experiencing grief.

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A new way to ponder eternity
The Great Divorce
A dash of fantasy, a dash of truth, vintage C.S. Lewis
An Intriguing Story
Yet, it IS a plausible picture of the afterlife...

The Great Divorce
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperOne
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ASIN: 0060652950
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Amazon.com

The Great Divorce is C.S. Lewis's Divine Comedy: the narrator bears strong resemblance to Lewis (by way of Dante); his Virgil is the fantasy writer George MacDonald; and upon boarding a bus in a nondescript neighborhood, the narrator is taken to Heaven and Hell. The book's primary message is presented with almost oblique tidiness--"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'" However, the narrator's descriptions of sin and temptation will hit quite close to home for many readers. Lewis has a genius for describing the intricacies of vanity and self-deception, and this book is tremendously persistent in forcing its reader to consider the ultimate consequences of everyday pettiness. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

C. S. Lewis takes us on a profound journey through both heaven and hell in this engaging allegorical tale. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis introduces us to supernatural beings who will change the way we think about good and evil.

Customer Reviews:

A new way to ponder eternity.......2007-10-19

I am not a fantasy fan, much to the chagrin of many, and I still don't "get" the magic of the Narnia series (even though I am glad to see it have so much meaning for others). It was with this mindset that i finally picked up The Great Divorce, and I admit to being pleasantly surprised.

As some reviewers have pointed out, this probably shouldn't be used as a theology text. What it is is a thought generator and a conversation starter with those who have questions about eternity. And, beyond that, something that can be read--even thoughtfully--in only a couple of hours.

The Great Divorce.......2007-09-30

This is one of my favorite books. I've read it several times and I've had to buy new copies because I keep giving it away. The Great Divorce starts off a little slowly, but you have to hang in there through the first couple of chapters. It is NOT a book about marital divorce, but rather about letting go of the things you think you want or need in order to gain that which is of much greater value.

A dash of fantasy, a dash of truth, vintage C.S. Lewis.......2007-09-26

As one reviewer noted, many readers will not pick up a C.S. Lewis creation beyond "Chronicles of Narnia," "Mere Christianity," and "The Screwtape Letters." I was one of them, but I'm very thankful for having to check out a copy of Lewis' "The Great Divorce." Like his Narnia tales, there is a dash of both fantasy and truth in this volume, and the mix is delicate but profound. Built as a story of a bus ride to Heaven and Hell, "The Great Divorce" weaves a tapestry of assorted characters, facing immortal choices about their own harrowing predicaments. While Lewis' landscape visualizing the realities of Heaven and Hell are of course conjectural, each character's scene and dialogue with the Solid Spirits of Heaven are assuredly not. It's like looking in the mirror - there is someone who looks exactly like you, warts and all. It's a small book, something you can finish within a day. I still thought it was like a smack in the face, something we need in our materialistic and fickle lives now and again.

Pride, lust, idolatry, SIN, it's all represented here in the great style of Lewis' magical blend of imagination and vivid imagery. The book, of course, ends in hope, in salvation. As the mystical Teacher who advises the main character Lewis says, Hell would not be big enough to do any harm to the Real World, or the Truth.

An Intriguing Story.......2007-09-19

C.S. Lewis' very short book is a fictional work that follows the journey of a group of people in Hell who take a trip to Heaven. Like his "Screwtape Letters," this book provides some excellent insights into the psychology of humankind.

During this trip to Heaven, the inhabitants of Hell are given a chance to repent and enter the kingdom of God. Each person upon arrival is eventually greeted by a person from Heaven who tries to convince the unrepentant to receive salvation. It is almost painful to read as these inhabitants of Hell steadfastly refuse to repent. It is painful to see the characters accept Hell and reject Heaven, but it is even more painful because it is easy for us to see our own flaws represented by these unrepentant people.

Lewis' construction of Hell as a place where the unrepentant wander around and never achieve satisfaction or fulfillment is conspicuously lacking searing flames and torturing demons. And although Lewis may not have meant for "The Great Divorce" to be a systematic description of the nature of Heaven and Hell, I think that he is certainly on to something. The vision of Hell found in this book is, I think, closer to the reality of Hell than the traditional Dante-esque version of torture and pain. But the primary accomplishment of "The Great Divorce" is that it shows us the psychology of unbelief, even when manifested in ourselves.

Yet, it IS a plausible picture of the afterlife..........2007-09-08

This little book is a total joy to read. I know that the author makes it very clear that one should not suppose that he is factually presenting details of the afterlife, yet, in the end he has created a most satisfying image of a plausible afterlife. As for the title, he is referring to the poet-mystic William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell. He points out that this is a synthesis that can never be, for to do so would compromise the absolute Goodness of Heaven, thereby making a Hell of both. Perhaps there can one day be a marriage of Heaven and Earth (thereby showing both to really have been Heaven all along), but never of Heaven and Hell.

