Sympathy for the Devil--or not (C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters)

Please read as much as you can of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters.

As in Great Divorce, Lewis here looks at the forces that pull people away from the gospel.  This is, however, a different kind of book, and a book that Lewis said was extraordinarily hard to write.

What are your impressions?  Is Lewis' approach here as effective as the more traditional approach to apologetics he takes in Mere Christianity?  

Crossing the Ugly Ditch (C.S. Lewis' "Great Divorce")

Please read as much as you can of The Great Divorce.

Gotfried Lessing talked of an "ugly ditch" between those things that we could be certain of and religious truth.  C.S. Lewis' Great Divorce suggests that, for each one of us, their is an ugly ditch that must be crossed, but it is not at all the ditch Lessing describes.  What kind of "ditches" does Lewis think we have to overcome before finding religious truth?  Would the average reader recognize themselves in any of the figures depicted here?

Mere brilliancy

Please read as much as you can of Mere Christianity.

No 20th century apologetic work had more influence on more people than C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.  What is there about this work that made/makes it so appealing/successful in winning people to Christianity?

The dustbin of history

I had never read a word from Butler or Paley before picking up the Bush anthology, and I doubt very much that most 18th century history texts say much at all about either of them.  Why do you suppose this is?  Are these writers somewhat of a dead end in the "great conversation"?  Or are their voices unfairly neglected?

Nature and nature's god (William Paley)

Please read the selections from William Paley in the Bush anthology (pp. 349-365).

Palley appeals to natural theology as evidence for certain portions of Christian truth.  To what extent are you impressed with his arguments?  To what extent are they unconvincing?

The Unreasonableness of Reason (Joseph Butler)

Please read the selections from Joseph Butler in the Bush anthology (pp. 327-348).

Butler seems to think that the "enlightened" opponents of traditional Christianity are not nearly as reasonable as they claim.  What does Butler seem to think motivates them?  To what extent are his criticisms valid?

The heart has it reasons (Pascal's Pensees)

Despite the fact that it is only a collection of partially organized notes, Pascal's Pensees is, for many people (including me) one of their favorite books.  Please read a few selections from Pensees and add your comments in answer to one or more of the questions below.

1.  Pascal is one of the most quoted writers in all of history.  Cite a line or two from Pensee that you think is particularly worth quoting and expalin why you think this an idea particularly worth passing on.

2.  Pascal knows that it is next to impossible to convince anyone who doesn't want to believer.  Before citing his evidences for Christianity, Pascal gives reasons for us to wish Christianity were true.  What stands out to you as particularly important in Pascal's attempts to persuade us to at least hope that Christianity is true?

3.  Pacal talks quite a bit about miracles and the way people respond to miracles.  Why do you suppose he includes this material?  How does his discussion of miracles strengthen (or weaken) his overall argument?

4.  Like many earlier (and later) apologists, Pascal includes the fulfillment of prophecy as proof of the special nature of the scripture.  How convincing are the particular examples he gives?  Do you see anything different (and perhaps better) in the way Pascal uses fulfilled prophecy in his defense of Christianity?