Tag: God in the Dock

RETROSPECT: September 22nd – 30th

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for September 22nd – 30th include: Debut story of a Sci-Fi trilogy, a landmark book published anonymously and the death of Lewis’s father to cancer.

It’s no secret that Lewis is known for being a versatile writer. One of his earliest efforts that spotlighted this fact is what happened on the 23rd in 1938. This is when Lewis released the first of what is referred to many fans as the Ransom trilogy. That’s because Dr. Elwin Ransom is a central character introduced in Out of the Silent Planet. Released a dozen years before the Narnia stories, some call this his first imaginative apologetic work. Apparently Lewis himself wasn’t aware of how useful of a tool fiction could be to present Christian ideas in a latent way. It was

Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: September 21st

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

“The Sermon and the Lunch” was first published on this date in 1945 in Church of England Newspaper. It’s now in God in the Dock.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“The greed to be loved is a fearful thing. Some of those who say (and almost with pride) that they live only for love come, at last, to live in incessant resentment.”

The Sermon and the Lunch
(Published 9/21/1945 in Church of England Newspaper)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

Complete the quote and name the source (3 words):
“Of all bad men ______ _____ _____ are the worst. Of all created beings the wickedest is one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God.”
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: September 14th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

“The Adam Unparadised” is a poem first published today (9/14) in 1949 in Punch as “A Footnote to Pre-History”
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“The educated man habitually, almost without noticing it, sees the present as something that grows out of a long perspective of centuries.”

“God in the Dock”
(First published as “Difficulties in Presenting the Christian Faith to Modern Unbelievers” in September 1948 issue of Lumen Vitae )

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

Complete the quote and name the source (4 words):
“No good work is done anywhere without aid from _____ ______ _____ _____ .”
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: September 1st

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

“God in the Dock” was published as “Difficulties in Presenting the Christian Faith to Modern Unbelievers” in September ’48 in Lumen Vitae.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock.”

Difficulties in Presenting the Christian Faith to Modern Unbelievers
(Published in September 1948 issue of Lumen Vitae)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

What two Narnia books were released this month a year apart almost to the day?
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

RETROSPECT: August 22nd – 31st

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for August 22nd – 31st include: An unfortunate childhood loss, letters from Screwtape on gluttony and love, and the radio broadcast of the last chapter of what’s now book one of Mere Christianity.

As mentioned during a previous column last month, Lewis lost his wife to cancer. The second most significant loss for him was during his childhood, when his mother, Florence Augusta Hamilton Lewis, died on the 23rd in 1908. This was also due to cancer. Although Lewis had prayed for his mother to live, he reports not actually being a Christian at the time

RETROSPECT: August 12th – 21st

William OFlaherty Special Feature

Highlights for August 12-21 include: A final series of radio talks, the concluding book of a series, two more talks from his initial broadcast series and a never before published essay by Lewis that became available in 1990.

The first scholarly book by Lewis was The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition. The theme of love in a broader sense is (obviously) of great importance to him and can be found in a large variety of his writings. So it is of no surprise that when Lewis finally agreed to return to the microphone for another series of radio talks this was the theme. These talks were recorded in London on the 19th and 20th in 1958, but they were not done for the BBC (as his previous radio work was). It was the Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation from the United States who had made the request. Eventually the material from these talks were extended to become The Four Loves.

Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: August 5th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

“Invocation of Saints” is a letter published today (5th) in 1949 in Church Times that is now in God in the Dock.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

[Screwtape advises:] “You must therefore conceal from the patient the true end of Humility. Let him think of it not as self-forgetfulness but as a certain kind of opinion (namely, a low opinion) of his own talents and character.”

The Screwtape Letters XIV
(Published in The Guardian on 8/1/1941)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

Lewis did something “great” in his early life this month; what was it?
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

Daily Lewis – Fact / Quote / Quiz: July 12th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

First and Second Things is an essay collection released on July 11, 1985 that actually contains material found in God in the Dock.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Flippancy builds up around a man the finest armour-plating against the Enemy [God].”

The Screwtape Letters XI
(Published in The Guardian on 7/11/1941)

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QUIZ OF THE DAY:

What is the name of the only book released in the 1980’s that contained (at that time) essays by Lewis that had not been previously published since his death?
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(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

RETROSPECT: July 11th – 21st

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for the period of July 11-21 include: the first book resulting from speaking on the BBC, an unusual meditation, and the death of Joy.

When Lewis agreed to do talks over the radio he had no idea how well received they would be. After two successful series of talks that were each in five parts and another series scheduled to start in late September, the book Broadcast Talks was released on the 13th in 1942. Unlike the later books released after each of his last two series, this book contained no additional material. They were merely five chapters each to match what was on the air. The only difference had to do with the order of the chapters from the first series.

RETROSPECT: July 1st – 10th

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for the first third of July (1st – 10th) are: the release of his landmark nonfiction book, the publication of a new collection of shorter works and the preface to his first claim to fame was written.

In the early 1950’s Lewis saw continual success from his writing. By the middle of 1952 he had experienced significant praise from his venture into children’s literature with two Narnia stories released and a third due out in a few months. But it was on the 7th of July in 1952 that a new book came out that was actually a re-release of previous material that secured Lewis as an author of practical information about the Christian faith. Mere Christianity is the best known non-fiction book by Lewis. Various individuals from many walks of life give credit to this book as either strengthening their faith, or as a tool that God used to lead them to Christianity.