I loved the imagery of Hell being very much like a never-ending city on Earth where it is always twilight and eternal night always on the verge. Yet, it is not a crowded city for people keep moving apart because they cannot stand each other's presence. That's just it. People dwell in Hell by their own choice. It is the obsessions that separate them from God and the highest reality that keep them from leaving. It is even shown that such higher impulses as love and pity, if unhealthily indulged in for their own sake and for nothing higher or transcendent, can keep you in Hell. Yet, this Hell is also Purgatory for those who workout their obsessions. In fact, there is a regular bus service to Heaven for fieldtrips that serve just that purpose (I always suspected that the omnibus originated in Hades.)

As for Heaven, it is perpetually just the moment before dawn and eternal day. The idea that Heaven is actually more substantial than Hell, or Earth, is reasonable, since it is after all the more Real of the two being closer to the Creator. Indeed, the visitors from Hell appear as pale and insubstantial deformed ghosts who find the adamantine hardness and density of the higher plane physically painful (even walking upon the grass.) The residents of the realm however are radiant spirits who do everything that they can to point out the mistakes and illusions that the ghostly visitors still cling to- and which are the only thing keeping them from traveling higher up and farther in to the one true goal. The most detailed and believable of these tutelary spirits is Lewis' own spriritual mentor, George Macdonald.

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Not my most favorite Lewis book
We need this today, more than ever before.
like being one of his students at Cambridge
Three kinds of love and how to sanctify them with a Fourth
Listen to Lewis

The Four Loves
C.S. Lewis
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156329301

Amazon.com

The Four Loves summarizes four kinds of human love--affection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God. Masterful without being magisterial, this book's wise, gentle, candid reflections on the virtues and dangers of love draw on sources from Jane Austen to St. Augustine. The chapter on charity (love of God) may be the best thing Lewis ever wrote about Christianity. Consider his reflection on Augustine's teaching that one must love only God, because only God is eternal, and all earthly love will someday pass away:

Who could conceivably begin to love God on such a prudential ground--because the security (so to speak) is better? Who could even include it among the grounds for loving? Would you choose a wife or a Friend--if it comes to that, would you choose a dog--in this spirit? One must be outside the world of love, of all loves, before one thus calculates.

His description of Christianity here is no less forceful and opinionated than in Mere Christianity or The Problem of Pain, but it is far less anxious about its reader's response--and therefore more persuasive than any of his apologetics. When he begins to describe the nature of faith, Lewis writes: "Take it as one man's reverie, almost one man's myth. If anything in it is useful to you, use it; if anything is not, never give it a second thought." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

A candid, wise, and warmly personal book in which Lewis explores the possibilities and problems of the four basic kinds of human love- affection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God. “Immensely worthwhile for its simplicity...a rare and memorable book” (Sydney J. Harris).

Customer Reviews:

Not my most favorite Lewis book.......2007-10-18

I think most of the people who purchase Lewis' non-fiction do so because they are interested in his take on Christianity. One of the odd things about this book is that Lewis doesn't make it clear how he decided on these four Greek words. It turns out that the New Testament doesn't use the word eros or storge. This means that the New Testament usage is actually closer to colloquial English usage that you might guess from this book. I assume he chose these words because classical Greek philosophers classified love in this four-fold way.

When Lewis discusses friendship in this book, he gives it a rather odd definition that no longer seems appropriate in today's world, and probably even in his time almost no one except a university professor have. Lewis' concept is that a friend is someone with whom you share an arcane interest. It is an interest so rare that when you meet someone with a similar interest, your reaction is "What? You too?" Now that most people live in large cities and many have access to the internet, finding someone with an interest in say Wagnerian Opera isn't nearly so hard as it might have been for Lewis, who hated London and large cities. I think for most urban dwellers today, the people whom we consider friends are not so much those with whom we share a rare hobby, but people whose company we like and whose lives we are interested in hearing about.

If you are a hard core Lewis fan, you will probably enjoy this book, but if you are new to Lewis, you might have more fun reading something else like Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, or The Great Divorce.

We need this today, more than ever before........2007-08-23

Supposedly this is the only existing audio of the voice of C.S. Lewis. Originally, I was hoping to find audio of his famous radio talks which later became his book "Mere Christianity". Even though this wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it is phenomenal to hear the voice of C.S. Lewis. The Four Loves should be recommended reading/listening for every engaged couple. For those of us who have been married for some time, his book sheds beautiful light on what our relationships should look like.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

