Timeless at Heart - CS Lewis
Published by Fount Paperbacks: London, 1987 (1970).
"If one has to choose between reading the new books and reading the old, one must choose the old; not because they are necessarily better but because they contain precisely those truths of which our own age is neglectful." (page 16)
This is a selection of essays written by Lewis on the broader subject of theology. As a convert from atheism to Christianity (in particular Anglicanism) Lewis had a great love of apologetics, and wider thoughts about the faith he had embraced. Within these essays, Lewis defends Anglicanism, argues against pacificism as a Christian, and talks about how God's ' gradual self-revelation through the nation of Israel was ultimately a sign of love.
Lewis was writing directly to the problems of his day, but it is always fascinating how timeless his advice can be (see what I did there). One passage in particular caught my eye in regards to our modern way of receiving information. Replace the word 'university' with something like 'internet forum' in the following quote: "In any fairly large and talkative community such as a university there is always the danger that those who think alike should gravitate together into coteries where they will henceforth encounter opposition only in the emasculated form of rumour that the outsiders say thus and thus. The absent are easily refuted, complacent dogmatism thrives, and differences of opinion are embittered by group hostility. Each group hears not the best, but the worst, that the other groups can say." (page 81)
This is a selection of essays written by Lewis on the broader subject of theology. As a convert from atheism to Christianity (in particular Anglicanism) Lewis had a great love of apologetics, and wider thoughts about the faith he had embraced. Within these essays, Lewis defends Anglicanism, argues against pacificism as a Christian, and talks about how God's ' gradual self-revelation through the nation of Israel was ultimately a sign of love.
Lewis was writing directly to the problems of his day, but it is always fascinating how timeless his advice can be (see what I did there). One passage in particular caught my eye in regards to our modern way of receiving information. Replace the word 'university' with something like 'internet forum' in the following quote: "In any fairly large and talkative community such as a university there is always the danger that those who think alike should gravitate together into coteries where they will henceforth encounter opposition only in the emasculated form of rumour that the outsiders say thus and thus. The absent are easily refuted, complacent dogmatism thrives, and differences of opinion are embittered by group hostility. Each group hears not the best, but the worst, that the other groups can say." (page 81)
Well worth a read.
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