Christian Thinkers 101: A Crash Course on C. S. Lewis

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Will Myers

 

April 5th, 2016
By Guest Writer, Kenneth R. Samples

In the last decade a slew of Narnia movies were released in theaters and, though C. S. Lewis has been gone more than 50 years, his books are still as popular as ever. He’s the famous atheist-turned-Christian, but what exactly did he believe and what did he contribute to Christianity? Here’s your crash course on the life and accomplishments of C. S. Lewis—and why he still matters today.

Who Was C. S. Lewis?

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) was an Irish-born Anglican thinker and author who taught English literature at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Lewis served in the English Army during World War I and converted from atheism to Christianity when he was in his early 30s. During World War II, Lewis presented talks on the BBC radio station titled “The Case for Christianity.” Lewis was a member of the famous Inklings literary discussion group at Oxford University that also included such distinguished authors as Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and J. R. R. Tolkien. He was married late in life to Joy Davidman Gresham whose death from cancer led Lewis to write the book A Grief Observed. Lewis died on November 22, 1963, the same day as the deaths of President John F. Kennedy and author Aldous Huxley.

What Did C. S. Lewis Write?

Lewis is well known for his extremely popular fictional writings, like the children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia as well as his science fiction series The Space Trilogy. But perhaps his two most important apologetics-related books are Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. In the first he explains and defends the basic (or common) truths of Christianity whereas in the second he tackles the monumental challenge of pain, suffering, and evil.

What Did C. S. Lewis Believe?

C. S. Lewis was an orthodox Anglican, yet he was well known for emphasizing the common ground that all Christians share. Arguably, Lewis’s three most important ideas or arguments for the God of Christian theism are the following:

  1. Argument from desire: A man’s longing for meaning and transcendence in life is best explained as a pointer to God and to the reality of an unseen world.
  2. Argument from reason: The source and foundation of reason cannot be explained through atheistic naturalism; reason instead points to God as the Source.
  3. Moral argument: The human conscience and the existence of objective moral laws reveal a moral Lawgiver.

These three apologetics arguments are part of Lewis’ overall cumulative case in attempting to show that Christianity is the best explanation of reality.

Why Does C. S. Lewis Matter Today?

Some conservative evangelicals criticize Lewis for viewing Scripture as less than biblically inerrant, and for embracing a view of creation that was something similar to theistic evolution. And, yes, there is some merit to these criticisms. However, Lewis is widely considered the most popular Christian writer and apologist of the twentieth century. His book Mere Christianity was voted the most important Christian book of that century, and his Chronicles of Narnia series is among the bestselling fictional books in history. Maybe Lewis’ greatest legacy, however, is the large number of people who have been attracted to Christianity because of his writings—as well as the many Christians who have taken up the role of Christian thinker and apologist because of him.

Other articles in the Christian Thinkers 101 series: St. Augustine

Reflections: Your Turn

Lewis said that he believed in Christianity because of the faith’s great scope of explanation concerning reality. What does Christianity explain about life and human beings that other belief systems struggle to match? Visit Reflections on WordPress to comment with your response.

Resources

• My former podcast, Straight Thinking, contains four episodes that discuss C. S. Lewis: “C. S. Lewis: Life and Conversion,” “C. S. Lewis: Christian Apologist,” “C. S. Lewis: Christian Writer,” and “C. S. Lewis: Strengths and Weaknesses.”

• These are two recommended books about C. S. Lewis and his apologetics ideas: Between Heaven & Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley by Peter Kreeft and C. S. Lewis’ Case for the Christian Faith by Richard Purtill.

• While Lewis wrote an autobiography titled Surprised by Joy, another recent biography is found inC. S. Lewis: A Life—Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet by Alister McGrath.

Subjects: People of Faith

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When Love Waxes Cold Strong Faith Needed

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Will Myers

By Will Myers Matthew 6:33; “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This scripture is important toward being victori…

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When Love Waxes Cold Strong Faith Needed

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Will Myers

By Will Myers

Matthew 6:33; “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

This scripture is important toward being victorious in the new age as the world moves toward a one world government and as the world through special interest groups (SIG) who target private citizens manifests. They are in the nature of Ephesians 6:12.