like being one of his students at Cambridge.......2007-07-22

One of the things I like most about college are the lectures of a really erudite professor. It's such a joy to hear someone with a dazzling array of experiences and insights speak on his subject of expertise. These 4 talks are the closest most of us will ever come to sitting in a Cambridge classroom and hearing the one and only C.S. Lewis talk and talk about a subject of intense and intimate interest to just about all of us: love. While perhaps of lesser aesthetic quality than Plato's "Symposium", it is, nonetheless, far more insightful and USEFUL (That's not to say Plato is not useful; far from it! It is precisely BECAUSE Plato is so eminently insightful and useful that I consider this to be just about the highest compliment one could pay Lewis's work, and a compliment which is richly deserved!). Lewis's unparalleled understanding of human nature; his ability to illustrate the true significance of often overlooked, seemingly trivial things; his use of disparate and always apt illustrations from literature, history, psychology, life, philosophy, and religion; the way in which the highest and the lowest are always placed in right relation in his account of things; all these hallmarks of Lewis's genius are on full display in these lectures on the four types of love: domestic affection, friendship, erotic love, and Christian charity.
In fact, Lewis's understanding that these various types of love differ not only in degree but in kind enable him to avoid many of the apparent problems of Plato's account. I would recommend that Lewis's "Four Loves" and Plato's "Symposium" be read back-to-back and then criticized in light of each other, and then reread back-to-back again. Listening to them both (there is an excellent line of dramatic readings of Plato's works by Naxos audio-books) is very helpful, for one gets something different from hearing a lecture than from just reading notes (even if they are an exact transcript of the lecture). Also, Lewis's talks differ slightly in content from the book, and the differences, while slight, are somewhat instructive.
One can truly listen with rapt interest and amazement to these talks over, and over, and over, and over, and...

Three kinds of love and how to sanctify them with a Fourth.......2007-06-24

In the introduction, Lewis discusses the differences between Gift-love and Need-love. He explains that although our Need-loves may be demanding and greedy, they are good and necessary because there is little danger that they can be made into gods. They are not near enough to God, by likeness, to be twisted like that. The highest does not exist without the lowest and a plant has roots below as well as sunlight above.

Chapter 2: Likings And Loves For The Sub-Human, is a discussion of Pleasures of Need versus Pleasures of Appreciation. The types of love explored here include patriotism and love of nature. The next chapter: Affection, deals with the humblest love as Lewis calls it. He refers to literary works like The Wind In The Willows, Tristram Shandy, Emma and others to demonstrate the good and the bad manifestations of this kind of love.

Friendship is explored in Chapter 4, again with reference to literature, including inter alia Ralph Waldo Emerson. This section includes an interesting discussion of the word "spiritual" - which is nowadays often used as substitute for "religious". Lewis reminds us that there is spiritual evil as well as spiritual good. The next chapter deals with Eros and he points out its aspects of glory and its playfullness, with reference to books like Anna Karenina and 1984, and certain passages from scripture.

The final chapter is titled Charity and includes an interesting view of a passage from the Confessions by St Augustine. Lewis notes that the Gift-loves are natural images of God whilst the Need-loves are correlatives (not opposites) of the love that God is. When God is admitted to the human heart, He transforms our Gift-love and our Need-love. Conversion is necessary for our natural loves to enter the heavenly life.

The main lesson of the book is the importance of Charity. Without it, all three of the aforementioned types of love may become distorted and even dangerous. Although this little book provides great insight, I have not found it to be as accessible as his masterpiece Mere Christianity or his comforting book titled The Problem of Pain.

Sometimes his arguments are hard to follow and his views and examples of certain types of love are coloured by the English culture of the period in which he lived, thus not always universally applicable. The book would also have been a better reference source if an index had been provided. Besides these minor comlaints, The Four Loves is still a great read that provides valuable insight into the human condition.

Listen to Lewis.......2007-06-06

If you have only read "The Four Loves," you haven't heard all that Lewis had to say on the subject. The audio version, read by Lewis himself is shorter than the print version of this book, but it includes material not in print. It takes a few minutes to get used to Lewis' voice, but soon you feel that you are sitting in a room with him as he tells stories and talks about what he has learned from his experiences of the four loves.

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Why must holy places be dark places?
through a glass, darkly
According to Lewis...
Till We Have Faces
Warrior Queens Don't Have to be Pretty

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
C.S. Lewis
Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace & Company
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ASIN: 0156904365

Book Description

This tale of two princesses - one beautiful and one unattractive - and of the struggle between sacred and profane love is Lewis’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and one of his most enduring works.

Customer Reviews:

Why must holy places be dark places?.......2007-10-08

In his masterpiece address, "The Weight of Glory," Lewis says, "if our religion is something objective, then we must never avert our eyes from those elements in it which seem puzzling or repellent; for it will be precisely the puzzling or the repellent which conceals what we do not yet know and need to know."

Through the retelling of an ancient myth, Lewis deals with the uncomfortable issue of God's justice in light of what seems a very unjust world. Why have the gods always seemed indifferent to the afflictions of man? Why must holy places be dark places? Why can't the gods just answer us without all the guesswork and riddle?

