He's the Narnia guy...right?
I think that's my first though about C.S. Lewis. I know that he wrote other stuff and was this great thinker of his time, but all that really pops into my head when I think of him is Aslan the lion (and that may not be a horrible thing).
But recently, I've been trying to branch out and read things that I've known about for a long time and just haven't gotten around to reading. Right now, it's Mere Christianity. I'm only a couple chapters in, but he closed out the first main section with this and it kind of rocked me a bit:
"In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth - [just] wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair. Most of us have got over [this kind of] wishful thinking about politics. It is time we did the same about religion."
So yesterday, I made it a point to claim that I seek the truth. I want God to scrape out those incorrect beliefs and set me straight. But what if that's not comfortable? What if it's really painful? Do most of us really look for truth, or are we just looking for the comfort of believing we're right?
Fatty, have you ever done the Truth Project? I would definitely recommend it. Fairly deep, but very good and challenging. It is about worldviews and ensuring we know what we believe. It is put on by a retired AF-type working for Focus on the Family. Usually a local church will put a 13 week class together. Check it out. Joel
ReplyDeleteThe Narnia Guy? I don't think CS Lewis would appreciate that. He always winced at the fact he was often identified primarily as they author of "The Screwtape Letters." But I think that not only would he approve of you questioning that the search for truth may be uncomfortable, but rather argue that searching for truth is by definition uncomfortable. Sadly, too many folks would happily bypass the truth for this reason
ReplyDeletePush through Mere Christianity. It really is a good book and it will make your brain hurt, but it will also force to you examine and evaluate your life and beliefs. Smart man...probably way too smart for me, but I did take some wonderful nuggets away from that book. Have you read How Now Shall We Live? Another good one that will make your brain hurt in a good way...
ReplyDeleteYes it will be "uncomfortable," but wisdom is on truth's coat tails, Which is what I seek. Just read a devotion from Dave Wilkerson today that seems appropriate to this. In it he states that we often want to hear from God, we just don't want to hear what he has to say b/c often times it causes us to search out things/ "idols" in our lives and character that need to be dealt with to truly be open to allowing him to guide us, and that includes the truth in all things. I do, however, choose the refining over being a stagnant believer.
ReplyDeleteJoel...haven't heard of the Truth Project before, but I'll check it out. And Cami, I haven't read "How Now Shall We Live" either. Thanks both of you for the recommendations...and thanks everybody else for adding to the conversation. Ultimately, I think most of us are more likely to choose comfort over truth...even though that's the more dangerous choice.
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