Ephesians 6:12 (KJV); “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

AntiChrist shall come out of the defines of the above scripture. He shall identify with each description by the above scripture, but his characteristic shall be more a ruler of the darkness of this world. At this time life is hard and the world government controls most all of one’s life. Only a handful of people shall remain strong in the faith with love for the Son of God, Jesus. The world shall become predominately atheistic.

The Kingdom of God has a King Who is the Son of God, Jesus. The righteousness of God is in His Son, Jesus. The finding of the Son of God in our life and begin to serve Him is the answer to all and any person’s life. When the coming of AntiChrist nears one must have enduring faith in order to live until the return of Christ Jesus to set up God’s Kingdom forever.

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Choice/Free Will – A basic Ingredient of Quantum Physics

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Will Myers

VIEW THIS EMAIL IN YOUR BROWSER From the book SWITCH ON YOUR BRAIN Quantum physics has as its basic ingredients free will, directed attention as the result of a choice, and the effects and conseque…

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Choice/Free Will – A basic Ingredient of Quantum Physics

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Will Myers
Dr. Leaf - Switch on your brain

From the book SWITCH ON YOUR BRAIN

Quantum physics has as its basic ingredients free will, directed attention as the result of a choice, and the effects and consequences of these choices. For example, Proverbs 4:20–27 says that if we direct our attention to the Word of God, we will align our thinking and subsequent choices with God, and the outcome will be healing and health.

Thus an intentional act—such as choosing to attend to God’s words, listen to them, memorize them—will produce the effect of health to all your flesh. Deuteronomy 30:19 can be evaluated in the same way: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses”—the options—“Now choose life”—you intentionally evaluate the options and choose your reaction—“so that you and your children may live” – which is the consequence of your intentional choice.

Let’s apply the basic ingredients of quantum physics: choice, paying attention, thinking and choosing, and consequence.

1. Information: You get a call from your doctor’s office telling you that the results of your blood test are in and asking you phone them as soon as possible.

2. Thoughts: Multiple thoughts swirling around in your head. Option one is fear: “They said as soon as possible! Does this mean bad news? “What if I have. . . ?” And on it goes, down to planning the songs for your funeral. Option two is denial: “This is routine; I’ll call when I have time.” Option three is trust: “I have faith that this will be good news. I am not moved by any doctor’s report.”

3. Choice: You choose an option. For instance, if you choose fear, your brain responds by wiring in the thought, “I am sick,” and you live into this thought.

4. Consequence: You suddenly feel sick and are sure you are dying.

5. New consequence = You phone the doctor; your results are clear; and suddenly you feel fine (and perhaps a little foolish).

So your brain becomes what you focused on (body carries out the will of the spirit and soul), and what your brain has become produces what you say and do and how you feel physically and mentally

Quantum physics has multiple definitions, but the original Copenhagen formulation of quantum theory made by Niehls Bohr of Copenhagen University in 1927 is considered the granddaddy of the definitions. It states that the free choices made by human subjects are a subjectively controllable variable–which simply means that you control your choices. Quantum mechanics can be used to prove that thinking and choosing is a real and measurable.

The way you experience your feelings. the way you interface with your thoughts and the kind of attention you give them will change how your brain functions. If you apply this principle, you can free yourselves from destructive thoughts and actions and change bad habits for good.