You know that these questions bother you, just as they bothered the book's protagonist, a woman named Orual. The great thing about this work (among many) is if we are honest, we shall see ourselves in Orual. And while admittedly not answering all the questions that arise along these lines, the book, I fill does succeed in giving us a glimpse of at least that part of the problem that we can control and at some level understand.

The main issue that is dealt with in this book is perhaps the most puzzling aspect of faith. There are clearly those things that go far beyond our ability to control, and each of us shall leave this world in ignorance and most assuredly in wonder, why this, why that? But to his credit, Lewis does an amazing job of taking these tough questions and once again through myth, helping his readers to understand a bit more clearly perhaps, the most mysterious of all things, the human heart.

Once we understand (in some measure) our own hearts, perhaps we too will agree with another of the book's characters, The Fox, when asked by Orual, "are the gods not just?" He answers, "Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?"

The Blackstone Audio of this book is excellent by the way. I read the book once and found (as I do with most of Lewis's works) that I enjoyed it even more upon the second reading. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

through a glass, darkly.......2007-08-30

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold is the most novelistic of the many books by C. S. Lewis. But don't expect it to satisfy on that level. All of Lewis' fiction is an allegorical exploration of man's relationship to God. Till We Have Faces deals particularly with the question of why God seems so distant.

The story is a carefully crafted version of the Greek myth of Psyche, a mortal woman who has a difficult romance with the god Eros. The point of view is that of a homely sister, Orual, who is consumed by unrecognized jealously at being ignored (as she supposes) by the gods. Over time, experience develops in her an independent spirit - a "face" of her own - that qualifies her to converse with God.

I enjoyed this book much more 30 years ago, when the pleasant narrative and the dream-fantasy sequences were enough to carry the allegory. But in my latest reading, the relatively weak characterization and the lack of real challenge in the protagonist's life detracts from the effect.

I respect C. S. Lewis highly as a clear-minded Christian theologian. But like princess Orual, his life experience was hardly rich enough to support the weight of his message.

According to Lewis..........2007-08-17

this book was his favorite of all of the books he wrote. I'm right there with him.

9th grade English class, the last day of discussion, from the back of the room, "I am so mad I didn't finish reading this before today's class!!"

I think that says it.

Till We Have Faces.......2007-08-09

I don't think there's much to say about this book. It's a solid retelling of the Eros and Psyche myth, but if you already know that story, then you already know what's going to happen (for the most part). It was a quick read and the ending was different.

My only problems with it were the names and some underlying ideas. I know that he's trying to portray a barbaric society, but, seriously, renaming Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, UNGIT, of all things? Almost all the women's names sounded masculine to me, and vice versa. Also, CS Lewis seems to be trying to tell us that women aren't as good as men, though I guess that can be blamed on the time period in which he wrote.

Warrior Queens Don't Have to be Pretty.......2007-07-07

Lewis' tale is a reworking of the Psyche and Cupid mythology. I'm not familiar with that myth so reading this novel was a fresh experience. Psyche in NOT the main character in this tale. Instead Lewis has made Orual, the eldest of the three princesses of Glome, the heroine. I think this is a sensible choice because Orual certainly made a more sympathetic, accessible heroine than Psyche who seems too perfect. Psyche is extremely beautiful and graceful, a virtuous woman, and superior in almost every way than most women, including Orual. Orual is a rational, thinking woman who happens to be rather ugly. She is called a goblin by her brutish father, the King of Glome.

Orual is educated by a Greek slave named "the Fox." The Fox has immense influence on Orual and gives her fire to make her case or accusation against the gods. Orual's most joyous times were when her beloved Psyche, the Fox, and herself were together learning, studying, and observing nature. Those times were soon cut short.

Because of her undesirable face, Orual is fated to remain a virgin throughout her life. But she wouldn't complain all that much about that cruelty if it weren't for losing Psyche. The goddess Ungit (Venus), jealous of Psyche's beauty, demands that Psyche be sacrificed to the brute. Orual is in total despair over her beloved Psyche, whom she considers as a daughter. Orual is driven to do things that end up making life worse for Psyche. This drives her to writing this accusation against the gods.

Bardia, a captain of the guards, teaches Orual fighting and riding skills. Soon enough, Orual finds herself in love with the already-married Bardia. Orual decides to veil her face at all times after losing Psyche, and she finds that this veiling grants her more respect and a sort of power over people.

The fighting skills she has learned come in handy later when her father becomes incapacitated, and the throne is turned over to Orual. She quickly becomes the renowned, veiled Warrior Queen, deadly in combat and strategy. Her improvements to the kingdom are numerous, as she is wise and depends on loyal and faithful counselors, mainly the Fox and Bardia.

The ending is a bit bizarre, what with the visions Orual has and her accusation against the gods finally being heard by the assembly. However, the ending does tie up some loose-ends and gives the story the mythical quality of the original tale.

