Tag: Mere Christianity

RETROSPECT: March 12th – 21st

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for the second third of March (12th – 21st) include: First ever published book, final Narnia book and a second marriage to Joy Davidman!

Spirits in BondageTwo books by Lewis were released for the first time during this period. His debut as an author came on the 20th in 1919 with Spirits in Bondage. This was a very small volume of poems published while he was only 20 years old, but many were written when he was just sixteen or seventeen. When initially released it was under the pseudonym of Clive Hamilton. They were composed in a period of Lewis’s life when his primary goal was to be known as a poet. It is also a time when he wasn’t a Christian.

Fact / Quote / Quiz: March 7th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

Good Infection, the third of the 4th BBC radio series was given today (3/7) in 1944. It became the fourth chapter in Mere Christianity.

– – –

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“It is quite right to go away from (the words of the Bible) for a moment in order to make some special point clear. But you must always go back.”

Good Infection
(Initially a BBC broadcast from 3/7/44)

– – –

QUIZ OF THE DAY:

Where is John, the main character in The Pilgrim’s Regress born?
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

RETROSPECT: March 1st – 11th

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for the first third of March (1st – 11th) include: First book collecting quotations and shorter passages, how Charles Williams became a friend and a former student previews The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Less than five years after C.S. Lewis died a collection containing brief excerpts from a wide range of his writings came out on the 4th of March in 1968. A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C.S. Lewis would be the first of many books featuring quotations or shorter selections. This debut work was edited by Clyde S. Kilby, the person who began what we know today as The Marion E. Wade Center. The book is arranged into ten major sections and nearly all of those divisions are further divided into sub-themes.

Fact / Quote / Quiz: February 22nd

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

“Making and Begetting,” the first of the 4th BBC radio series was given today (2/22) in 1944. Eventually in Mere Christianity.

– – –

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“A vague religion-all about feeling God in nature, and so on-is so attractive. It is all thrills and no work.”

Making and Begetting
(Initially a BBC broadcast from 2/22/44)

– – –

QUIZ OF THE DAY:

What famed series of radio talks ended when this month?
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

RETROSPECT: February 19th – 29th

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for the final third of February (19th – 29th) include: The beginning of his fourth and final BBC series of talks, a landmark lecture series that would become one of his most insightful works aimed at a mainstream audience, and a new edition of The Screwtape Letters containing a second preface.

The fourth and final BBC radio series kicked off on the 22nd in 1944. The series itself was first called “Beyond Personality” and the first talk was entitled “Making and Begetting.” However, on the 24th the text was reprinted in The Listener and it was called “The Map and the Ocean.” This was the first time Lewis’s broadcasts were made available before being collected in a book.

The two different titles for the fourth series debut provides some hints at what was presented by Lewis. He noted the words “begetting” or “begotten” are not used today, but its

Fact / Quote / Quiz: February 14th

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

A Grief Observed was published for the first time in the US today (14th) in 1963, after being released in the UK on 9/29/1961. Also paperbacks of The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity (both 1955) in the UK.
– – –

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Bereavement is not the truncation of married love but one of its regular phases—like the honeymoon. What we want is to live our marriage well and faithfully through that phase too. If it hurts (and it certainly will) we accept the pains as a necessary part of this phase.”

A Grief Observed
(Published in the US on 2/14/1963)

– – –

QUIZ OF THE DAY:

What famous fictional book was published twice this month a year apart?
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

RETROSPECT: February 10th – 18th

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for the second third of February (10th – 18th) include: The concluding talk from the “What Christians Believe” BBC series, an explanation of the word “membership” in a talk to a group and the publication of a selection of Christian-themed essays.

In 1945 on the 10th Lewis gave a talk, simply called “Membership,” to the Society of St. Alban and St. Sergius in Oxford. It was also published later in the year and is now best found in The Weight of Glory. Lewis explained in his presentation that the word “membership” in the New Testament differs from the way it is used today. Instead of speaking of it in the sense of a group containing like items, the Christian meaning is close to “what we should call organs, things essentially different from, and complementary to, one another.” He also pointed out that believers are

RETROSPECT: February 1st – 9th

William OFlaherty Jack in Retrospect, Special Feature

Highlights for the first third of February (1st – 9th) include: Two more BBC talks from the second series, “What Christians Believe,” an often misunderstood debate and the first book that made Lewis famous.

An idea that started in 1940 led to international fame for Lewis. This is before he gained fame for being the author of The Chronicles of Narnia and even before he was loved as a defender of the Christian faith. A small book containing thirty-one letters set things in motion that made Lewis gain international fame. Although The Screwtape Letters had been released weekly in 1941, it was not until a year later, on the 9th of this month that all of them could be found in one place. The first edition of 2,000 copies sold out even before the date of publication! In fact it was reprinted eight times before the end of 1942. Despite being so popular, it is well known that Lewis actually didn’t enjoy writing it.

Fact / Quote / Quiz: February 1st

William OFlaherty Daily Lewis

FACT OF THE DAY:

Known as “The Shocking Alternative,” Lewis gave the 3rd talk on this date (2/1) in 1942 on the BBC from What Christians Believe series.

– – –

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Nobody who gets enough food and clothing in a world where most are hungry and cold has any business to talk about ‘misery.'”

The Shocking Alternative
(Given as a talk on the BBC on 2/1/1942)

– – –

QUIZ OF THE DAY:

One of the few times Lewis discuss politics was published in an essay on what date last month (January) in what year (Hint: It related to one of the commandments)?
(Click “Read More” to SEE Answer)

All About C S Lewis (Reggie Gates)

William OFlaherty Resource Spotlight

There are a variety of books available about the writings of C.S. Lewis (in addition to the biographies) and you can find a decent amount of material online about his life and writings. However, there are not too many audio based resources. One great FREE resource that has been around for nearly six years is called “All About C S Lewis.” Reggie Gates has been an enthusiast of Lewis’s writings for many decades and provides excellent podcast that are somewhat like what you make get from CliffsNotes, only it’s in audio.