Growing With My Garden

  In both articles “Rejoinder to Dr. Pittenger” and “Must Our Image of God Go?” Lewis engages fellow theological scholars to differ from them in the positions they take.  The differences are not that large; in either case most lay readers may well see them as quibbles that have little relevance to Christian life and experience.  While a few readers may find them interesting, one may wonder why Walter Hooper included them in this collection, which does contain several exceedingly fine presentations of Lewis’s thought.   I intend to take a break now to enjoy the spring and do some gardening work.  The Wade Center will send an announcement when we resume our readings, probably in June.   I would welcome any suggestions as to any of the works of the Wade authors you would enjoy considering.  Please email me at rolland.hein@dwheaton.edu.  It is always so good to hear from you.  I have no way of knowing if I have any followers unless you place a comment or write me a note.

  Lewis is a superb apologist for Christianity, and in “What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ” he demonstrates irrefutably that Christ is precisely what he claimed to be and his followers confirmed him to be.  He was the Son of God become man, and his Resurrection shows that “a new mode of being has arisen in the Universe.” In “The Pains of Animals” we have Prof Joad’s carefully posed objections to Lewis’s handling of the problem in “The Problem of Pain,” which is an excellent response to what is indeed a very difficult problem for the rationalist.  Then Lewis offers his response, which is certainly the best possible one. I would like to observe that the whole interchange illustrates the limits of rational thinking.  Acceptance of Christianity and fellowship with God depends ultimately on repentance and faith, not reasoned understanding.  Certainly Christian apologists can come up with reasoned defenses of Christian thought which are superior to all atheistic positions, but it does

In “Religion without Dogma” Lewis demonstrates the heights of intellectual achievement of which he was capable.  In this response to the arguments against Christianity posed by Professor H. H. Price Lewis responds with superb intellectual acumen, giving a superior point by point refutation that is immensely convincing. It must be remarked, however, and I know Lewis would agree, that any intellectual presentation, no matter how convincing, is in itself inadequate.  Christianity must be experienced.  It is in an individual giving oneself  to God in complete repentance and submission that Christianity becomes real and operative for any individual.   It also should be remarked that, superb as Lewis’s intellectual achievement is, that is only one aspect of the man.  Amazingly, his imaginative achievements are very impressive as well.  He was also the author of the Space Trilogy, the Narnia Chronicles, and such works as Til We Have Faces.  This twofold achievement renders him indeed

In “The Transmission  of Christianity” Lewis emphasizes the importance of individual testimony over against that of abstract arguments in the transmission of Christianity to the upcoming generation.  The role of a teacher is crucial: “Nothing which was not in the teachers can flow from them into the pupils. . . . As the teachers are, so they will teach.” The secular position of the state pales into insignificance so long as there are Christian teachers in the classroom. The issue this article poses is of great significance in our country today.  Since the prevailing principle is to keep Church and State completely separate, Christian teachers in classrooms in the United States are forbidden by the state to present Christianity.   WHAT SHOULD OUR CHRISTIAN TEACHERS DO?  ANY ADVICE? In “Miserable Offenders” Lewis is addressing people who use the Prayer Book and puzzle over the meaning of specific terms, such as seeing oneself as a “miserable offender.”  Lewis proceeds to define suc

  In “Christian Apologetics” Lewis, speaking to an assembly of ecclesiastics, offers them much sage advice on how they should keep their thinking is harmony with orthodox Christian doctrine.  He stresses at the outset that they be faithful to the Christianity “preached b the Apostles, attested by the Martyrs, embodied in the Creeds, expounded by the Fathers.”    A person may well have his opinions, but they must not be offered as part of Christian apologetics.  Those doctrines which he may find disagreeable must be confronted honestly and seriously, and the trends in contemporary thought must be judged by this age-old standard.  Statements beginning “Science has now proved. . . “ must be understood in terms of the reality that science is constantly changing.” Interestingly, Lewis feels that contemporary people tend to distrust history and ancient texts, lack a sense of sin, and lack a proper understanding of the terms of Christian theology.  He gives a listing of how he feels peo