Lewis does an excellent job of portraying this story through the eyes of the sad but not pathetic Orual. She comes into her own in a big way, despite her aesthetic shortcomings, by becoming the "most wise, just, valiant, fortunate, and merciful" ruler of Glome.

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Excellent Series
Superb Collection
Awesome Audio Book Set
Great Find
Great audiobooks!

The Chronicles of Narnia CD Box Set
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperChildrensAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0694524751
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

The Chronicles of Narnia - at long last, all seven timeless tales are presented the way they were meant to be - unabridged in one CD box set.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Series.......2007-09-02

This is an imaginative and wonderful series. C.S. Lewis is really a creative author. I love it that they are Christian stories. Each one is different from the others and yet they are all great. I was so sorry to get to the last one. The readers for the series are also very good. It is very important that the reader be enthusiastic and talented. A good book can be ruined by a poor reader. I highly recommend this series for children and adults. It is a series that will be listened to over and over again. These are great in the car for long rides. ENJOY!

Superb Collection.......2007-08-07

I had only read two or three of the Narnia stories before picking up the audio CDs. I found that reading the stories to myself was somewhat less than captivating. The audio CDs, however, were quite the opposite. I have come to the conclusion that these stories were meant to be read out loud. This collection has a wonderful cast of narrators that present the stories perfectly.

Awesome Audio Book Set.......2007-01-18

I am so pleased with the book set on CD's. I don't care to read very often & since I am a home health nurse I'm in my car alot. Books on CD are very entertaining for us folks on the road. I'd recommend this set to everyone! I saw the movie before I got this set which is what perked my interest in Narnia. I'm 35y/o & I loved it! I'm finishing up the last book now. I'm sad that it's ending though it's kept me entertained for over a month. (I did have a little trouble following the directions to my patients houses because I was so into the stories, oops!).

Great Find.......2007-01-10

We really enjoyed the different readers for each of the seven stories. I'll never get used to people re-arranging them into chronological order, but that is easly fixed. The only real issue I have is Patrick Stewart reading "The Last Battle". I kept thinking that Aslan was going to beam them up. Otherwise, they are great fun and especially good for long car rides.

Great audiobooks!.......2006-11-21

My husband and I absolutely LOVE this set of The Chronicles of Narnia audiobooks. The stories are all read by actors who do an amazing job of giving special voices to the characters and who paint pictures of what is happening in the stories by the way they read the books. I can't imagine that I could like a movie rendition, or even an audio dramatized version of these stories more than these audio books that are simply read in their entirety. They're captivating! I really like that you get the REAL story - it hasn't been changed and nothing has been deleted for the sake of filming or making it dramatic. And you still get to use your imagination to create the scenes in your mind. We don't have any children yet, but when we do, we will definitely listen to these with our kids.

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A Severe Mercy
After all these years...
A Severe Mercy
We keep going back to this book
Beautiful, Haunting, Exquisite

Severe Mercy, A
Sheldon Vanauken
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0060688246
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Amazon.com

A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken, is a heart-rending love story described by its author as "the spiritual autobiography of a love rather than of the lovers." Vanauken chronicles the birth of a powerful pagan love borne out of the relationship he shares with his wife, Davy, and describes the growth of their relationship and the dreams that they share. As a symbol of their love, they name their dream schooner the Grey Goose, "for the grey goose, if its mate is killed flies on alone and never takes another."

While studying at Oxford, Sheldon and Davy develop a friendship with C.S. Lewis, under whose influence and with much intellectual scrutiny they accept the Christian doctrine. As their devotion to God intensifies, Sheldon realizes that he is no longer Davy's primary love--God is. Within this discovery begins a brewing jealousy.

Shortly after, Davy acquires a fatal illness. After her death Sheldon embarks on an intense experience of grief, "to find the meaning of it, taste the whole of it ... to learn from sorrow whatever it had to teach." Through painstaking reveries, he comes to discover the meaning of "a mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love." He learns that her death "had these results: It brought me as nothing else could do to know and end my jealously of God. It saved her faith from assault. ...And it saved our love from perishing."

Replete with 18 letters from C.S. Lewis, A Severe Mercy addresses some of the universal questions that surround faith--the existence of God and the reasons behind tragedy. --Jacque Holthusen

Book Description

Beloved, profoundly moving account of the author's marriage, the couple's search for faith and friendship with C. S. Lewis, and a spiritual strength that sustained Vanauken after his wife's untimely death.

Customer Reviews:

A Severe Mercy.......2007-10-13

It is simply one of the best books I've ever read. What an inteligent love story! They go to Oxford to sudy and for the first time they find themselves surrounded by Christian intellectuals. That is life changing for them and I think this book was for me as well.

