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A review by kailey_luminouslibro
The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses by C.S. Lewis
4.0
This collection of essays from C.S. Lewis includes "The Weight of Glory", which explores humanity's innate desire for God. The essay says that the ultimate reward for a Christian is, not just to know God, but to be known by God. To be acknowledged and to receive approval from the Creator is the very essence of "glory". Lewis talks from his own experience about how one of the most awful human experiences is to be ignored as if you did not matter, but to be noticed and invited in and welcomed as one who belongs is the highest happiness. We are not only to delight in our own glorious fellowship with God, but to also delight in the glory of our fellow human souls. Appreciating God and enjoying His Presence is the ultimate goal and design for every soul.
The introduction is written by Walter Hooper, detailing his personal relationship with C.S. Lewis with some little anecdotes of their time together that emphasize Lewis' wit and humor. Hooper describes Lewis as a "truly modest man" who was careful not to think of his own fame or literary importance, lest he should fall into the sin of pride. Hooper also explains where each of the essays and sermons were first introduced or first printed. "Why I Am Not a Pacifist" was actually a lecture to a Pacifist Society at Oxford in 1940. He gave lectures, sermons, and commemoration speeches on various topics, sometimes not of his own choosing. He was asked to address the topic "Is Theology Poetry?" for the Socratic Club in 1944 and later published it in the Socratic Digest. In 1956, he was invited to speak at a small college chapel. He gave a sermon that he titled "A Slip of the Tongue", and the building was so crowded that they had to bring in extra chairs for everyone.
"Learning in War Time" was a speech given in 1939, about why it is important to continue with your daily duties even during times of great national distress. Whether it is your duty to be a college student or drive a bus, you continue on. The arts and sciences don't suddenly lose their value because war has been declared. It seems that during this time in England, some people would take their patriotism to the extreme point where they would criticize anyone who did anything that didn't "help the war effort". Lewis points out that people had become fixated on the war and its horrors because they imagined that it brought death much nearer, but the truth is that death is always near, we just like to comfortably ignore it most of the time. But when there is a war, you can't ignore death anymore. He argues that the state of the world has not really changed during wartime, and so each person should continue with fulfilling their own responsibilities in whatever sphere they have been placed, whether in the classroom or on the battlefield.
"Why I Am Not a Pacifist" explores the moral arguments for and against pacifism. Lewis breaks down the emotional reasons behind pacifism versus the moral intuitions that prompt humanity to do what they know is right, even at great personal sacrifice. He argues that there are multiple avenues by which a person decides if something is right or wrong - through their reason, their emotions, and their intuition. People can always manufacture reasons for what they want to be moral truth, but intuition is the truth that all human beings acknowledge to be self-evident. He also explores history and the authority of government and religious leaders in relation to war, drawing the conclusion that war is always terrible, but perhaps not always the worst possible evil.
In "Transposition" Lewis gave a sermon about the sensations that we feel when experiencing something spiritual. He demonstrates that there is a transposition of a higher sensation or concept into something lower and more simple. Lewis likens it to a piano piece that has been adapted from an orchestral score. We will not understand the scope of the music, unless we have first heard all the orchestral parts, then the simpler piano piece will make more sense once we are familiar with the original. Similarly, our spiritual understanding must know the higher plane before we can put the lower things into their proper places. Just because the natural physical condition of our lives appears to be the only "real" level of existence, doesn't mean that the higher spiritual things don't exist. In fact, you can only truly understand the physical once you have entered fully into the spiritual. Lewis reminds us that "spiritual things are spiritually discerned." The physical world is an embodiment of the reality of the spiritual world.
"Is Theology Poetry?" asks whether Christians only believe in Christ because it's a pretty story that attracts us with poetic mythology. Lewis explains that Christianity actually has a much less attractive and less poetic set of beliefs than other religions or mythologies, which makes it much more reasonable to accept it as the simple truth. He compares classical poets and ancient myths to the Bible, and explores why we find those stories pleasant and attractive, and what different emotions we have in response to the Christ of the Bible. He talks about the "humiliation of myth into fact" and describes how plain facts lack the dreamy uplift of the imagination. Plain facts are "humdrum", but often contain a "deeper poetry". Lewis says that he believes in Christianity because it contains all the universe in it. In Christianity are the only answers that correspond with facts.