  In “Answers to Questions on Christianity” Lewis responds helpfully to a range of practical concerns.  Among the things that interest me about Lewis’s writings is that he very seldom quotes Scripture or makes reference to the need for repentance and personal commitment to Jesus Christ.  This is certainly not to cast any aspersion on his faith–far be it from me to do so–but it is to observe that he does not stand in the Evangelical strain. Lewis does, however, affirm that experiencing truth is more important then seeing it abstractly; he puts the impact of personal perception over reason, and he does it very convincingly in what to me is the most important essay he wrote, “Myth Became Fact.”  Speaking of what happens when we encounter myth, he makes an interesting distinction between truth and reality: What flows into you is not truth but reality (truth is always about something, but reality is that about which truth is. And in Christianity the myth of the dying and rising god be

  In the first essay “Good and Evil” Lewis faces the very basic question of the relation of good and evil in the world.  According to the appearances of things as one contemplates the world, they may seem to be of equal power, with evil very often having the upper hand.   This essay is first because rightly understanding the answer is essential to one’s thinking about all the other issues of life, many of which Lewis will face in subsequent essays. Lewis refers to Ormuzd and Ahriman.  They are the gods of good and evil in  Zoroastrianism, a dualistic religion developed by Zoroaster in Persia in the 7th century, and having an on-going effect on the thinking of many. In “Miracles” Lewis faces the widespread denial in our materialistic world that miracles do not exist.  Anything claiming to be a miracle can be seen to be an hallucination or explained away in one way or another.  But Lewis points out that miracles are divine processes made instantaneous, rather than occurring in the

  God in the Dock is a collection of essays that C. S. Lewis wrote in which he addresses various aspects of the Christian faith. Among  the fascinating aspects of Lewis’s thought are the range of issues that he deals with, their pertinence to the Christian life, and the convincing tone with which he examines them.  Thinking Christians have faced the topics he addresses at some time or other and have been perplexed by them, sometimes even to the extent of questioning the validity of their faith.  Lewis masterfully puts all doubts to rest. Our reading schedule will be as follows: March 12: Evil and God Miracles Dogma and the Universe March 19: Answers to Questions on Christianity  Myth Became Fact ‘Horrid Red Things’ March 26: Religion and Science The Laws of Nature The Grand Miracle April 2: Christian Apologetics Work and Prayer Man or Rabbit? April 9:  On the Transmission of Christianity ‘Miserable Offenders’ The Founding of the Oxford Socratic Club April 16: Religion without Dogma

Taking charge of the castle, Actura  has the secret area deep within completely renovated and rebuilt. Lord Morven returns, is amazed to find the area cleaned and fresh.  He has moments of confusion, on the one hand questioning in his mind whether he had really murdered anybody and on the other being seized with deep regret for his sinful past.  He meets with Actura and, receiving her complete forgiveness, is reconciled to her. DO YOU FIND  THIS SCENE IN CHAPTER 57 SATISFYING, OR DOES IT STRIKE YOU AS UNREAL?  Donal confronts the earl and, defying his supposed authority, tells him he is an intruder in the castle and should leave, but then, seeing he is becoming seriously ill, helps him to bed and ministers to his needs.  Donal keeps trying to get him to repent, telling him he will have no peace until he begins  “ . . . to look like the image in which you were made.” There is much of GMD’s theology here.  By repentance and faith we awaken the image of God within ourselves and beg

The plot hastens to conclusion  now.  Lord Forgue reappears with the facade of a  gentleman, under which are attitudes of superiority combined with disdain and contempt for Donal.  He proposes to Actura and she refuses him.   Determined that the castle, which belongs to Actura, should go to Forgue, Morven sends Donal and Davie on a vacation to visit Donal’s parents.  Then he deceives Actura, drugs her, and confines her in the hidden room in the depths of the castle, leaving her to die on the same bed on which he had placed his wife.  Donal feels called by God to return to the castle, finds and frees Acutra.  ANY REACTIONS TO THE STORY, OR REFLECTIONS ON IT? Next week’s reading finishes this novel.  We plan to turn next to the collection of C. S. Lewis’s essays entitled God in the Dock.  I will post a schedule of assignments next week.  