After all these years..........2007-07-13

In 1976, at a Christian writers conference, someone I admire recommended this book. He was trying to make his audience understand that writing in the genre of "inspirational" nonfiction needn't be trite or predictable or ordinary. "Christian writers should write well," he told us. Here here. I read the book on his recommendation--and an entire genre opened up for me. Though the book is slightly flawed, it is worth reading (if for no other reason than the letters by Lewis--gotta love him always) simply as an example of good writing. I've recently purchased the book again for friends for that very reason.

A Severe Mercy.......2007-01-16

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken is one of those books I've always heard great things about and never read. It's of particular importance to a couple I know, which only served to deepen its mystique. I finally read it last week and it certainly met my expectations. I appreciated the integration of both the romantic and spiritual elements of the story, and enjoyed it far more than most autobiographies because the prose was better than most in that classification.

The beauty of the relationship remembered is breathtaking. Sometimes I wondered if everything really happened just that way, but we all reconstruct memories from time to time and even if it is partly fiction and partly fact, it's nothing but the truth, as Pierce Pettis so aptly sang. The conversion story is also interesting as it captures the classic pattern of the modern coming-to-faith. I think it will help people in the future to understand the classic evangelism of the past.

A quick but thoughtful read.

We keep going back to this book.......2006-09-27

At different points in our relationship we pull this book off the shelf and read it together out loud. When we first started reading the book we were just dating and it was an example of a relationship we wanted to have. Throughout our marriage it has been an inspiration and a challenge to us.

As a couple we recommend this book to anyone who is searching for a relationship that deepens with each day. It is incredible that the telling of one story could impact so many people - but that is a tribute to the commitment of Sheldon and Davie to each other. They were truely Generous Minds!

Beautiful, Haunting, Exquisite.......2006-04-10

This extraordinary memoir by Sheldon Vanauken about his relationship with Jean Davis is subtly addictive and exquisitely crafted. The story of their conversion from a self-described "paganism" to Anglican Christianity (due in no small part to the friendship and mentorship of C. S. Lewis) is gripping and heartbreaking.

Of particular note is that most conversion stories are emotionally based, but Mr. Vanauken, the recipient of a classical education, needed a reason-based approach as well. It was refreshing to read his account of how faith AND reason played a role in his conversion.

I wish it were possible to give this 10 stars, but five will have to do!

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Still amazing...
Wow.
Long and tedious even though it's under 200 pages
Read this book, again and again.
Fiendishly clever and very insightful

The Screwtape Letters
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperOne
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060652934
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Amazon.com

Who among us has never wondered if there might not really be a tempter sitting on our shoulders or dogging our steps? C.S. Lewis dispels all doubts. In The Screwtape Letters, one of his bestselling works, we are made privy to the instructional correspondence between a senior demon, Screwtape, and his wannabe diabolical nephew Wormwood. As mentor, Screwtape coaches Wormwood in the finer points, tempting his "patient" away from God.

Each letter is a masterpiece of reverse theology, giving the reader an inside look at the thinking and means of temptation. Tempters, according to Lewis, have two motives: the first is fear of punishment, the second a hunger to consume or dominate other beings. On the other hand, the goal of the Creator is to woo us unto himself or to transform us through his love from "tools into servants and servants into sons." It is the dichotomy between being consumed and subsumed completely into another's identity or being liberated to be utterly ourselves that Lewis explores with his razor-sharp insight and wit.

The most brilliant feature of The Screwtape Letters may be likening hell to a bureaucracy in which "everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment." We all understand bureaucracies, be it the Department of Motor Vehicles, the IRS, or one of our own making. So we each understand the temptations that slowly lure us into hell. If you've never read Lewis, The Screwtape Letters is a great place to start. And if you know Lewis, but haven't read this, you've missed one of his core writings. --Patricia Klein

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

This adaptation of C.S. Lewis's biting satire received a 1999 Grammy nomination for best spoken-word performance, and it's easy to see why--the story fits the format perfectly. It's relatively brief (the unabridged reading takes a mere four hours), and contains only one character--the demon Screwtape, who writes letters to his novice nephew Wormwood, instructing him on how to best tempt his "patient" (a wayward soul on earth) into the bosom of "our Lord below."

Obviously, the book wasn't written with former Monty Python John Cleese in mind, but it's hard to imagine a better Screwtape. Cleese's voice provides the perfect vehicle for Lewis's dry, razor-edged wit. His uncanny comic timing and ability to milk each phrase for maximum effect betray an infectious enthusiasm for the story. It's clear that he's having a great time reading, and it's impossible not to laugh along with him. This inspired pairing of two of the 20th century's greatest wits makes for a meditation on the dark side of spiritual guidance that's as relevant and funny today as it was in Lewis's war-torn England. (Running time: 4 hours, 3 cassettes) --Andrew Neiland

Book Description

In this humorous and perceptive exchange between two devils, C. S. Lewis delves into moral questions about good vs. evil, temptation, repentance, and grace. Through this wonderful tale, the reader emerges with a better understanding of what it means to live a faithful life.

