Tag Archives: Hell

The Problem of Pain

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CSL-2013-05-17 The Problem of Pain CoverThis podcast covers one of the important and helpful theological books that C S Lewis wrote, entitled “The Problem of Pain”.  It was written to answer the intellectual problem raised by suffering and pain in world created by a good, all-powerful God.  As Lewis puts it

If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy.  If He were almighty, He would be able to do what he wished. But, obviously, the creatures are not happy.              Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both.

He goes on to say that if the common means of “almighty” and “good” are the best or the only meanings that can be assigned to these words, then the problem is unsolvable.  Therefore, he first addresses the meaning of almighty and how it should be understood and then  the meaning of “good” when applied to God.  Jack (Lewis went by the nickname of Jack) then discusses the nature of a world where persons with free will can make choices and the functions of pain in such a world.  He includes important discussions of the pains of animals and heaven and hell in this book.  As you can tell, it is well worth a read.

The Problem of Pain [ 35:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The show notes for this podcast can be found here.    Show Notes

That Hideous Strength

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That Hideous StrengthThis podcast covers the last book in C S Lewis’ space trilogy, That Hideous Strength. It is the most complex and, I think, the most enjoyable book in the space trilogy.  While the story shares some common ground with the other two novels, it also has some new elements in it, especially elements from the legends surrounding King Arthur.  This is probably due to the influence of Charles Williams, one of Jack’s best friends.  (See this link – Charles Williams in Wikipedia).

The book is the story of an evil assault on nature and humanity by the demons who are temporarily in control of the earth.  It tells how Ransom (the hero from the first two books) and a small band of followers thwarted that assault with the help of Merlin the magician from King Arthur’s time.  At the same time it is the story of the temptation and conversion of two young English intellectuals, Mark and Jane Studdock.  One of the most enjoyable (and perhaps most instructive) parts of the book are its character portraits of the villains, Dick Devine, Augustus Frost, and John Wither.  Our podcast gives us an overall view of the plot and then looks at some of the character studies Lewis has given us in this novel.

The notes for this show are here.

That Hideous Strength [ 35:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 

Perelandra

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This podcast covers Perelandra, the second book in the Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis.  Many reviewers consider this the best of the three books, and some say that it is one of the top three books written by Lewis.

It continues the story that began in Out of the Silent Planet.  The protagonist is the same, Elwin Ransom, a professor of philology, and one of the same villains (Weston, the physicist) reappears.  However, the story takes place on Venus (called Perelandra in this novel) not Mars.  In this story as told by Lewis Perelandra is a paradise, an unfallen world that knows no evil.  Essentially the story is a re-telling of what happened in the first chapters of Genesis in the Garden of Eden.  Lewis begins by describing the paradise that exists and then tells how evil tries to corrupt this new world.  The story is a fascinating study of how free will and temptation work.

Let’s sketch the plot.  Ransom is brought to Perelandra by a mighty spirit, and arch-angel, that he met on Mars but is not told what he is expected to do there.  Ransom soon meets the Eve of that world, who is named Tinidril and is also called The Green Lady.  She walks completely with God and has free will, although she does not know it.  She begins to learn from Ransom, but shortly after they meet Weston arrives on the scene.  He begins to tempt her to prove that she has free will by disobeying God.  Ransom realizes what is going on and tries to counter Weston’s arguments.  Ultimately he realizes that he must prevent the temptations from continuing by physically attacking Weston so that Tinidril has some time and space to reflect and respond to the choice being offered her.  He does so, and kills Weston after a long hand-to-hand battle.  During the battle Tinidril decides to continue her walk with God, and Perelandra is saved from evil.  Tinidril meets the Adam of that world and together they assume their reign over the planet.  Ransom is then brought back to earth by the same arch-angel who carried him to Perelandra.

The book is worth reading to gain a new appreciation of what Heaven might be like, what humanity lost in the Fall in the Garden of Eden, and how a being with free will (like us) can be tempted to evil.

Perelandra [ 28:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Screwtape Proposes A Toast

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This podcast covers the essay “Screwtape Proposes a Toast” which is found as an appendix to the current edition of “The Screwtape Letters”.  It is a thought-provoking essay, written some 18 years after The Screwtape Letters were composed, and I felt that it deserved its own podcast.  Screwtape is a senior devil in Hell, and this essay is his speech delivered at a dinner in honor of the recent graduates of Hell’s Tempter College.  Since the speaker is a devil, we must remember that what is back to us is white to him, and what is bad is good.

In Jack’s vision of Hell, the devils can feed upon the outraged personalities of the souls that are sent there.  Screwtape’s theme is that modern society is now turning out souls that are, for the most part, failed humans.  They are hardly fit to be dammed to Hell.  While this may be disappointing to the devils from a gastronomical view, overall it is a good thing for Hell, and Screwtape goes on to explain why it is good and how this feat was accomplished.