For References see Notes at back of Switch on Your Brain softcover and for more information on Quantum Biology see this BLOG LINK

Watch Dr Caroline Leaf PART 2 speak on Quantum Physics and Choice at a recent Sunday Ministry session at Covenant Love Church in Fayetteville NC (1hr 17mins)
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AntiChrist

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Will Myers

By Will Myers A free liberal democracy is a far cry from our apparatus for electing officials to govern our nation. The guidelines and policies that are in place are also a far cry from the daily  …

Source: AntiChrist

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AntiChrist

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Will Myers

By Will Myers

A free liberal democracy is a far cry from our apparatus for electing officials to govern our nation. The guidelines and policies that are in place are also a far cry from the daily  interactions  of each of our lives; to experience a free liberal democracy is not a reality realized by the populace. We have thousands of laws on the books and they are continuously growing. These laws are mostly in the spirit of the safety for the people but as they grow in number we are allowing the government to intrude into the private life of each citizen. Now, the government is not only peeping into our bedrooms but is rapidly gaining the status of being our parent; so much for a free liberal democracy.

The corporate worldviews of the executives and CEO’s in our nation are becoming very much aligned as being the same setting of the stage to increase fascism. We could say that they are becoming very politically correct. Who defines politically correct? It’s the dark world that targets private citizens (Ephesians 6:12; “ For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”). These special interest groups are supported by an oligarchy who controls America. Some of these groups can destroy a person overnight. Corporate executives who serve the agendas of these oligarchies are promoted into high positions; mind you, corporate executives are becoming politically correct in the same identical socio-political worldview.  This system is not a free democracy. Our democracy is being hollered out from within. 

From the groups that target private citizens, AntiChrist shall emerge from within our so-called free democracy. He shall be home grown; he shall be very popular with the people. We are on course for the emergence of AntiChrist very soon. The unfortunate thing is that we can not stop His emergence. We don’t have the collective sense. The collective egos with greed and disregard for God are assuring the rise of the AntiChrist (Revelation 13:18; “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”). The formal also implies with an additional scriptural support that AntiChrist shall control whether we can purchase food or not according to the electronic retail system at the time.

The Republicans support the agenda of the corporate powers much more than the democrats. With fascism rising due to the unified spirits in the corporate world and the fascist being a surrogate of the controlling oligarchy, Donald Trump is going to increase fascism and help to usher in the AntiChrist.

 

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Tongue and the Work of God is Our Weapon

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Will Myers

By Will Myers

With the atheist making giant steps by pushing God and Jesus our of public schools thereby stigmatizing their names to our youth. This has set a course for the youth becoming an atheist. Christianity has faced an increasingly intense attack for the past 20 years at least. Our defense is the rock of truth in our spirit.

Our offense in which it has become time is the Word of God. I won’t claim that the bible is absolutely perfect, but I will say that it is acceptable to God because it recognizes His Son as our Savior and Lord. If we counsel with Jesus, the Son of God, concerning anything, we then become perfect in the spirit.

The Gospel means “good news” because it prescribes the truth for our lives which has results of gratification, love, peace, and material gains.

The tongue is very powerful in our secular world, but it is even more powerful in the Holy Spirit of God. The tongue holds the power of life or death.

James 3; “[Taming the Tongue ] Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. …”

2 Timothy 4:2; “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Romans 15:19
by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Colossians 1:23
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
The Faith is very important to the youth as it is to the elders, and it could mean life or death to all. The thought of “this is it” is the most deflating of all thoughts. Without Faith depression is encountered most probably and as surely as one lives life.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:39
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 13:8
[ Love Fulfills the Law ] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law (UspVsp=Q).
2 Timothy 3:3
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
John 6:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Without love the person is a robot; without love, we have nothing even if  we obey the scriptures. God is love. God’s works began at the beginning of creation predating the creation and development of mankind and that is to make people believe in whom he was planning to send.UspVsp=Q; the law of God’s righteousness in Jesus Christ; the Christ Mind.

     

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Why Are the Aliens Silent?

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Will Myers

March 21, 2016
By Guest Writer, Dr. Jeff Zweerink

Are we alone?

This question has intrigued humanity for millennia. Hollywood has made billions of dollars producing movies that speculate on the answer. Philosophers and theologians have spent countless hours debating this very question. Even late-night talk show hosts and tabloid journalists have joined the game. Only for the last few decades have scientists been able to contribute any hard data; but the data they provide make a compelling case that Earth alone is designed to support life. Here are two recent examples.