"The Inner Ring" was a commencement speech given to young graduates at King's College in 1944. It describes the human desire to be included in an elite exclusive group, and the pitfalls and sins that it could lead to if you let that desire override your moral compass. A group of friends or companions is not necessarily a bad thing. A sense of belonging to an exclusive membership can be good for bringing people together, but if you let the fear of being on the "outside" become your guide, you could easily be led into immoral ground.
In "Membership" Lewis attacks the concept of the faceless collective where people are expected to conform to the template laid out by the institution. He says that members of the Christian church were never meant to be all equal and the same within the Body of the Church. Just like a real body, each member has a different function, like organs and limbs. Within the membership of the Church, there is wonderful variety, which you don't see in the members of secular institutions.
"On Forgiveness" was a bit disappointing for me. I thought it would go into more depth about the different levels of forgiveness, but it was a very short essay - only 5 pages long. But it was still quite good! Lewis points out that a lot of the time when we talk about God forgiving our sins, what we really mean is that we want God to "excuse" our sins. We come to God with all of our excuses and reasons why we couldn't help it when we sinned and how it's not really our fault, when instead we should come with true contrition, admitting our wrongdoing and humbly asking for forgiveness.
"A Slip of the Tongue" is about Lewis' personal experience while praying, and he mixed up some of the words in the prayer to say that he might "pass through things eternal" and "not lose things temporal." It should be the other way around- to pass through things temporal and not lose things eternal. From there Lewis explores how we hold on to the temporal things at the risk of losing sight of the eternal. Lewis encourages the reader to stop "paddling in the shallows" and to dive deeper into faith and trust in God.
Overall, I loved this collection of essays and sermons! I recognized many famous quotes from Lewis that I have seen in other places, and it was nice to see the full context for those phrases. I love how Lewis takes his reasoning step by step so that you can easily follow his train of thought, and he leads you right to the truth at the heart of the matter.
There is something truly natural and elemental about his arguments. You can look around you at your own life and say, "Ah yes. He described it exactly. Yep, that is the way the world works. That is reality. What he is saying here is true. I can see it every day in our society around us and in how God works in people." It's not like he is spouting some kind of mystical spiritual mystery that I can never understand or observe. He cuts right into the heart of things and clearly shows you the inner workings behind the glitter of the world.
The introduction is written by Walter Hooper, detailing his personal relationship with C.S. Lewis with some little anecdotes of their time together that emphasize Lewis' wit and humor. Hooper describes Lewis as a "truly modest man" who was careful not to think of his own fame or literary importance, lest he should fall into the sin of pride. Hooper also explains where each of the essays and sermons were first introduced or first printed. "Why I Am Not a Pacifist" was actually a lecture to a Pacifist Society at Oxford in 1940. He gave lectures, sermons, and commemoration speeches on various topics, sometimes not of his own choosing. He was asked to address the topic "Is Theology Poetry?" for the Socratic Club in 1944 and later published it in the Socratic Digest. In 1956, he was invited to speak at a small college chapel. He gave a sermon that he titled "A Slip of the Tongue", and the building was so crowded that they had to bring in extra chairs for everyone.
"Learning in War Time" was a speech given in 1939, about why it is important to continue with your daily duties even during times of great national distress. Whether it is your duty to be a college student or drive a bus, you continue on. The arts and sciences don't suddenly lose their value because war has been declared. It seems that during this time in England, some people would take their patriotism to the extreme point where they would criticize anyone who did anything that didn't "help the war effort". Lewis points out that people had become fixated on the war and its horrors because they imagined that it brought death much nearer, but the truth is that death is always near, we just like to comfortably ignore it most of the time. But when there is a war, you can't ignore death anymore. He argues that the state of the world has not really changed during wartime, and so each person should continue with fulfilling their own responsibilities in whatever sphere they have been placed, whether in the classroom or on the battlefield.