Customer Reviews:

Still amazing..........2007-09-21

This book was great, it's particularly interesting how screwtape gets more overt with his utter disdain for his nephew. It was an absolutely fascinating read.

C.S. Lewis is still amazing.

Wow........2007-09-16

The genius of this book astounds me. C.S. Lewis is somehow able to teach valuable lessons on every page while speaking as a demon. And it makes you laugh, too. The reader is smiling one moment and squirming at an uncomfortable recognition of self the next. The book is fairly short and could be a quick read, but you will want to stop and digest each letter for a while before moving on to the next. Excellent for a study group.

Long and tedious even though it's under 200 pages.......2007-09-03

This is an incredibly dull book. I was forced to read it for a religion class and I can't believe there aren't more bad reviews of it. It is very tedious and the wording is old, making it all the more hard to read. I am not a hugely religious person and I would never recommend this book to a friend, possibly an enemy, but never a friend. If you're having sleeping problems, this book would be a great remedy.

Read this book, again and again. .......2007-08-25

Some books can only be read once and then forever forgotten. Some need to be read more than once, and they will still strike us afresh everytime we come back to the books. "Screwtape Letter" definitely belongs to the latter category. Other than the literary style of the book, which is very "tickling" (in a good sense), I will recommmend the book to be treated as a kind of "manual" to discern divine truths from false and half truths. The book will train our thoughts not just to stay positive, but more importantly to stay godly. The book does so by making us aware of how often we have been obtusely blinded by devilish thoughts.

Fiendishly clever and very insightful.......2007-08-01

C. S. Lewis was, without a doubt, one of the best writers of the century, and this book is C. S. Lewis at the height of his powers. It is clever, entertaining and insightful, at points even profound. At points you're almost tempted to take notes. People tend to think of "informative" and "entertaining" as opposites, or at least mutually exclusive. Lewis proves that that isn't true by writing a book that is both at the exact same time.

Some people seem think that this book is depressing or too heavy, but I don't think that's true. It's definitely not a dime novel or pulp fiction, and I suppose it does require a lot more thought than a lot of novels, but don't let that stop you. This book is wonderful satire that's not that hard to read.

If you've never read this book, I definitely recommend that you do so.

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A Simple but Poweful Argument
"The full acting out of the self's surrender to God therefore demands pain"
Problem of Pain
The Problem of Pain in its Right Context
Absolutely Amazing Tackling of the Issue

The Problem of Pain
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060652969
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Amazon.com

The Problem of Pain answers the universal question, "Why would an all-loving, all-knowing God allow people to experience pain and suffering?" Master Christian apologist C.S. Lewis asserts that pain is a problem because our finite, human minds selfishly believe that pain-free lives would prove that God loves us. In truth, by asking for this, we want God to love us less, not more than he does. "Love, in its own nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved; that the mere 'kindness' which tolerates anything except suffering in its object is, in that respect at the opposite pole from Love." In addressing "Divine Omnipotence," "Human Wickedness," "Human Pain," and "Heaven," Lewis succeeds in lifting the reader from his frame of reference by artfully capitulating these topics into a conversational tone, which makes his assertions easy to swallow and even easier to digest. Lewis is straightforward in aim as well as honest about his impediments, saying, "I am not arguing that pain is not painful. Pain hurts. I am only trying to show that the old Christian doctrine that being made perfect through suffering is not incredible. To prove it palatable is beyond my design." The mind is expanded, God is magnified, and the reader is reminded that he is not the center of the universe as Lewis carefully rolls through the dissertation that suffering is God's will in preparing the believer for heaven and for the full weight of glory that awaits him there. While many of us naively wish that God had designed a "less glorious and less arduous destiny" for his children, the fortune lies in Lewis's inclination to set us straight with his charming wit and pious mind. --Jill Heatherly

Book Description

Why must humanity suffer? In this elegant and thoughtful work, C. S. Lewis questions the pain and suffering that occur everyday and how this contrasts with the notion of a God that is both omnipotent and good. An answer to this critical theological problem is found within these pages.

Customer Reviews:

A Simple but Poweful Argument.......2007-09-19

C.S. Lewis offers a brilliant defense of Christian theism despite the pain in the world in this brief book. Combining sharp thinking and excellent prose, this book is highly recommended for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Lewis's arguments are similar to many theodicies (defenses of God's existence despite suffering) developed by great Christian thinkers past and present. Man's suffering is in fact a result of free will, not an original creation of God. And suffering continues to result due to the evil wills and deeds of men. As Lewis observes, "When souls become wicked they will certainly use this possibility to hurt one another; and this, perhaps, accounts for four-fifths of the sufferings of men." If men are to have any significant free will at all, the bad consequences of evil deeds must be allowed.

