C. S. Lewis and the Cardinal Virtues
I first read C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity when I was a teenager. I distinctly remember finding the first two sections of the book relating to apologetics very interesting, but I quickly became bogged down in his following examination of Christian behavior and the doctrine of the Trinity. Recently, however, I have found this back half of the book much more enriching than before. In particular, I have been intrigued by Lewis’s use of...
Seeing Clearly: C. S. Lewis and Imagination
It may have begun with a toy garden in the lid of a cookie tin. C. S. Lewis’s brother Warnie had put moss, twigs, and flowers in the lid, and made a garden-forest for his younger sibling. Lewis said that it was the first beauty he had ever known. He stated, “As long as I live my imagination of Paradise will retain something of my brother’s toy garden.”[1] For Lewis the life of imagination and joy started early. Of course, people are...
A Borrowed Morality
You will find very few people who are unwilling to condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The news of innocent Ukrainian civilians fleeing their own country, Ukrainian orphans being forced to flee orphanages and find housing in neighboring countries, civilian fathers hugging their wives and children goodbye as they prepare for combat without knowing if they will see them again, Ukrainian maternity hospitals being...
Introducing C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and Reviewing His Conversion
Through the month of March 2022, the HSF will publish three articles about themes in C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity. The year 2022 marks the seventieth year since its publication in 1952. Jesse Owens will consider Lewis’s argument for a universal moral law, Chris Talbot will analyze Lewis’s argument from imagination, and Phillip Morgan will examine Lewis’s view of the virtues. In this way, these essays will touch on three key...
A Chapter from the Book of Nature
Last spring, the trustees of my church decided the bushes in front of the parsonage we call home had overstayed their welcome. Over several days various men dug and tugged and clipped until the bushes were gone. In their wake was a sullen strip of dry dirt. It called to me like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. I knew it just needed a little love and it would be as good as new. Although I had a baby on the way and knew I would not have...
Church Leadership Lessons from Malachi 2
In many ways, a leader’s competency can be assessed by the response of those he is leading. For example, a teacher’s competency to teach may be assessed by how well his or her students retain the information being taught in the classroom. If students learn the material and pass their exams, the teacher has probably done well educating his or her students. On the other hand, if nobody passes his or her exams, the teacher may not have...
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