Tag Archives: Craig Gallaway

THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH: Chapter 14

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An English manor house and grounds suggests the kind of place–with gardens and stone walls in close proximity with nature–that Lewis describes as the setting for the traditional community of St. Annes. We might imagine Mr. MacPhee at work in his garden, or Camilla and Arthur Denniston standing out on the hill watching the weather and rejoicing in the clouds of an English sky.

“Real Life Is Meeting”

Overview Question

In this chapter, both Jane and Mark move further along the path of what can only be called, in Christian terms, “conversion.” They have come a long way since the beginning of the story. They are both being converted from their earlier formation in the Enlightenment worldview, during their college and professional years; and they are being converted to what we have called (from the beginning of our study) the traditional worldview. The latter also includes what we came in the last chapter to identify with the role of Merlin in Lewis’s story: Merlin the advocate of God’s order of creation in nature, and of Christian marriage, and of English common law with its conservation of basic human rights and freedoms (the 7th law) as these are shaped by biblical faith. All of these are integral parts of the traditional worldview (lifeworld) as it came to expression in England from the Middle Ages onward until it was challenged head-on in the 17th and 18th centuries by the anti-tradition and anti-religious worldview of the Enlightenment.

Jane and Mark are being converted from their former college training and formation; and both are coming to see and appreciate why the traditional worldview (with its inherent lifeworld) holds much that they now want to re-embrace if they can only discover how. But each of them comes to this by a different set of means or mediations. This brings us to our Overview Question for this chapter:

Look carefully at Mark’s “conversion” in Parts 1 and 4 (note Lewis’s use of the term) from Prof. Frost’s deconstruction of all traditional values, and toward what Mark only knows to call the “Normal.” Then, look closely also at Jane’s struggle (in Parts 2 and 5) first with Mother Dimble’s traditional ways about marriage, and then with her own licentious fantasies, until she turns in the garden (after her talk with Ransom) toward the “presence” of God. Based on your observations, try to identify the means by which each of them is helped along this path of conversion. What kinds of things are involved in each of their cases (e.g., mentors, memories, conscience, innate or instinctual longings or repulsions, Scripture, and other traditional echoes). By what means from within the traditional worldview are Jane and Mark drawn into the orbit of God’s further influence and healing? 

Norman Rockwell’s painting, Saying Grace (1951), though set in America, reflects the place of religious faith in mid-twentieth century English culture as well. The deep biblical roots of the Christian religion were still visible in public life but were beginning to be pressed to the margins and to become a novelty.

DEEPER-DIVE QUESTIONS

1. The title of this chapter may hold a clue to the importance of several “minor” characters at this point in the story, characters whose impact we might be inclined to ignore unless we understand the deeper significance of the conversion that is taking place in both Jane and Mark. For example, in Parts 1 and 4, Mark is introduced to the Tramp—Frost’s and Wither’s false Merlin—whom they hope will help them advance their plans to combine ancient magic with modern technocratic controls. During Mark’s sentry duty, however, he finds that he is able to bond with the Tramp in a way that is more grounded in common humanity than he had ever achieved in his efforts to join the inner ring of power with Frost and Wither.  Similarly, Jane is at first put off by Mother Dimble and Ivy Maggs because they represent a kind of storied traditional role for women and marriage to which Jane has been averse; but then she begins to discover that they are part of something that is much deeper and truer to real life than her habitual feminist ideas have led her to believe. Why is it that these “common people,” with their uneducated and even uncouth ways (the Tramp), embody the promise of meeting real life in a deeper and truer way? What is the source of this real life that Jane and Mark are meeting in these common people?

2. In the middle of the chapter, Part 3, we find a brief digression on the fate of Mr. Bultitude, the bear. Lewis goes to some lengths (as he always does in his descriptions of the bear) to notice how Mr. Bultitude’s way of processing information is not the same as that of a human being. Mr. Bultitude does things by instinct, not by moral choice, reflective deliberation, or conscience. This echoes Lewis’s traditional sense of the hierarchy among animals, humans, and angels (an echo of his love for the “triadic” thinking of the Middle Ages[i]). The result of this triadic thinking is to highlight, by contrast and comparison, the specifically human task of being human. How do the innate limitations of Mr. Bultitude’s instinctual behaviors help to clarify the specifically self-reflective and moral nature of the choices and loyalties that are now required of Mark and Jane if they are to complete their conversions and become fully “human” in the traditional sense?

