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The Problem of Pain

5 stars (A life altering book) - I first listened to this book in audio form on a long drive, so heard the entire text in one session. It really was an inspiring experience. I actually listened to it a second time on the return trip. Lewis' gift for verbalizing complex logical and moral issues amazed and inspired me. As one reviewer said, Lewis is the "ideal persuader for the ... good man who would like to be a Christian but finds his intellect getting in the way." His discussions are logical, yet human. A masterful book. 3 stars (Good stuff, except for the Arminian slant) - C.S. Lewis makes many insightful points, but his Arminian (vs. Calvinistic) views distort his presentation at times. For example, he suggests that it isn't God's "fault" that pain and suffering entered the world, i.e. God's sovereign will was thwarted by man. When of course Calvinists like myself argue that it's the Biblical view that our all powerful and sovereign God foreordains all things as the prophet Isaiah says. But overall, it was a worthwhile read. 5 stars (Thought Provoking Jack Lewis) - I'm a blogger. Blogging makes me read. It makes me turn off the television and read. This is very good. What I have been reading lately is C. S. Lewis. Particularly, I've been re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia. After reading through The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, I decided to shift gears and read one of Lewis's theological works before resuming the Chronicles. All I can say is, "Wow!" The Problem of Pain is not what I expected. I'm not sure what it was that I did expect. Perhaps something more along the line of a good evangelical book - you know, shallow, but with lots of Bible verses. Pain is exactly the opposite. Deep and with very little use of prooftexting. How the Church of the twenty-first century needs more minds like C. S. Lewis! We have been drowning in the fluff of "make-me-feel-good-like-Jabez-bless-me-bless-me" Christian publishing for years. It is ...
HarperSanFrancisco :: Religion & General :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE PERSONAL GROWTH :: Suffering :: Religious aspects :: Religion - Classic Works :: The Problem of Pain

 

Mere Christianity

1 stars (didn't recieve that product/ credit card was billed) - i never received that book even though my cc was charged. it might have been sent in august but i wonder if they are still printing the book for me?? and walking it to maryland. i do not recommedn this source and had i known this would happen i never would have used amazon.com 1 stars (Flimsy arguments tell Christians what they want to hear.) - I'd read on a website about an atheist who'd converted to Christianity after reading this book, and C.S. Lewis tells readers that he was once an atheist himself. Since I'd love to believe that some Big Grand-Daddy in the Sky is going to make atrocities like George W.'s presidency all right in the end, I gave it a shot. I really did go into it with an open mind, but I was sorely disappointed. In essence, C.S. Lewis's argument is that since humans know right from wrong, we must be getting that notion from somewhere; hence, there must be a god who gives it to us. He dismisses the idea that right and wrong could be hardwired into the human brain by millions of years of evolution by saying the following: You cannot claim that the sense of right and wrong is instinctive because (a) we can have competing instincts, and (b) we often choose to morally follow the weaker of the competing instincts. He gives the example of the instinct to save a drowning man and claims that most people would experience two instincts in that situation--to wit, one to save the man and one to not put oneself in danger--and that the moral man would choose to act on the weaker of the instincts in order to save the man. According to C.S. Lewis, the decision-making that allows us to govern between instincts to choose the moral or immoral course of action comes from god. In a matter of a few minutes, C.S. Lewis dismisses--erroneously, I believe--the idea that morality is a complex biological process whereby the mind sorts through various drives, with the executive decision-making process ...
HarperSanFrancisco :: Reading Group Guide :: Religion & Christian Literature :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE PERSONAL GROWTH :: Theology :: Doctrinal :: :: Mere Christianity

 

Jesus I Never Knew- The

5 stars (Heart-healing for the Agnostic) - I found this book full of surprises, relevant to the secular-religious debate and an entertaining, thoughtful read. Yancey opened and enriched my perspective on Jesus. 5 stars (Thought provoking...) - It is an amazing book that forces me to look at Jesus from a totally different perspective. Basically, it appars that God accepted Job's implied challenge to see the world through "Human" eyes, and history is made and the world is changed forever. Excellent reading... 3 stars (I wanted more.) - I wanted more. Miracles, Yancey quotes C.S Lewis stating that miracles work by natural laws. When Jews changed the water too wine suggested natural laws were used to create the miracle. This is not rationale to me. The logic goes as follows, the water was consumed by the grape, the grapes grows from nutrients and sunlight, the grape is harvested, the grape juices ferment, the end result is wine. The wine is a product of natural, mechanical, and manufacturing processes, a feat reproduceable by any mortal. What about the parting of the red Sea? One could state, this phenomena was the result of high speed winds that separated the water, dried out the land, and allowed the children of Israel to cross over, and as the Egyptians attempted the crossing, the wind stopped blowing, and the water buryed the Egyptians. So, Natural laws combine with time manipulation explaining the miracle. The implication being that if man could manipulate time and mechanical processes, any miracle could be performed by applying natural laws. Furthermore, one could might conclude miracles are a lack of scientific knowledge and if one possessed such knowledge there would be no miracle just rational application of information. For example, if a bioengineering gene therapy was used to kill cancer cells then the miracle is the application of the medicene, not a divine intervention. People would not be inclined to thank a loving God for their miracle bu...
Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE PERSONAL GROWTH :: Religion - Biblical Studies :: Religion :: Christianity - Theology - Christolo :: Jesus I Never Knew- The

 

The Case for Christ- A Journalist-s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus

5 stars (Can't Deny Jesus ) - If anyone doubts that Jesus was God in the flesh, this book will prove it to be true. This is a book for the "Prove It To Me" types, Lee does that. If one is agnostic or atheist, this book is a good read, open minded and fair. 5 stars (actually pretty good) - In my search for my faith, I was recommended Strobel's Case for Christ. It has turned out to be a good choice. Sure Strobel doesn't present everything or even both sides (interviewing a rebuttal expert would have been a welcomed addition). And some of the arguements were weak, like the section on archeology (though I feel that was more the fault of his expert than the evidence out there), the chapter "Was Jesus Convinced That He Was teh Son of God?, the psychological evidence, the chapter on the evidence of his appearances after death, and the final chapter, the circumstantial evidence. But even after that is said, Strobel's book makes a strong case for the life of Christ as the Son of God. The book makes no apologies for being a book supporting Christianity, but then that is what it is. It's sure to be a true joy for those with faith and I think is valuable for those searching, though only as a starting place and not where you want to stop. 5 stars (Certainly a legitimate argument) - Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ is a must read for anyone struggling with Jesus questions. Strobel sets off on a two-year journey, with a plethora of questions about Christianity, in hopes of getting some answers one the most disputed figures in history. With FICTIONAL books, like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, causing people to question the truth of Christianity, Lee's journey to faith is the answer. Personally, I do not understand the negative reviews of the book, which suggest Strobel's book as an apologetic. It is, but, contrary to what the reviewer's say, Strobel never set out to find faith in Christ. In fact, from the outset, Strobel admits that he is a skeptic, looking to bury the expert...
Zondervan :: Religion & Christian Life :: CHRISTIAN LIVING PRACTICAL LIFE PERSONAL GROWTH :: Theology - Christology :: Religion :: Person and offices :: Jesus Christ :: Christ :: The Case for Christ- A Journalist-s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus