S1E42 – MC R – “Retrospective”

Having completed Mere Christianity, Matt and I take this episode to discuss the book as a whole, share some of our favourite parts, as well as what it was like to read a book “in public” over the course of a year…

S1E42: Mere Christianity Retrospective (Download)

Show Notes

• I mentioned that next year I’ll be interviewing a number of guests, including Patti Callahan, the author of the book I recently finished, Becoming Mrs Lewis.

• We quoted Michael Scott…quoting Wayne Gretzky:

We also recommended the movie directed by “Jim” from The Office, and starring his wife, The Quiet Place.

• The quote-of-the-day was from the first book of Lewis’ Space Trilogy:

“A pleasure is full-grown only when it is remembered”

C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet

• The drink-of-the-week was Glenmorangie Original. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be trying several variations in a variety pack: 

We had intended to save it for the start of Season two, but Matt someone opened his pack early…

• I gave Matt some French pronunciation lessons, explaining how to pronounce the sparkling water brand “La Croix” (the cross). Don’t let anyone tell you it’s pronounced any other way…

• I asked Matt what it was like reading the book with me, on the podcast over the course of the year. The first thing he said was that he comprehended the material far more deeply. He also said that, although my detail-oriented nature required something of an adjustment for him, that he appreciated the synthesis of each chapter in our show notes.

Matt asked me the same question. I said that it was the interconnectedness of Lewis’ thought which really struck me. Matt said that the title “Mere Christianity” is deceptive, because this book doesn’t offer simplistic explanations.

• I said that this project has really changed me. It has changed the way I argue and the way I teach. For example, I use many more analogies than I did before. I also quote Lewis extensively in daily conversation, despite my attempts to limit it.

• I talked about a talk I gave to a Confirmation class recently and about how I unknowingly drew upon much of Lewis’ material. Matt spoke about how he’s been asked to be the Confirmation sponsor for a cousin and he’s preparing a study course for her!

• Matt said that the listeners’ response has been a great source of joy for him this year. Quoting from Wild At Heart, he said that there’s no greater adventure than to pursue someone for the Kingdom of Heaven.

• I shared some lyrics from a new Casting Crowns song, Only Jesus

And I, I don’t want to leave a legacy
I don’t care if they remember me
Only Jesus
And I, I’ve only got one life to live
I’ll let every second point to Him
Only Jesus

Casting Crowns, Only Jesus

Matt suggested that I listen to Lauren Daigle’s latest album, in particular the song Love Like This.

• The most important section of this book for Matt was Book IV where Lewis describes theosis, the doctrine best summarised by St. Athenasius:

God became man so that man could become god

St. Athenasius of Alexandria

Matt said that Marketing expert, Simon Sinek, concentrates on “the why”, and theosis is “the why” of Christianity.

I spoke about one of the books I read this year. It was by the author George Marsden and it was a biography of the book Mere Christianity, rather than of Lewis. In it, he had a fantastic paragraph where he draws on all of Lewis’ mental images to describe what it’s like to become a Christian:

Becoming a Christian, passing from death to life, is like joining a campaign of sabotage, like falling at someone’s feet or putting yourself in someone’s hands, like taking on board fuel or food, like laying down your rebel arms and surrendering, like saying sorry, laying yourself open, turning full speed astern, it’s like killing part of yourself, like learning to walk or to write, like buying God a present with His own money, it’s like a drowning man clutching at a rescuer’s hand, like a tin soldier or a statue coming alive, like waking up after a long sleep, like getting close to someone, becoming infected, like dressing up, pretending or playing,  it’s like emerging from the womb or hatching from an egg, it’s like a compass needle swinging to north, or a cottage being made into a palace, or a field being ploughed and resown, or a horse turning into a Pegasus, or a greenhouse roof becoming bright in the sunlike, it’s like coming round from anesthetic, like coming out of the wind, like going home.

George Mardsen, C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity: A Biography 

• In addition to theosis, Matt liked how Lewis says we receive this divine life: belief, baptism and bread (Holy Communion). God is the one chiefly at work. I compared this to the story of Naaman from 2 Kings 5.

Although God is the one at work, he wants us to give Him everything, and this was a point which really stuck out to me this past year when we meditated on Jesus’ words “Be ye perfect”.

Related to this was the idea that everything we do turns us more into either a heavenly or hellish creature, and this works at compound interest. I’ll be speaking at a parish in LA next Lent on this subject.

• On the subject of annoying people, I quoted the founder of Opus Dei:

Don’t say, “That person bothers me.”
Think: “That person sanctifies me.”

St Josemaria Escriva, The Way

• We spoke about some other subjects raised…

Matt saw how important Christian teaching is, since it is simply an explanation of reality. I explained that the Ten Commandments, while “rules”, tell us that life goes wrong when we steal, lie, commit adultery etc.

I talked about Lewis’ explanation of love and forgiveness.

Matt was really taken with his chapter on Pride and the difference between the spiritual and animal sins.

Finally, we talked about how faith is a virtue, when our reason is attacked by our emotions.

• Given that we have people of many different denominations listening to this podcast, I ended the episode with a story from Peter Kreeft:

After the best conference I ever attended, with two serious theologians [each] from the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Evangelical, and mainline Protestant churches staying all week and talking about their differences and agreements, in a frank and candid but irenic and listening way, everybody constantly and naturally referring to things C.S. Lewis wrote about this and that. Father Joe Fessio got up at the closing session and proposed that we issue a joint statement of agreement and say that what unites us all, despite our serious differences, is scripture, the first six ecumenical councils, and the collected words of C.S. Lewis. Everyone cheered.

Peter Kreeft

• Matt was trying to find something profound to say since we’re coming to the end of Season 1, but I pointed out that this is just the beginning, paraphrasing the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia:

All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before

C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

• The video series we recorded earlier in the year is just about to be launched.

• We’ll soon be starting on “The Great Divorce”. Please send us a selfie with the book on Instagram or Twitter!