We, with our modern democratic and arithmetical presuppositions would so have liked and expected all men to start equal in their search for God. One has the picture of great centripetal roads coming from all directions, with well-disposed people, all meaning the same thing, and getting closer and closer together. How shockingly opposite to that is the Christian story! One people picked out of the whole earth; that people purged and proved again and again. Some are lost in the desert before they reach Palestine; some stay in Babylon; some becoming indifferent. The whole thing narrows and narrows, until at last it comes down to a little point, small as the point of a spear— a Jewish girl at her prayers. That is what the whole of human nature has narrowed down to before the Incarnation takes place. Very unlike what we expected , but, of course, not in the least unlike what seems, in general, as shown by nature, to be God’s way of working. The universe is quite a shockingly selective, undemocratic place out of apparently infinite space, a relatively tiny proportion occupied by matter of any kind. Of the stars perhaps only one has planets: of the planets only one is at all likely to sustain organic life. Of the animals only one species is rational. Selection as seen in nature, and the appalling waste which it involves, appears a horrible and an unjust thing by human standards. But the selectiveness in the Christian story is not quite like that. The people who are selected are, in a sense, unfairly selected for a supreme honour; but it is also a supreme burden. The People of Israel come to realize that it is their woes which are saving the world. Even in human society, though, one sees how this inequality furnishes an opportunity for every kind of tyranny and servility. Yet, on the other hand , one also sees that it furnishes an opportunity for some of the very best things we can think of—humility, and kindness, and the immense pleasures of admiration. (I cannot conceive how one would get through the boredom of a world in which you never met anyone more clever, or more beautiful, or stronger than yourself. The very crowds who go after the football celebrities and film-stars know better than to desire that kind of equality!) What the story of the Incarnation seems to be doing is to flash a new light on a principle in nature, and to show for the first time that this principle of inequality in nature is neither good nor bad. It is a common theme running through both the goodness and badness of the natural world, and I begin to see how it can survive as a supreme beauty in a redeemed universe.
Lewis, C. S. (2014-05-20). God in the Dock (p. 85). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Top Posts
- Jonathan Pageau book recommends
- Jonathan Haidt's "Harm"free questions
- Annie Dillard Quote on Crash Helmets needed for worship
- Why God Invites a Sexually Abused, Run-away Slave to Return to Her Mistress
- Miroslav Volf on God's violence or ours
- Yes Hobby Lobby is run by hypocrites
- Dorothy Day, "The Road to Character" Chapter 4
- God's Zeal for his Honor
- Corrie Ten Boom Forgives Her SS Nazi Jailer
- Tony Campolo Moves to the Affirming Camp but he's not affirming enough for some
Category Cloud
Blog note book review book writing CRC Culture commentary Daily Links and Notes Devotional Reflection How to become a Christian Institutional Church Link Compilations Links Missional On the way to Sunday's sermon Pastoral Identity philosophical reflection Quotations Saved Blog Comments Saved CRCVoices Posts Sermon Illustrations Sermon Outline Sermon Recordings Tech tools theological the self Tweets Uncategorized Understanding the Bible Video Wisdom YouTube Comments to RememberTag Cloud
- #crcstructure
- Abortion
- Acts
- Advent
- Advent 2014
- age of decay
- age to come
- Benedict Option
- book of Leviticus
- Calvin College
- Charles Taylor
- Christianity
- Christmas
- City Church San Francisco
- Confessional conversation
- CS Lewis
- David Brooks
- Donald Trump
- Douthat
- Dreher
- Esther
- Exodus
- Genesis
- hell
- Inspire2017
- James
- John Suk
- Jonathan Haidt
- Jordan Peterson
- Katy Perry
- Keller
- Kierkegaard
- King David
- King Saul
- Lent
- Leviticus
- Meme of the week
- Moses
- NT Wright
- Palm Sunday
- Pentecost
- Peter Enns
- Peter Kreeft
- Pope Francis
- Progressive Liberationism
- Racism
- raising of lazarus
- RCA
- reflected self
- relational polarity
- resurrection
- Rob Bell
- Rod Dreher
- Ryan Bell
- Skye Jethani
- SSM
- Steve Jobs
- Synod
- Synod2015
- Synod2016
- the book of exodus
- The Book of Judges
- The book of Kings
- The book of Leviticus
- The Book of Luke
- the book of Numbers
- The Book of Samuel
- the Gospel of John
- The Gospel of Matthew
- The Road to Character
- the self book
- The Ten Commandments
- Tim Keller
- Tom Holland
- transgender
Twitter Feed
Tweets by paulvanderklay