3. All along the way in our study of THS, since we began early last August, we have tried to evaluate the relevance of Lewis’s insights regarding the cultural battles of his time (the mid-1940s) with the cultural and political battles of our own. With only three chapters after this one left to consider, this may be a good time to take an interim inventory. Here are some of the major discoveries that we have made along the way so far. Consider briefly how each one of these may find a counterpart in the events and agencies of our own day.

A high-tech image of a head suggests the kind of technocratic vision of the future promoted by the NICE. This has only grown and become more lurid and explicit since Lewis’s day among groups like the WEF and the “transhumanism” movement.

a. In Chapter 2, the faculty and Feverstone discuss how their ideology will spread through all the institutions of society—including education, politics, science, business, the press, etc. (cf., the neo-Marxist Long March Through the Institutions). Where is this sort of thing taking place today?

b. Also in Chapter 2, we saw how Busby and Mark and others endorse a kind of “applied science” which is really a mask for their social ideology and a way to gain control both of society and academia, for example, by rejecting traditional scientists such as William Hingest (who still require empirical evidence to support their claims). Where have we seen this sort of thing today?

c. In Chapter 6, Mark caves in to the NICE and assumes the role of an “activist journalist,” writing propaganda articles that whitewash the NICE for public consumption. What are the primary arms of activist journalism today, and on what stories have they practiced this kind of white washing? Are there any news agencies today that practice traditional journalism?

d. In Chapter 7, Jane discovers that she has held a view of marriage and sexuality that is centered, like her Enlightenment worldview, on the freedom of the individual self (self-expression, self-definition, self-indulgence). This has led her to regret her marriage to Mark, and to be vulnerable to adulterous thoughts. Where do we see this self-centered view of sexuality and even of marriage in our culture today?

e. In Chapter 8, Filostroto proclaims to Mark his vision for a future technocratic society where people are programmed by technology, and where human beings achieve a kind of immortality through artificial intelligence. Where do we see this kind of ideology at work today?

f. In Chapter 10, the NICE take control of Edgestow as the four stages of cultural revolution come full circle with the declaration of emergency powers. At the same time, normal people become jaded against their fellow citizens in a kind of mass formation which allows them to “stay under the radar,” protect themselves and their own jobs, while they “go along in order to get along.” Where have we seen this sort of thing at work today?

g. In Chapter 11, Jane goes with other members of the St. Anne’s community to look for Merlin, and they all find themselves shaken awake by the nominal degree of their own faith when they have to face some kind of real spiritual power or danger. Where have we seen, in recent events, the awakening of faith as a result of coming face to face with the denial of human rights and basic freedoms, including the freedom of religion and conscience under God?

h. In Chapter 13, Ransom explains to Merlin why God will only work to set things right by working through human beings who are willing to be his partners in the work of restoration (the 7th law). Where in our political debates today do we find this concern to preserve the role of human conscience and agency under God? And where do we find this calling either manipulated (made to serve a prior state agenda), rejected, or simply absent from the discussion of how to restore and renew society?

[i] C. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image (Cambridge, 1964) pp. 56-57, 71-72.

CHRISTMAS SUNDAY 2022: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus and The Road of New Creation

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All Creation Is Waiting,” watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2004. The child is born; but that does not mean his work is done, or his mission complete. “The whole creation waits in eager expectation,” says Paul in Romans 8, for the great day of the Lord which will be, even then, only the end of the beginning. Is that Joseph in the background, bringing a donkey that he and Mary and the baby will need for their flight to Egypt? Even so we find ourselves still on this road of New Creation with our Lord.

It is Christmas Day 2022. We celebrate the anniversary of our Lord’s birth and incarnation. The Son of God has come into the world and, in his own human body, lived an entirely faithful human life. He was faithful even in the face of death; therefore, he has defeated sin, death, and the fallen powers that had disordered and misshapen human life before. And now he is risen and reigning and providing his Spirit to bring his faithful life, death, and resurrection into our lives as well; to deliver us also from all of the fallen powers that continue to try to get their grips into us and the world at large.

