mere christianity . by csLewis

Clive and his brother Warnie

1933 The fall term marked the beginning of Lewis’ convening of a circle of friends dubbed “The Inklings.” For the next 16 years, on through 1949, they continued to meet in Jack’s rooms at Magdalen College on Thursday evenings and, just before lunch on Mondays or Fridays, in a back room at “The Eagle and Child,” a pub known to locals as “The Bird and Baby.” Members included J.R.R. Tolkien, Warnie, Hugo Dyson, Charles Williams, Dr. Robert Havard, Owen Barfield, Weville Coghill and others. (See Humphry Carpenters The Inklings for a full account of this special group.)

1935 At the suggestion of Prof. F.P. Wilson, Lewis agreed to write the volume on 16th Century English Literature for the Oxford History of English Literature series. Published in 1954, it became a classic.

1937 Lewis received the Gollancz Memorial Prize for Literature in recognition of The Allegory of Love (a study in medieval tradition).

1939 At the outbreak of World War II in September, Charles Williams moved from London to Oxford with the Oxford University Press to escape the threat of German bombardment. He was thereafter a regular member of “The Inklings.”

1941 From May 2 until November 28, The Guardian published 31 “Screwtape Letters” in weekly installments. Lewis was paid 2 pounds sterling for each letter and gave the money to charity. In August, he gave four live radio talks over the BBC on Wednesday evenings from 7:45 to 8:00. An additional 15-minute session, answering questions received in the mail, was broadcast on September 6. These talks were known as “Right and Wrong.”

chronological info. from the c. s. lewis foundation.
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reading . mere christianity . by csLewis
page 94 through 103 . sexual morality

Do we really need to say everything we think? In my life time it has gone from not saying anything in front of the children to blasting it at them 24/7 on the television in full living colour. Isn’t there something to be gained from a thoughtful balance of our freedoms of speech and our accepted societal norms?

Sex is being shown as a way to sell things, a way to be popular and to get ahead, a way to be famous, something to do for kicks, something of little meaning. Also, being shown is the acceptance of acting out on excess and obsession. I am not saying that any of us are perfect. But, what i am saying is that we could rethink where we are going with this.

Mr. Lewis mentioned a few things in this chapter that i would just like to quickly list here for thought.

1. Be careful not to assume.

2. A strict or fussy standard of modesty and propriety is not proof of the christian rule of chastity.

3. A real desire to believe all the good you can of others and to make others as comfortable as you can…

4. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance to overcome our difficulties.

5. We think that you will get help obeying the christian principles which you will not get towards obeying the others.

6. Very often, what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself, but just this power of always trying again.

7. This process trains the habits of the soul.

8. Virtue, even attempted virtue brings light.

9. Though neither is good, being a prostitute is not as bad as being a self-righteous prig.

Check out more with our very nice book club host, Sara Salter, at “living between the lines.”