 Donal and Actura finally descend into the hidden room and find on a bed a decayed corpse.  Donal tells her that “this house is like every human soul. . . . “ He was certain Actura would never be quite herself “until the daylight entered the chapel and all the hidden places of the house were open to the air of God’s world.” (Chapter 43).   The wrongs of a person’s past lie dead within the consciousness and must be dealt with.  So with us all.  All our consciousness should be open to God, but we should not let anything in our past of which we are ashamed bother us.   We are forgiven. The text increasingly focuses upon  Morwen’s inner state, and in so doing GMD is describing that of the deeply depraved human being. When Lord Morven summons Donal for a talk on free will he begins to reveal some of the agonies of his own consciousness.  In their conversation GMD reveals his own view about one of the most teasing of theological questions: how free is the human will?  He strongly emphasize

We remarked earlier that there is a teasing symbolism presented in our story.  The castle can be seen to suggest the mystery of the human mind.  Donal confirms this when he remarks: “A house is so like a human mind . . . .”  Actura questions: “the house is therefore a fit outside to my inner nature–as the shell fits the snail?”  (p 244).  In their conversation that follows GMD reveals much of his understanding of the working of the Spirit within the human mind, and this is further developed in our reading for this week, especially in Chapter 32.  Note that the castle belongs to both  Lord Morwen and Arctura, and it is they who hear and are mystified by the sounds and are responding to them.  They represent two quite different spiritual types. It must be emphasized that MacDonald is not writing allegory here, and it is folly to attempt to see allegorical significance in all the images.   But the sounds are produced by soft and low blowing of the wind, and in Scripture, such as John

  It is interesting to observe how much Christian truth GMD conveys to his readers through the story.  In episodes in which Donal teaches and explains concepts to Davie, he is teaching his readers.  He is quite aware that by writing novels he has a great many more readers than by writing sermons, and in believable scenes in novels he can show how relevant to life Christian truths are.   As the ideal Christian Donal desires to be of help in whatever situations he finds himself, but is uncertain just what to do.  In his encounters with the Lord Forgue and Eppie, with the Comins, and with the mysterious actions of Lord Morven, he is observant and concerned, acting as a friend, but not imposing himself in any intrusive or  dictatorial manner.  It is pertinent to remark that GMD is drawing from his own experience. When he was a young man, freshly graduated from King’s College, and employed as a tutor in London, he went through a difficult period in shaping his own faith.  He immersed

  The description of Graeme’s garden in Chapter 14 highlights one of GMD’s insistences, that is the importance of appreciating nature and feeling a kinship with it.   Such is a great help to a healthy spiritual life.  Donal remarks: “Man ought to learn of nature. . . . His work is, through the forms that nature gives him, to express the idea or feeling that is in him.” One of the unfortunate aspects of our present society is the way most people’s lives are severed from nature and it is looked upon simply as something to be exploited for our material benefit, rather than the environment which God created as a proper context for healthy spiritual lives.  Our novel begins with beautiful descriptions of Donal’s natural environment, and there are several throughout.  One of the strengths of GMD’s writing is the giving of such descriptions.  Donal’s interaction with nature is one of the factors that contributes to his stature as an ideal Christian, enabling him to conduct himself as he d

  Donal’s conversation with Davie in Chapter 13 introduces one of the chief themes of the novel, that is the need to understand oneself aright, which we shall see as we read further along is symbolically placed in terms of the larger mystery of the working of God within the  human consciousness. In so many of his writings GMD explores the mystery of the nature of the human psyche in relation to the divine.  One provocative instance occurs in the fairy story The Princess and the Goblins, which was written some ten years before our novel.  In that story the castle in which Irene lives can be seen as a symbol of the human mind, with the great-great grandmother–a symbol of the divine presence–dwelling in its uppermost heights, while deep down below is a colony of goblins, representing our baser instincts.  Irene, the main character, dwells in the middle.  She has freedom to climb up high and visit with the divine, or she can be enthralled and captured by inner evil tendencies.        

  As the story opens, we see Donal walking across Scotland towards an unknown destiny, which turns out to be living in a large castle where he is to be a tutor to a young boy.  His early life has been given in the novel Sir Gibbie, where he is seen growing up as a shepherd boy, spending his days tending sheep and cattle and delighting in his rural environment.  As a young man he went to college, got his degree, and is now facing life as a young adult. Thus oriented to life, Donal displays convincingly throughout the novel ideal Christian attitudes, and in the first chapter GMD describes that utter reliance upon God which produces inner peace in all the outer circumstances of life.  Donal accepts negative circumstances without complaint and expectantly awaits what may happen next.  Many passages are memorable, such as: “He had no certain goal, though he knew his direction and was in no haste.  He had confidence in God and in his own powers as the gift of God, and knew that wherev