Week by week through Advent we have tried to remember some of the essential parts of our lives where his coming has made, and is making, a huge difference in how and why we live as we do in him. For he is still in the process of restoring these and other parts of our lives as we make our way with him toward the day of our own resurrection, the day of judgment, the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and the fulfillment of the New Creation already begun in him and in us.  And so we can sing with Charles Wesley’s refrain, “Come thou long expected Jesus . . . born thy people to deliver”:

Deliver us from our “normal” fears and anxieties, as your grace and promise delivered Mary on the eve of your own human birth.

Deliver us from our worries about our status and career, our future security and prestige, as your servant Paul taught us with regard to our gifts, and as your own example showed us with regard to being a servant like you.

Deliver us from the temptation to use ethnic groups or other divisive factions to gain social or political power and to grasp at security and control of others as you and Paul refused to do.

Deliver us from the idolatry of self-absorbed eros and other fanatical appetites or passions, so we may live in the freedom of agape, kindness, gentleness, and self-control in human families and in the kind of community that you are restoring.

Saint Nicholas Praying for the Recovery of His Tradition, detail of the Spirit, watercolor by Craig Gallaway, Copyright 2005. From the time of Jesus’s baptism, the dove has been a reminder of the role of the Spirit and of the Father in all that Jesus accomplishes. He does not act on his own. He promises the Spirit will come to guide, befriend, comfort, and provide counsel. And he breathes the Spirit into his disciples after his resurrection, just as God breathed into Adam in the original creation.

“For freedom, you have set us free,” your servant Paul tells us (Galatians 5:1), and this means the freedom of life in your Spirit, the freedom to grow up in all of the fruits of your Spirit, to grow up in you:

To Love (agape) – because we are not focused only on our own needs or desires.

To know Joy – because we are no longer bound by the forces to which we once yielded power and control.  

To experience Peace – because we are no longer pulled apart by rival “lords” and double-minded agendas.   

To learn Patience – because we need to master smaller things before we are put in charge of larger.

To show Kindness and Gentleness – because we have moved beyond the doubts and defenses that once held us in check. 

To practice Self-control – because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Yes, in you, we are free.

And so, our fellow Advent pilgrims, Deb and I find ourselves with you at the close of another Advent and Christmas season, at the turning of the year toward a new year with our Lord’s Spirit and help, in the midst of His ongoing recovery and healing of the created order, on this road of New Creation. He has begun what is yet to be fulfilled. We have the first fruits of a great approaching harvest (Romans 8:23), and we must encourage each other not to grow weary “for our work is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2022, Week 4: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere and the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb

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Saint Nicholas of the Dowry, Graphite drawing by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2011. Saint Nicholas is famous for his affirmation of marriage and for his support of young women who could not afford a dowry. In some cases, it seems, he was all that stood between them and a life on the streets.

Some might think it odd for Deb and me to choose an old Bob Dylan song, about the challenges of getting married, to celebrate the birth of our Lord and his purpose to restore the good order of creation. But then, in the Bible, there are few things that need restoration more than God’s good gifts of marriage and sexuality. And there is something in the very structure of Dylan’s song that echoes what the Bible has to say about this—how our incarnate Lord, born at Bethlehem to be both King and Bridegroom, wants to restore the order of marriage in his kingdom. [i]

We learn from the Apostle Paul and others that Jesus is the true bridegroom of his people, the church, and that he has suffered much to make the church his bride (Ephesians5:21-32). The epistle to the Hebrews tells us that, “He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin,” and this is why “he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses.” (Hebrews 4:15). Paul tells us that he was “obedient even unto death on a cross . . . and so God has highly exalted him and given him the name that is above every other name, Lord” (Philippians 2:8-11). And Hebrews again speaks of how “He endured the cross for the joy set before him, and then sat down by the throne of God,” (Hebrews 12:2) from whence he now reigns, “until God has put everything in order under his authority” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).

