Christian Reflections [Paperback]

C. S. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

C.S. Lewis had the unusual ability to use, with scintillating brillance, the resources of wit and learning in the service of the Christian faith. While many readers are familiar with Lewiss full-length books, fewer have had opportunity to sample the diverse range of his shorter, more concise writings. The wide variety of his interests is clearly evident in Christian Reflections.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'If you have never read it let me urge you strongly to purchase a copy.' Kieron Moore, The Universe --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802808697
• ISBN-13: 978-0802808691
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good collection, but not the best, September 2, 2001

By 

Bowen Simmons (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christian Reflections (Paperback)

Lewis's shorter works were generally originally composed as speeches or as articles for periodicals. Various sets of them were collected and published in book form both during his life and after his death. Trying to determine what works are in what collections is difficult - most works appear in more than one collection, some works appear under more than one title, and some collections appear under more than one title.

To aid readers, in this review I've listed the works in this collection, with notes indicating other collections they have appeared in. Where a work has appeared under more than one title, I give both titles separated by a slash.

Table of Contents:

Preface, by Walter Hooper (4)

"Christianity and Literature" (1), (2), (4)

"Christianity and Culture" (2), (4)

"Religion: Reality or Substitute" (2), (4)

"On Ethics" (2), (4)

"De Futilitate" (2), (4)

"The Poison of Subjectivism" (2), (4)

"The Funeral of a Great Myth" (2), (4)

"On Church Music" (2)

"Historicism" (2), (3), (4)

"The Psalms" (2), (4)

"The Language of Religion" (2), (4)

"Petitionary Prayer: A Problem Without an Answer" (2), (4)

"Fern-Seed and Elephants" / "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism" (2), (3), (4)

"The Seeing Eye" / "Onward Christian Spacemen" (2), (4)

Notes:

(1) also published in "Rehabilitations and Other Essays"

(2) also published in "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces"

(3) also published in "Fern-Seed and Elephants and Other Essays"

(4) also published in "The Seeing Eye and Other Selected Essays from Christian Reflections"

Recommendations:

If you are interested in Lewis's shorter works, my best advice is to get "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces", which, as of the time of this writing, is available from Amazon UK but not Amazon US. That collection consists of about 130 short works by Lewis. The works in that collection are mostly, but not exclusively, Christian.

If your interest in Lewis's shorter works is restricted to those on Christianity, and your budget or enthusiasm does not run to "Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces", then my second-best advice is to get any or all of the following (they don't overlap significantly, and between them they include most of Lewis's shorter Christian writings):

"God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics"*

"The World's Last Night and Other Essays"

"Christian Reflections"

"The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses"

* Be careful - there is a UK Fontana paperback lurking about called "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology" that is substantially shorter than the "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics" collection. A full version of "God in the Dock - Essays on Theology and Ethics" was published in the UK under the title "Undeceptions - Essays on Theology and Ethics".

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 14 engaging C.S. Lewis essays, June 18, 1998

By 

David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christian Reflections (Paperback)

These fourteen essays (with an introduction by Walter Hooper) are about a variety of topics related to Christianity, but not necessarily ABOUT Christianity. My favorite of the bunch is "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism", a thumping rejoinder to those whose misapplication of form and redaction criticism (e.g. Bultmann or Schweitzer or Dibelius) to the gospels prevents them from making sound judgments about the life of Christ. His essay "Petitionary Prayer: A Problem Without an Answer" is brutally honest, ending as it does in a questioning uncertainty about the matter, while his essay "The Psalms" is helpful in guiding the reader to an understanding of how to view that portion of scripture. Some essays may strike one reader's fancy less than another's, but there is plenty here for most people to find AT LEAST one or two they greatly enjoy. I liked all of them and found most of them very helpful to my own reflections on life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lewis Makes You Think!, February 24, 2006

By 

Scott E. Regener - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christian Reflections (Paperback)

In this age where serious thought is scorned, this work by Lewis shows just how far we've fallen. His clear, concise theology shines through in everything he writes, and this collection is no exception. Even in his response to his critics, Lewis demonstrates a careful consideration that deserves praise.