"Why I Am Not a Pacifist" explores the moral arguments for and against pacifism. Lewis breaks down the emotional reasons behind pacifism versus the moral intuitions that prompt humanity to do what they know is right, even at great personal sacrifice. He argues that there are multiple avenues by which a person decides if something is right or wrong - through their reason, their emotions, and their intuition. People can always manufacture reasons for what they want to be moral truth, but intuition is the truth that all human beings acknowledge to be self-evident. He also explores history and the authority of government and religious leaders in relation to war, drawing the conclusion that war is always terrible, but perhaps not always the worst possible evil.
In "Transposition" Lewis gave a sermon about the sensations that we feel when experiencing something spiritual. He demonstrates that there is a transposition of a higher sensation or concept into something lower and more simple. Lewis likens it to a piano piece that has been adapted from an orchestral score. We will not understand the scope of the music, unless we have first heard all the orchestral parts, then the simpler piano piece will make more sense once we are familiar with the original. Similarly, our spiritual understanding must know the higher plane before we can put the lower things into their proper places. Just because the natural physical condition of our lives appears to be the only "real" level of existence, doesn't mean that the higher spiritual things don't exist. In fact, you can only truly understand the physical once you have entered fully into the spiritual. Lewis reminds us that "spiritual things are spiritually discerned." The physical world is an embodiment of the reality of the spiritual world.
"Is Theology Poetry?" asks whether Christians only believe in Christ because it's a pretty story that attracts us with poetic mythology. Lewis explains that Christianity actually has a much less attractive and less poetic set of beliefs than other religions or mythologies, which makes it much more reasonable to accept it as the simple truth. He compares classical poets and ancient myths to the Bible, and explores why we find those stories pleasant and attractive, and what different emotions we have in response to the Christ of the Bible. He talks about the "humiliation of myth into fact" and describes how plain facts lack the dreamy uplift of the imagination. Plain facts are "humdrum", but often contain a "deeper poetry". Lewis says that he believes in Christianity because it contains all the universe in it. In Christianity are the only answers that correspond with facts.
"The Inner Ring" was a commencement speech given to young graduates at King's College in 1944. It describes the human desire to be included in an elite exclusive group, and the pitfalls and sins that it could lead to if you let that desire override your moral compass. A group of friends or companions is not necessarily a bad thing. A sense of belonging to an exclusive membership can be good for bringing people together, but if you let the fear of being on the "outside" become your guide, you could easily be led into immoral ground.
In "Membership" Lewis attacks the concept of the faceless collective where people are expected to conform to the template laid out by the institution. He says that members of the Christian church were never meant to be all equal and the same within the Body of the Church. Just like a real body, each member has a different function, like organs and limbs. Within the membership of the Church, there is wonderful variety, which you don't see in the members of secular institutions.
"On Forgiveness" was a bit disappointing for me. I thought it would go into more depth about the different levels of forgiveness, but it was a very short essay - only 5 pages long. But it was still quite good! Lewis points out that a lot of the time when we talk about God forgiving our sins, what we really mean is that we want God to "excuse" our sins. We come to God with all of our excuses and reasons why we couldn't help it when we sinned and how it's not really our fault, when instead we should come with true contrition, admitting our wrongdoing and humbly asking for forgiveness.
"A Slip of the Tongue" is about Lewis' personal experience while praying, and he mixed up some of the words in the prayer to say that he might "pass through things eternal" and "not lose things temporal." It should be the other way around- to pass through things temporal and not lose things eternal. From there Lewis explores how we hold on to the temporal things at the risk of losing sight of the eternal. Lewis encourages the reader to stop "paddling in the shallows" and to dive deeper into faith and trust in God.
Overall, I loved this collection of essays and sermons! I recognized many famous quotes from Lewis that I have seen in other places, and it was nice to see the full context for those phrases. I love how Lewis takes his reasoning step by step so that you can easily follow his train of thought, and he leads you right to the truth at the heart of the matter.
There is something truly natural and elemental about his arguments. You can look around you at your own life and say, "Ah yes. He described it exactly. Yep, that is the way the world works. That is reality. What he is saying here is true. I can see it every day in our society around us and in how God works in people." It's not like he is spouting some kind of mystical spiritual mystery that I can never understand or observe. He cuts right into the heart of things and clearly shows you the inner workings behind the glitter of the world.