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?

Dr. Calvin, I presuppose

Burns notes that Calvin is a champion of "presuppositional" apologetics, a type of apologetics that says one must accept the scripture as the divine word of God before one can understand anything at all.  Choosing belief in the Scripture as a starting point rather than a conclusion wouldn't seem a particularly effective way in persuading those not already Christians to turn to the Christian faith, but the Calvinist approach turns out, in some instances, to be very effective.  What do you see in the selections for the Institutes that would explain the appeal of Calvinist-style argument?

Protestant Apologetic: Apologetic Protest

Like Aquinas, Calvin links faith and reason, but he does it in a very different way.  What do you see as the main differences between Calvin's approach and that of Aquinas?  How do you account for the fact that these two men--both of them brilliant, thoroughly grounded in scripture, and committed to truth--came to such different conclusions on so many issues?  Or is it possible that they don't differ as much as one might think?

A method to his sanity (more Aquinas)

Please look again at the Aquinas selections in the Bush anthology.

What is Aquinas' basci method in approaching truth?  What are the strengths of his method? Weaknesses?

Smart as an Ox (Selections from Thomas Aquinas)

Please read the Aquinas selections in the Bush anthology (pp. 271-300).

Like Anselm, Aquinas was concerned with both the heart and the head.  What do you see here that might especially appeal to the "head," to those seeking a rational approach to life?  What do you see that appeals to the heart, to those who want a strengthening of their faith?

Anselm

Please read the selections from Anselm in the Bush anthology (pp. 237-270).

By the time Anselm wrote his Monologium and Proslogium, the "Great Conversation" had taken a very different turn.  What new topics does Anselm address?  Do you find yourself more interested in Anselm's ideas than in the ideas of earlier apologists, or do you find the material not as interesting?  Why?

St. Augustine's City of God

Please read through this book-by-book summary of St. Augustine's City of of God. Then read the Augustine selections in your Bush anthology (pp.  195-236).  If you like, like more closely at any of the City of God "books" that looks particularly interesting to you.  Just click on the book number to get the full text at the New Advent site.

City of God is much more often read, quoted, and enjoyed than any of the earlier apologetic works we've looked at.  Why do you think this is so?  Give an example of one or two Augustine quotes/ideas that you think might have lasting appeal.

Eusebius of Caesarea (extra credit)

Eusebius of Caesarea's two-part defense of Christianity (The Preparation for the Gospel and The Proof of the Gospel) could have been the ultimate argument winner--if the books were not so difficulty to read!  While I don't recommend reading these works for pleasure, one can get an excellent sense of Eusebius' overall plan just by looking at the chapter headings of each book of the Preparation and the Proof.  Look over the headings of any book of either work.  Cite here a chapter/section title that intrigues you.  What does Eusebius seem to be adding to the earlier Christian apologetic arguments we've looked at?

Clement of Alexandria (Extra Credit)

Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis takes a different approach to apologetics.  Like Kierkegaard's Either/Or, it's considerably less systematic than most apologetic works.  In a way, that's nice.  One can open the book almost at random and pick up interesting lines of thought.  Please take a quick look at "any" part of Stromateis.  Cite here any line you find of particular interest and explain why you think a philosophically-minded person might find the ideas of Clement attractive.

Origen

Origen was one of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith.  At the same time, some church thinkers believed his ideas were dangerous and he (or at least some of the men influenced by him) were eventually condemned as heretics.  As you read Origen for yourself, how to you see him?  Is he an effective defender of "orthodox" Christianity or is his blend of philosophy and scripture potentially dangerous?

Celsus

Unlike prior opponents of Christianity, Celsus took the time to understand Christian belief thoroughly, and his arguments against Christian belief were more carefully considered.  Unfortunately, we don't have the complete text of his work, but it's pretty easy to see exactly where Celsus was coming from by Origen's response. As you look at Origen's reply to Celsus, note the specific objections to Christianity Celsus raises.  Which of these objections seems to you hardest to answer?

Tertullian: Tone and Substance

Tertullian's Apology is a strong defense of the Christian faith, but it sometimes seems more than a bit provocative.  What's your overall impression?  Is this work more likely to make the Roman authorities think twice about torturing and executing Christians, or is it more likely to irritate them.  Or does it do something of both?  How would you have reacted to this work if you had been a Roman official directly or indirectly involved in the trials of Christians?

Athenagoras' Plea for the Christians

Like Justin, Athenagoras defends Christians against the incest and cannibalism slanders.  He also uses pagan sources to point toward Christian truth.  What do you see in this work that might have been especially helpful in drawing educated pagans toward Christianity, or at least in making them more tolerant of Christians?

Justin Martyr--First Apology

Justin's Apology is only partly a legal defense.  What else is Justin trying to accomplish?  How successful is he?  Could he have been more effective in his defense if he had wanted to escape eventual condemnation?

Socrates' Apology (Xenophon's Version)

As Xenophon presents it, Socrates' Apology is only partly a legal defense.  What else is Socrates trying to accomplish?  How successful is he?  Could Socrates have been more effective in his defense if he had wanted to escape condemnation?  Why?  Do you see anything here that particularly shows why some early Christians thought of Socrates as a "Christian before Christ"?

Socrates' Apology (Plato's version)

As Plato presents it, Socrates' Apology is only partly a legal defense.  What else is Socrates trying to accomplish?  How successful is he?  Could Socrates have been more effective if he had wanted to escape condemnation?  To what extent does Socrates even want to escape condemnation?  Why? Do you see anything here that particularly shows why some early Christians thought of Socrates as a "Christian before Christ"?

Acts

The book of Acts contains the earliest Christian apologies, defenses made by Stephen, Peter, and Paul before both Jewish and gentile authorities.  Read one of more of these defenses an comment on the way in which the speaker defends himself against charges brought against him and on the way he tries to persuade others to follow the gospel.

The Gospel of John

John's gospel is in part an extended meditation on belief and unbelief.  Skim through the Gospel of John, reading more closely the first and last chapters.  Cite here an example John uses to explain why some believe and some don't.

The Gospel of Luke

Please read Luke 1, 16, and 24. 

Of all the gospels, Luke is in many ways the most suited for an attempt to win over th hearts and minds of educated gentiles.  Cite an idea from Luke 1, 16, and 24 that might have been useful to later apologists in their attempts to defend Christian faith.

The Sermon on the Mount

Please read Matthew 5-7. Matthew's gospel shows well why Christians often ended up needing to defend themselves.  Much ow what's here challenges "religio" of both the Jewish and gentile types.  But there is also much here that might have tied nicely to some of the ideas of the philosophers.  Cite examples of both challenges to traditional "religio" and philosophically attractive ideas from the Sermon on the Mount.

Why Not?

What are some of the reasons people reject Christianity?  Again, don't limit yourself to "legitimate" intellectual reasons.  Take into account emotional/social considerations as well.

Why? (June 30 Option A)

While rivaled by Islam and by secularism, Christianity is the world's most widespread religious belief, with as many as half the world's people identifying themselves as Christians.  Why do you think this is?  What are some of the reasons people choose Christianity over other beliefs?

Do not limit your answer here to "legitimate" intellectual reasons.  YOu can include emotional/social reasons too, or anything else you think might explain the widespread influence of Christian belief.

Welcome!

Please tell us a bit about yourself.  What are some of your interests?  What kinds of things do you enjoy?  What makes you mad?  Please also indicate why you are taking this particular course and what you hope to get out of it.