Science Daily ran an article with a great headline, “The Aliens Are Silent because They’re Dead.” The title refers to Fermi’s Paradox. If, as some calculations show, the galaxy is teeming with alien societies, where are they? Why haven’t we seen them here on Earth or at least detected some signals from them in outer space? Scientists have proffered many answers. Perhaps Earth is a big zoo where these aliens observe us in an undetectable way. Maybe after a cost-benefit analysis, the aliens decided against colonizing the galaxy. The people claiming to see UFOs assert that aliens arevisiting Earth, but Science Daily describes a more logical option.

Habitable Planets Need Life

From the moment life first appeared on Earth, it began altering the face of the planet. From changing the atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen, to enriching the oceans with nutrients and removing poisons, to recycling Earth’s biomass, life keeps Earth habitable. Now consider a recently formed habitable planet orbiting a star, and assume this planet actually hosts life. What would happen if that life did not change its environment quickly enough to counteract the dramatic astronomical and geologicalchanges that occur on a young planet? The planet would experience runaway heating or cooling and any life would rapidly die.

It seems that many (if not all) exoplanets with hypothetical life could see that life snuffed out before it makes the planet sufficiently habitable. The scientists involved refer to this as a Gaian bottleneck.1 Such a scenario highlights Earth’s remarkable characteristics, which enable our world to support a diverse array of life 4.5 billion years after it formed.

Habitable Planets Need Rotations

Another possible scenario that would make advanced life rare (or unique to Earth) relates to the circadian rhythms (internal clocks) that govern our bodies. Studies show mice with circadian rhythms out of sync with Earth’s rotation have dramatically lower survivability compared to mice with a 24-hour rhythm.2 If circadian rhythms could vary without bounds, then presumably life would simply adapt to the host planet’s rotation period. However, if bounds exist, then only planets with the proper rotation rate could host complex life. One relevant scenario where this would apply is on planets around M-dwarf stars. Since these stars make up 75 percent of all stars many scientists hold hope that exoplanets around M-dwarfs will host life. However, planets in the habitable zone around these stars don’t rotate. Consequently, it would be impossible to align the circadian rhythms of any hypothetical life with the planet’s clock. Given the unusual set of events that determine Earth’s rotation, such as the collision that formed the Moon, maybe otherwise habitable exoplanets could not host advanced life.

Astronomers still need to learn more before we can truly answer whether life exists beyond Earth’s confines. The advances they have made so far continue to support the idea that only Earth is designed to support life. Such an idea comports well with the biblical description of God who created and fashioned Earth for just that purpose.

Subjects: Astronomy, Exoplanets

Dr. Jeff Zweerink

While many Christians and non-Christians see faith and science as in perpetual conflict, I find they integrate well. They operate by the same principles and are committed to discovering foundational truths. Read more about Dr. Jeff Zweerink.

Endnotes

  1. Aditya Chopra and Charles H. Lineweaver, “The Case for a Gaian Bottleneck: The Biology of Habitability,” Astrobiology 16 (January 2016): 7–22.
  2. Kamiel Spoelstra et al., “Natural Selection against a Circadian Clock Gene Mutation in mice,”Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA 113 (January 2016): 686–91.
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The Resurrection: Christianity’s Most Dangerous Idea

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Will Myers

March 23rd, 2015

By Guest Writer, Kenneth R. Samples

“Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”1

This line—from my favorite book in C. S. Lewis’s remarkable children’s series—makes it clear that Aslan, the Christ figure of Narnia, is no tame lion. But his being dangerous does not rule out his profound benevolence.

Like Lewis’ ferocious feline, ideas, including those of belief systems, can also be dangerous. And if Christianity encompasses ideas that are “not safe,” then is it not therefore a risky and hazardous religion?

One of my longtime friends, an atheist, agrees that historic Christianity includes dangerous ideas. However, from his point of view, the Christian faith affirms irrational and superstitious ideas that are not just unsafe, but harmful. He believes these ideas are injurious both for those who believe them as well as for those who are affected by them.