This is the basic biblical narrative of the incarnate Son of God, from the time of his birth, through his faithful life and death, his resurrection and sending of his Spirit, and on now with his people, the church, toward the time when the great restoration will be fulfilled. And this is the narrative of our lives as well, if we have joined our lives to the living reality of his, by faith. For we are called to live our lives in him, and this means to follow him in the way of faithfulness and, yes, in the way of sacrifice. Paul puts it like this in Ephesians 5.

“Husbands love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it . . . so that it might be holy and without blame” (verses 25-27). “Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord” (verse 22).

In this way, Paul calls wives to exemplify what every Christian, including husbands and the unmarried, are called to do (cf., Romans 12:1-2). And he calls husbands to imitate the faithfulness of Christ, so that they may encourage and strengthen their wives in the pattern of life (in Christo) to which all people are called, again including the unmarried. We are all called to imitate the greatest Bridegroom of all, in the power of his Spirit, so that our lives may become whole and strong in him.

Saint Nicholas of the Dowry, detail, Graphite drawing by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2011. A younger sister looks out the window where Nicholas stands, having left a bag of gold on the windowsill. (In some early accounts, he would have dropped the gold down the chimney, or secretly left it inside the house.) Her older sister dances in the background because she has hope now to marry. My drawing no doubt makes their accommodations look more convenient than they would have been.

Of course, there are ramifications that ring out into our lives from this narrative. For example, we must not make an idol of sex–that is, to give it more power in our lives than it is due–unless we want to become confused about its real purpose. The degradations that result from idolatry are what Paul has in mind in Romans 1:18ff. Also, we should recognize that marriage has several purposes—mutual help, comfort, the procreation of life, and the preservation of chastity (Genesis 1-2, 1 Corinthians 7)—not all of which are focused on sex. If we are to follow our Lord, and live in his Spirit, we must be ready to take up the larger and wider callings that come with being good wives and husbands, as well as good neighbors and members of his bride, the church. Whether in our own personal lives, or in our corporate life together as his people, eros must be governed by agape. [ii]

But what, then, does all of this have to do with an old Bob Dylan song about a prospective bridegroom who is struggling to manage his inner fears, temptations, and doubts as he anticipates the arrival of his wedding day? Will he bolt and run, for fear of failure in the challenges of married life ahead? Or will he “get his mind off of wintertime” and rejoice in the arrival of his bride? Will he listen to the siren voices of romantic wanderlust, and travel to some distant place, or will he “pick up his money and pack up his tent” and look forward to the coming of his bride? What did Jesus do? What is he doing now?

By the third verse of Dylan’s song, we discover what our protagonist has decided to do. He will stay and embrace the covenant of marriage, with all that it entails. He plants his feet on solid ground and calls for the instruments of creativity and provision (perhaps also of procreativity): “Buy me a flute and a gun that shoots, I won’t accept no substitutes.” He intends now to honor his bride, like the Bridegroom is doing. He will fight for her against the enemy’s opposing forces, even if some of his own troops are weary or lagging. [iii] And he will “climb that hill no matter how steep,” so that he may rejoice in the joy set before him.

Thus, with the scriptural narrative ringing in our ears, we know what our Lord, our Bridegroom, has done (in his faithful life, death, and resurrection) and is doing (in the presence and power of his Spirit) in anticipation of the great day when his faithfulness will be fulfilled, when we too shall rise like him from the dead, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and there shall also be a great wedding banquet for the Lamb and for us.

Can you hear, as Deb and I do, his voice echoing beyond our own as we sing about the place of our marriage in his New Creation purpose and care?

Ooo wee, ride me high, tomorrow’s the day my bride will arrive.

O Lord, are we gonna fly, down in that easy chair.

[i] Deb and I aren’t saying that Dylan intended or foresaw all of the biblical allusions that we see reflected in his imagery. But he did become a Christian later in life; and he was always deeply influenced by the Bible, as he once told Paul Stookey.  

