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<\/a><\/div>\nThis week we read Book IV, Chapters 6, 7, and 8.<\/em> Oh, what\u2019s that? You don\u2019t know what lubberly means? Look it up, lazy bones. Because here\u2019s the thing: if you quit reading or you\u2019ve gotten side-tracked, or you just don\u2019t understand what CSL is saying, that\u2019s not my fault. And it\u2019s your loss too, because Jack has been saving the best for last. Teachers will tell you that the laziest boy in the class is the one who works hardest in the end. They mean this. If you give two boys, say, a proposition in geometry to do, the one who is prepared to take trouble will try to understand it. The lazy boy will try to learn it by heart because, for the moment, that needs less effort. But six months later, when they are preparing for an exam, that lazy boy is doing hours and hours of miserable drudgery over things the other boy understands, and positively enjoys, in a few minutes. Laziness means more work in the long run.<\/em><\/p>\n Lots of great stuff like that from Jack this week. He discusses why we were given free will by God. Sure, it\u2019s a two-edged sword, but it\u2019s better than being a slave or a robot. Want to make everybody into a little you<\/em>? Jack talks about why that is a bad idea, and why it isn\u2019t Gods plan. Tempted not to give a hoot about anyone but yourself? Sure you are, but Jack sheds light on why that is no solution either. For practical application of this, see Webster\u2019s post on Anna Deveare Smith<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s writings in these chapters force you to look deep inside at the real you. Courage, me hearties! Are you an Individualist, a Totalitarian, or somewhere in between?\u00a0 And<\/p>\n What difference does all this theology make? It can start making a difference tonight. If you are interested enough to have read thus far you are probably interested enough to make a shot at saying your prayers: and, whatever else you say, you will probably say the Lord\u2019s Prayer.<\/em><\/p>\n The fact that Jesus taught us to pray by first saying the words Our Father<\/em> should astound you from reading Mere Christianity this far, if it didn\u2019t amaze you already. You may or may not know that this alone, calling God Father<\/em>, is impossible for Muslims, for example.<\/p>\n Have you ever heard the expression fake it until you make it<\/em>? Jack endorses this as a way to begin the process of transforming ourselves into the new person we must become<\/em> to be Christians. Now we are getting to the hard and the easy I alluded to earlier. Jack even flips this on its head by claiming that maybe God is the one doing the pretending:<\/p>\n The Three-Personal God, so to speak, sees before Him in fact a self-centered, greedy, grumbling, rebellious human animal. But He says, \u201cLet us pretend that this is not a mere creature, but our Son. It is like Christ in so far as it is a Man, for He became Man. Let us pretend that it is also like Him in Spirit. Let us treat it as if it were what in fact it is not. Let us pretend in order to make the pretence into a reality.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Golly, looking in the mirror like that makes me wince. How\u2019s that for shaking up your world view? I was bantering with Webster via e-mail the other day about an upcoming post, and I said something that prompted him to respond that he is glad he isn\u2019t married to a Marine. I sent him back this from Jack with the reply of \u201cYeah, look what you\u2019ve married into now\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n
\nI have a close friend who suggested to me to give you lubberly book club members questions to help motivate you to read and comment on CS Lewis\u2019s Mere Christianity<\/em>. To which I say, Phooey on that! Maybe you guys all finished the book three weeks ago and didn\u2019t tell me about it. Jimmy-crack-corn and-I don\u2019t-care!<\/p>\n
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\nMuch like last week, I\u2019ll skip the chapter by chapter grind and leave the majority of comments up to you. That didn\u2019t work really well last time but so be it. Interestingly, Jack issues a wake-up call this week and quite frankly we all need to hear it. I wrote a post last week<\/a> on the difficulties of walking The Way. Jack backs me up this week but also clarifies something. The Way is hard and easy. But before we tackle that concept, look what Jack says here:<\/p>\n