OUR RIGHT TO BELIEVE, YOUR RIGHT TO DISAGREE

...‘Jesus was claiming to be God, uses logic to advance three possibilities: either he really was God, was deliberately lying, or was not God but thought himself to be (which would make himdelusional and likely insane).’ C. S. Lewis
We are stepping a little out of the box today. Due to a response to an article we wrote, in looking for the above quote, we decided to share a little about who Lewis was. It is in learning about a person we can better understand their views.
Clive Staples Lewis lived from 1898 to 1963. Lewis wrote more then thirty books. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’,and ‘Out of the Silent Planet’.
At the age 15 in the year 1913 he became an atheist, abandoning the Christian faith he was raised in. This was the beginning of a journey that would continue until 1931 when his conversion to Christianity happened, and on into a rich journey where he became one of the greatest Biblical scholars ever.

According to his memoir Surprised by Joy, Lewis had been baptised in the Church of Ireland (part of the Anglican Communion) at birth, but fell away from his faith during his adolescence. Owing to the influence of Tolkien and other friends, at the age of 32 Lewis returned to the Anglican Communion, becoming "a very ordinary layman of the Church of England". His faith had a profound effect on his work, and his wartime radio broadcasts on the subject of Christianity brought him wide acclaim.

He would in his journey explore theism, and pantheism, which he says is incoherent; atheism he declares to simple. Eventually he arrives to Jesus Christ, and invokes a well-known argument now known as the "Lewis trilemma". Lewis, arguing that Jesus was claiming to be God, uses logic to advance three possibilities: either he really was God, was deliberately lying, or was not God but thought himself to be (which would make himdelusional and likely insane). This from his book ‘Mere Christianity’ which in 2006 placed third in Christianity Today's list of the most influential books amongst evangelicals since 1945. The title has influenced Touchstone Magazine: A Journal of Mere Christianity and William Dembski's book Mere Creation. Charles Colson's conversion to Christianity resulted from his reading this book, as it did to Francis Collins, Josh Caterer and the philosopher C. E. M. Joad.

C. S. Lewis defends Christianity by building a logical foundation for belief and constructing an entire theology upon that foundation. He begins with the premise that a Natural Law must exist, as humans did not invent it, but humans respond to it and cannot escape its influences. From this he proposes that God must exist, and that this God must be made up of three parts: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (or Spirit). Love springs from the relationship between the Father and Son. The Holy Ghost is a conduit for the divine love, and the Son has the responsibility to bring as many human souls to the Father as possible.
It just goes to show that anyone at anytime can be used by God.
Following are some of his quotes:
“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way”
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
“Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand.”

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
So having read this we hope that you will either agree that there is One God who is our Savior Jesus Christ or respect our right to disagree with you if you don't.
God Bless
recj/LJG