book comments 2 (plus a few odds 'n' ends)

I just have a few minutes, as I promised myself I would sit down and do my Greek homework this afternoon. Have I mentioned that Ed and I are taking a class in New Testamnt Greek? I am having oodles of fun with it! I enjoy languages so much…

Anyway, I wanted to do my second and third “book review” really fast. This time, I’ve just finished reading:

The Four Loves
and
The Screwtape Letters
by C.S. Lewis

I won’t say much about these two books, mainly because any comments I might make would be woefully inadequate for describing either the works themselves or the reactions of my heart to them. The main thought I want to share is my opinion that anyone who is curious to read something indepth about the human condition or about Christianity should read these two books.

And I also think that specifically every Christian should read them. Lewis is just an extraordinary thinker. Those of you who know me know that I’m not one to go ga-ga over any kind of celebrity, either in mainstream culture or in the “religious world”…but I wish I could’ve had just one conversation with Lewis. He was possessed of a depth of wisdom and spiritual understanding that is very, very rare today. I’m thankful that we have the benefit of his written works.

A “caveat emptor,” however: These two books do not make for light reading. Approach them with respect, with concentration, and with the intention to suck the marrow out of them. I often had to back up and re-read almost an entire page, simply to understand what it was I had actually read. Sometimes, especially while reading The Four Loves, I wished for a handbook like “C.S. Lewis for Dummies” or something like that. Still, I recommend these books to anyone and everyone. They are a wonderful and rewarding challenge.

On The Four Loves: Among many other things, Lewis examines the true meaning of loving friendship. Through his explanations, I understood a bit more about what God means in the principles He gives us through scripture. I had something of an epiphany, recognizing that my heart hasn’t been in the right place regarding several friendships. I felt humbled to see how very much I still need to grow in this area.

On The Screwtape Letters: This is a series of letters written by a “head demon” to one of his underlings, who is also his “nephew.” The nephew has just gotten his first assignment to try tempting an unsuspecting human into sin and damnation. The head demon is writing advice on just how to tempt the human most effectively. It was a fairly uncomfortable experience, reading about us humans’ daily trials from what is basically Satan’s perspective. Actually, since I often saw myself in the unsuspecting human, reading this book was kind of scary. It was also unnerving to see that even 60 years ago, Lewis was identifying trends in society that eventually led to the increase in immorality that we see in Western society today. This, too, was a humbling and sobering reading experience.

In other news, today it is almost 60 degrees Fahrenheit in Chemnitz. However, the brick walls of our apartment have not yet warmed up, which means that the apartment is cold. I’m sitting here with the heaters on and my feet resting on a hot water bottle. Go figure. ;o)