This, of course, leaves the problem of so-called natural evil. Lewis contends that such evil and pain are necessary for our own repentance. In order to recognize our sins and ask God for forgiveness (and thus restore the proper relationship between created and Creator) we humans must be awoken with pain and suffering. Pain shatters the notion that what we have is ours and is good enough.

The Problem of Pain, despite its brevity, covers a great deal of ground, including a defense of the doctrine of the fall and the doctrines of heaven and hell. All throughout, Lewis's writing style is accessible and convincing. For a powerful defense of Christian theism in the face of a cruel world, "The Problem of Pain" is highly recommended.

"The full acting out of the self's surrender to God therefore demands pain".......2007-07-13

"Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself."

Another serious and powerful work in a long series by C.S. Lewis: why must we suffer, mentally and physically? He hits on subjects we all struggle with. Lewis detests the doctrine of hell, but it is written, so it must be discussed. The chapter on animal suffering is fascinating. The only chapter that led me to question his words is on man's fall.

On human wickedness: "A God who did not regard this with unappeasable distaste would not be a good being. We cannot even wish for such a God----it is like wishing that every nose in the universe were abolished, that smell of hay or roses or the sea should never again delight any creature, because our own breath happens to stink."

On saving grace: "The dangers of apparent self-sufficiency explain why Our Lord regards the vices of the feckless and dissipated so much more leniently than the vices that lead to worldly success. Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God: the proud, the avaricious, the self-righteous, are in that danger."

By the Lord's love we suffer; this strengthens, and it also keeps us on the straight and narrow. If we are to look for easiness, then we are to look for less love. It is for our sake.

"The full acting out of the self's surrender to God therefore demands pain: this action, to be perfect, must be done from the pure will to obey, in the absence, or in the teeth, of inclination. How impossible it is to enact the surrender of the self by doing what we like,..........."

After finishing the book, a thought on heaven came to my mind:
The differences are what makes up a community whether here or in heaven: God has created us after a time where all was God (but that is no more!); we are all unique parts to a puzzle. He needs us all back to complete it----to rejoin our family in heaven; it pangs Him that many will not make it, and choose to ignore their created purpose, because they have surrendered to the self and not to the Lord. Once all was God, but after the creation all has changed; we are asked to be with God because we are of God. We are distinct here on earth, but the maximum distinction awaits us in heaven, to be reunited with our Creator.

Wish you well
Scott

Problem of Pain.......2007-05-30

Excellent book by C. S. Lewis. Used for adult Bible Study discussion group.

The Problem of Pain in its Right Context.......2007-05-01

Pain is real, just as sorrow, death, and wickedness. Your becoming a Christian will not encapsulate you away from it. Christ did not promise that in the first place. But there are reasons why pain happens, as much to Christians as non Christians, and we should reach a better understanding of the circumstances in which we live, so that we can apprehend the promises that are envolved through that pain. Everyone is to pick up a cross at childbirth, but whether you follow Christ with it depends only on you.

This book won't be the treat that 'Mere Christianity' was. It's more philosophical; it assumes the reader is a Christian and has some knowledge of Scripture. But nevertheless, everyone can follow his thinking and it will all make sense. About 160 pages, it has chapters of between 10 and 20 pages, and frames the problem in its right context before reaching his conclusion at the end of the book. This is not a make-you-feel-good (dumb) self-help book. It's a make you understand book.

Absolutely Amazing Tackling of the Issue.......2007-04-15

The first book of CS Lewis I read was "Mere Christianity" and I was profoundly stunned by how effective and witty he could be in his explanation of Christianity and Christian doctrine. So it was with eagerness that I devoted myself to the reading of this book.

And I was not disappointed in the least. The problem of pain is tightly linked with that of evil, in a world supposedly created and led by God. This is one of the most common, and most important, issues in theology, and I dare say, in everybody's life, provided they're somewhat curious about the world they live in. Justifying God on the counts of evil and pain is called theodicy, if I'm not mistaken, and that is what Lewis does in this book, but he does much more.

He deals with the basic problem I just mentioned, how could there be a good God when we live in such a wretched world, but he goes further and treats the human nature as "fallen", and that in a very interesting manner, not your silly Adam & Eve story taken literally (and by "silly" I don't mean the actual myth of Adam & Eve, just the literal taking of it).

Lewis tackles even such a complicated issue as animal pain and the condition of animals in Christianity. That shows quite some bravery.

One chapter is devoted to Hell, and another to Heaven, and either are really amazing prowess of theology. I'm no specialist of theology, but Lewis has a true gift in explaining of all this in a very clear fashion. He truly makes theology a thrilling matter!

After having read "Mere Christianity" and "The Problem of Pain", I'm absolutely convinced that I will get to read everything he wrote on theology, Christianity, and the likes. Regardless of your actual faith or lack thereof, you will find this book (or these books) worth your while. If you're interested in such things, please do yourself a favour and purchase those profoundly marvelous books.

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