[ii] This seems to be the main point of C. S. Lewis’s reflections in The Screwtape Letters, regarding the demonic strategy that uses certain art forms to confuse people about the importance of “being in love,” that is of romantic or erotic passion, as if this were the foundation and purpose of marriage. If the demons win this battle, says Lewis, they also create an excuse for divorce when the level of excitement changes over time. But then, Lewis also portrays, in That Hideous Strength, how the affection of eros can be restored where husband and wife learn to embrace the larger pattern of servant love (agape) and obedience to God. Eros can return as a result of a more caring and wholesome way of life together, not as the goal or purpose of marriage itself.

[iii] Given the culture wars in America today, many of which turn on the definition of sex, gender, and marriage; and given the strong rhetoric of “hate speech” that has been cast against Christians for trying to uphold, much less to recommend the covenant of marriage as a source for sexual healing in our culture; Paul’s discussion of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6) just after his instructions regarding marriage (Ephesians 5) does not seem at all accidental. In any event, to promote the Christian practice of marriage in our present culture will be a spiritual battle, to be sure; but one that the church must accept with a whole heart.  

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2022: Some Children See Him and the Messiah’s Single Family

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Saint Nicholas Praying for the Recovery of His Tradition, Watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2008. In this painting we see people of different races and ages seeking the light of Christ which brings them together as one family of faith. This also reflects the Apostle Paul’s vision of the Messiah’s single family.

In his letters to the Christians in Galatia and in Rome, the Apostle Paul explained with great energy why the coming of the Messiah into the world, “to give himself for our sins and to deliver us from the present evil age” (Galatians 1:4), leaves no room for ethnic divisions, jealousy, or strife within the single family of God’s people. Indeed, according to Paul, God’s purpose from the beginning, as in the covenant promise to Abraham, has been to make one family of his people across all national (that is, ethnic) and cultural boundaries. Jesus confirmed this promise in his “great commission” (Matthew 28:18-20). And so, Paul declares with great boldness:

“For you are all children of God, through faith, in the Messiah, Jesus. You see, every one of you who has been baptized into the Messiah has put on the Messiah. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no ‘male and female’; you are all one in the Messiah, Jesus. And if you belong to the Messiah, you are Abraham’s family. You stand to inherit the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-28)  

This was radical stuff in the strictly stratified culture of ancient Rome. It is radical stuff today. The church so aligned with its Lord (then and now), like Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, rejects Satan’s temptation to seek power by exploiting the nations (the ethne, Matthew 4:8-11). And like a city set on a hill, the church thereby demonstrates the power of his resurrection, the beginning of the new creation, his victory at the cross over the fallen powers, including the power of race itself where this has become disordered and abused. But what then does it look like as we live this life of new creation in our risen Lord and in his Spirit–where he is putting everything back in order, where there is neither Jew nor Greek, where race itself literally does not divide us?  

In our current culture wars in America today, there are primarily two opinions about how to deal with issues of race and ethnicity. In order to avoid using merely partisan tags and labels, we may think of these in terms of two major leaders who speak for these two views, Robert Woodson and Ibram Kendi.[i] In Kendi’s view, using the ideas of Critical Race Theory (CRT), the topic of race itself must be the primary focus for improving race relations. We must, therefore, divide people into groups according to their skin color, and judge them as oppressors (if white) or as victims (if black or, perhaps, people of color). No room here for differences among individuals based on traits of character, moral choice, or personal behavior. Then, we should proceed by creating government programs that favor the black victims and restrict or penalize the white oppressors.

In other words, according to Kendi’s view, we must follow a strategy that is exactly opposite of Paul’s view, as well as being opposed to the practices of Martin Luther King, Jr., who called Americans to judge one another “not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Kendi, by contrast, regards the principle of “colorblindness” itself as a pillar of racism because it does not force the collective pre-judgement (what I would call the racial profiling!) demanded by CRT and the concept of “systemic racism.”