This essay is really an attack on modern education and mass culture.  It is a companion piece to “The Abolition of Man”, and “That Hideous Strength”, both written by Lewis.

Screwtape Proposes A Toast [ 22:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Screwtape Letters: Temptation, Church, and Prayer

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This is the second podcast on “The Screwtape Letters”, one of the most popular books and most unusual books that C S Lewis wrote.  To review, it is a set of letters from one senior devil (Screwtape) to a junior devil (Wormwood).  Wormwood has just graduated from Hell’s Tempters College and posted to tempt a man on earth. Screwtape,  a successful tempter, advises Wormwood on how to proceed.  Since the book is written from a devil’s point of view, it is a work of inversion or reversal in that what is black to us is white to them, and what is bad is good.

In this podcast we take a look at three of the major subjects that Lewis covers, temptation, church, and prayer.  More show notes for this podcast can be found by clicking here.

Standard Podcast [ 30:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Screwtape Letters: An Introduction To a Devil

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In this podcast we cover “The Screwtape Letters“, one of the most popular books that C S Lewis ever wrote.  It is a set of letters from one senior devil (Screwtape) to a junior devil (Wormwood).  Wormwood has just graduated from Hell’s Tempters College, and is on his first post.  He is assigned to tempt a man on earth, and Screwtape, being an experienced senior devil, advises him on how to proceed.  Since it’s written from a devil’s point of view, it is a work of inversion or reversal in that what is black to us is white to them, and what is bad is good.   A reference to “Our Father’s house below” is a reference to Hell, and “the Enemy” refers to God.  This reversal helps you see things in a new and different way, and is one of the attractions of the book.

This book was written during WW II.  There are 31 letters in all,  and they were originally published one a week in an Anglican magazine.  They were so popular that they were re-published as a book in 1942, and have remained popular ever since.  The letters are short, direct, and written in the same informal style as “Mere Christianity” .  Jack covers the man’s conversion, the temptations that Wormwood uses,  why Hell wants humans, the devil’s view of war and suffering, and the man’s falling in love (among other things).  No matter how often you re-read the letters, you’ll learn something new.

Currently there is a play based on “The Screwtape Letters” touring the country after a successfu l off-Broadway run.  It’s a one-an play, basically, starring Max MacClean, and has r eceived excellent reviews wherever it has run.  You can find out more informati on by following the link below.

http://www.screwtapeonstage.com

Here’s the link to this show’s podcast.

The Screwtape Letters: An Introduction To a Devil [ 30:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Link To More Show Notes

 

The World’s Last Night

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The Worlds Last Night ImageToday’s book is The World’s Last Night and Other Essays. It is a collection of seven essays from later in C S Lewis’ life, after he was 50 years of age.  They were written during a of some significant changes in his life.  For one thing, he switched universities, going from Oxford to Cambridge.  For another, Lewis met and married his wife, Joy Davidman Gresham.  (You might remember this story from the excellent move Shadowlands). These essays give us a good picture of Jack’s thoughts and beliefs at this time and provide us with some good material for our own reflection and learning.

We cover three of the essays in this podcast and leave the rest for your reading pleasure.

The first piece we cover is entitled “The Efficacy of Prayer” and reviews what it means to ask “Does prayer work”.

The second essay in the podcast is “Screwtape Proposes a Toast” and is a biting commentary on the modern educational system and its unfortunate results in society.  It is presented as a speech a senior devil in Hell gives to graduates of Hell’s Tempters College and is well worth reading.

The final selection is “The World’s Last Night” and it addresses the idea of the Second Return of Christ, the sudden end of the world when God steps onto the stage.  It is considered one of Jack’s best essays and needs careful reading and refelction.

The World's Last Night [ 40:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download



The Great Divorce

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Welcome

The Great Divorce Book Cover

 

 

Have you ever wondered about questions like these?

– Is there a real Heaven and a real Hell?

– If so, what are they like?

– If they exist why would a loving God send people to Hell?

If so, then this podcast will be especially interesting to you.

Today’s show covers The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis.  This is a relatively small book and can be read in 3 or 4 hours, but is well worth your time.

It deals with the ideas of Heaven and Hell and why people end up in Hell.  It does this through a fictional story of a bus ride from Hell to Heaven.  According to this book, anyone in Hell can take this bus ride to Heaven any time they want.  Once in Heaven, they can stay there IF they will give up what put them in Hell in the first place.

Heaven is a more more substantial, much more “real” place then Hell, and the people from Hell appear as shadows or ghosts.  They are met by Angels who try to persuade them to stay in Heaven, and most of the book consists of a record of the conversations that occur between individual ghosts and the Angels that meet them.

This podcast looks at three of the conversations, the ones that deal with lust, mother love, and intellectual pride, and explains how these can keep someone in Hell.

I hope you enjoy the show.

The Great Divorce [ 38:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

Your comments, questions and suggestions are always welcome.