Alternatively, I believe Christianity’s distinctive and essential ideas (or doctrinal truths) are rational and in fact do correspond to reality. Though these Christian truth-claims are “dangerous” in the sense that they often challenge accepted consensus (especially in modern and postmodern eras), I would argue that they’re still good.

“Dangerous ideas” in such disciplines as philosophy, theology, and science often challenge the standard paradigm (accepted model) of the day. These so-called unsafe ideas have radical implications for how people view reality, truth, rationality, goodness, value, and beauty, and can sometimes contravene what many people believe. Not only do such revolutionary ideas threaten accepted beliefs, but they also contain explosive world-and-life view implications for all humanity.

Historic Christianity contains numerous beliefs that are theologically and philosophically volatile (in the best sense of the term). The Christian faith contains powerful truth-claims that have transformed the church and even turned the world upside down.

I’ve written a book titled 7 Truths That Changed the World that explores seven of historic Christianity’s dangerous ideas, and this article briefly examines what I consider to be the Christian faith’s most dangerous idea.

Not All Dead Men Stay Dead—the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Naturalists (nature is the exclusive reality) believe that death is the final end of one’s life and existence and there is no escape from this inevitable consequence. In other words, the Grim Reaper doesn’t play favorites. Not only does everyone die but everyone also stays dead forever. There are no exceptions to this certain naturalistic fate.

From this perspective, any belief system that affirms life after death is sheer wishful thinking. Death is the great equalizer—it comes for everyone. This life is all there is so make the most of it. There is, then, no meaning to life other than what people can hope to create for themselves. Yet this bleak predicament fills men’s hearts with legitimate angst and dread. Everything that a person builds in this life is broken down completely and permanently by death.

In stark contrast to the naturalistic worldview’s melancholy and hopeless dilemma, historic Christianity’s most dangerous idea is that one man—Jesus Christ—died but didn’t remain dead. Following his public crucifixion, he rose from the dead on the first Easter morning. Therefore at the center of Christianity’s earliest preaching and teaching (kerygma) is the solemn proclamation that Jesus Christ lived on Earth, conquered death, and thus remains the living Savior and Lord.

Several strands of formidable evidence back Jesus’ historic bodily resurrection from the grave. These interwoven elements include the empty tomb, Jesus’ post-crucifixion appearances, the transformation of the apostles, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the change in the day of worship from the Sabbath to the Lord’s Day, and finally the emergence of the historic Christian church itself.

The implications of this perilous proposition are staggering and life-changing. Jesus Christ has accomplished what the collective testimony of humanity says is not possible—he rose bodily from the dead!

Here are two promising consequences of the resurrection for those who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

First, Christ’s resurrection is the answer to mankind’s greatest existential predicament—death. The resurrection provides hope, purpose, meaning, and confidence in the presence of death (John 11:25–26; Romans 14:7–8).

Second, Christ’s resurrection is the pledge and paradigm for the future bodily resurrection of all believers (1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:20, 2 Corinthians 9:14; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 1:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). Because he rose, believers will also rise.

Unfortunately, many Christians do not genuinely appreciate just how shocking and dangerous the idea of Jesus’ resurrection really is. Christian philosopher Stephen T. Davis explains: “Christians today do not seem to be astonished at the idea of resurrection (after nearly two thousand Easters, we seem to have gotten used to the idea), but we ought to be.”2

If, as a Christian, this most dangerous of all ideas doesn’t rock your world-and-life view, then maybe your faith has become too safe. And if you’re not a Christian, welcome to Christianity’s dangerous ideas. Prepare for a venture into a historic faith that reveals even more incredibly explosive truths.

Our Bodies Compared

Earthly Body Resurrection Body
Mortal Immortal
Dishonorable Glorious
Weak Powerful
Natural Spiritual

Endnotes

  1. C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (New York: Harper Collins, 1994), 80.
  2. Stephen T. Davis, Risen Indeed: Making Sense of the Resurrection (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 168.
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