From the other side, Robert Woodson warns America that Kendi’s approach only creates division, envy, animosity, victim mentality, and lust for power. Indeed, Woodson regards CRT as a form of racism more insidious than the old-fashioned type of the KKK which was obvious on the face of it. Moreover, by focusing on race as an end in itself (as the CRT, DEI, ESG, and other government and corporate programs are now doing), we only make matters worse for the very people we say we are trying to help. The “race hustle,” as Woodson calls it, has a terrible history of failure. In the fifty years or so since the welfare state was created by LBJ’s “Great Society” programs, some 42 trillion dollars have been spent. Seventy percent of this went to operating costs for the government’s own overhead, not to recipients. And the inner cities have only gotten worse in every area of basic measurement (single-parent families, illegitimate birth rates [now 70%, up from 20% in the mid 1960s], educational outcomes, low income, neighborhood blight, violence, etc.).

Saint Nicholas Praying for the Recovery of His Tradition (Detail), watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2008. The title of this painting refers to the tradition (the “handing on”) of St. Nicholas. But Nicholas himself stood, as he knew, in the tradition of Jesus, born to Mary and Joseph, who kneel together in the background. And all of this reminds us that our Lord has chosen to mediate his new creation purpose through the ministry and participation of his pilgrim people, of which we too are a part.

By contrast, says Woodson, we should follow the guidance of Scripture, and focus instead on three basic things: 1. the grace of God extended to all people, all of whom are sinful, 2. the gifts and purpose that God has for every individual person, and 3. the goal of unity in a colorblind congregation, community, and society. Thus, Woodson champions leaders of every color, especially in the black community, who have become mentors for the people in their own neighborhoods. Such local, grass roots leaders demonstrate how to be responsible for one’s own life, and to succeed with discipline and dignity, even when there are still others around (including the CRT group and the white supremacists, strange bedfellows!) who insist on pre-judging people by the color of their skin. He calls these mentoring exemplars “Josephs,” for the role they play in leading the whole country toward healing, wholeness, and “a more perfect union.” As a result, the Woodson Center, in contrast to the welfare state, has a long history of major and sometimes miraculous success participating in the transformation of individuals, neighborhoods, and communities.[ii]

The difference between these two visions could not be more pronounced.[iii] One is highly idealistic, self-righteous, and brooks no dissent from its agenda, requiring a kind of “group think” from everyone, and ready to cancel or censor those who don’t toe the line. The other is realistic, recognizing that people are not perfect, that we are in fact sinful; but that we make progress by taking measured steps grounded in faith and moral tradition as we make our way toward “a more perfect union.” And only one of these visions is consistent with Paul’s vision of how the incarnate, crucified, and risen King, Jesus the Messiah, is restoring his people, even now, by the power of his Spirit, putting everything back into the proper order of creation, and building the new creation that is yet to be fulfilled.

The song that Deb and I are sharing this week, Some Children See Him, also follows Paul’s vision of the Messiah’s single family–making our way together in him on the road of new creation. Each verse of the song portrays children who imagine the baby Jesus as a member of their own ethnic group (though of course, historically, Jesus was not a member of any of the groups mentioned). Each verse shows, moreover, how our Lord’s life, his love, and his power, nonetheless, reach children (and people) in every group. And then, still ringing with Paul’s vision, the emphasis on groups stops, and we stand individually before Christ himself. In the light of his holy Light, we affirm our ethnic and racial heritages, to be sure; but we do not let them become an idol, separating us from him or from each other. Rather, we hear his own invitation through the music of jazz musician, Alfred Burt, and the words of Wihla Hutson:   

O lay aside each earthly thing.

And with thy heart as offering,

Come worship thou the infant King.

Tis love that’s born tonight.[iv] 

[i] Robert Woodson is a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, who pulled away from that movement when he saw it turning into what he came to call the “race hustle” of the welfare state. He saw black and white elites growing wealthy by creating expensive programs that signaled their own virtue but did little to change conditions for the people they were supposed to help. In this assessment, Woodson is the protégé of Thomas Sowell. For further reading, see Robert Woodson, The Triumphs of Joseph: How Todays Community Healers Are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods. Ibram Kendi is one of the more prominent academic teachers of contemporary neo-Marxist ideas about race, based on the concept of “systemic racism” and the methods of Critical Race Theory. For further reading, see Ibram Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.

[ii] Woodson’s vision, following Paul and the Bible, does not ignore or demean our different ethnic heritages—the things that make us ethnically and culturally different from each other: for example, food, fashion, music, and even many of the elements that shape the way we worship God. But neither does he see why different groups should be forced by an academic or a government program to adopt the same cultural style, customs, congregation, or neighborhood. Rather, Woodson affirms the approach of Paul in Romans 14. We should leave room for our cultural differences (Paul’s word is adiaphora, that is, non-essentials). We should in fact honor these in our own and in each other’s lives. But we don’t have to force everyone into a single style. Thus, we may be different in our ethnic heritages without shame or guilt, and also united in our love for the living God who knows each of us from our mother’s womb and has a unique plan for each of us in his new creation.

[iii] The mention of two visions invites a further reference to the work of Thomas Sowell. Sowell has done as much as anyone on the planet to document with hard empirical evidence the ideas and actual results of the two visions we are examining. See Thomas Sowell, A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, and The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Public Policy.

[iv] I take Hutson’s reference to “earthly things” here to mean precisely the ethnic and racial differences (adiaphora) that distinguish us culturally from one another in comparison to the unity that we have in Christ our Lord as fellow sinners made alive in the Spirit and making our way together with the single family of God toward the fulfillment of the new creation.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2022: The Bleak Midwinter and the Coming of the Servant

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Saint Nicholas of the Oranges, Watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2009. This painting reminds us that St. Nicholas, following in the Spirit of his Lord, was renowned for his servant ministry to others, including his effort to provide citrus fruit for the sailors of Myra who suffered from scurvy as a result of long Mediterranean voyages.

In the Bleak Midwinter, original poem by Christina Rosetti (1872), melody by Gustav Holst (1906), arrangement for guitar and cello by Craig and Deborah Gallaway (2021) based on the arrangement of the song for James Taylor’s album, At Christmas (2006).

As we prepare for the Christmas holidays during this Advent season, and some of us plan perhaps to take some time off from our regular schedule of life and work, are we also aware how our Lord’s incarnation has redefined the world in which we live and work?

The Apostle Paul addresses this question when he describes Jesus’s incarnation as the complete reversal of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. When the Son of God came into the world, unlike our first parents, Adam and Eve, he “did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, but he emptied himself and became a servant, and was born in human likeness” (Philippians 2:6-11). Likewise, later on in his ministry with his disciples, Jesus took a towel and a bowl of water and, in the manner of a common servant, he washed their feet, calling them to be servants as well (John 13:1-20).

And so, the incarnate Word came into the world to reverse the whole history of false pride, jealousy, envy, and vanity that ruled from Adam, to Cain and Abel, to Joseph and his brothers, right down to Jesus’s own disciples, who vied with each other for places of status and prestige, and also of course in our world today. “He was obedient even unto death on the cross,” Paul says, and so “God has exalted him and given him the name that is above every name . . . Lord.” The result is that our lives can be restored in him. Paul says simply, “Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

But what does it look like in practice when our lives are restored in the image and power of the Son of God? Surely part of the answer must be that there is no job too “small” or “menial” for us to do. In a world that is habitually conscious of status and rank, we are called to serve in any and every way that is needed. This has perhaps a special relevance during the holiday season, when it can be all too easy to leave some tasks to others. But Paul calls us “not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think,” and to bring our gifts (whatever they may be: shepherd or wise man, doctor or dishwasher) into the service of the Lord; and above all to “offer him our hearts,” as Christina Rosetti’s poem expresses it. These are themes that Paul went over again and again in nearly every one of his letters, suggesting just how important and challenging this kind of restoration can be (Romans 12:5-21; compare 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4).  

There is much, no doubt, that many of us are still learning about serving in this transforming way of humility as we seek to live truly in the power of the risen Christ and in the fruits of his Spirit. But there is a second, and perhaps even more difficult implication of the incarnation for our lives and work.

Snow Dance, watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2010. Based on C. S. Lewis’s Narnia Tales, The Silver Chair. The children were held captive in a cave below ground until they escaped into the open air to join the dance of creation with the other free peoples of Narnia.

 

Our Lord’s servant ministry also sets us free from the need to base our identities on what we do. Because we live our lives in him, we are not defined by which gifts we are given, or what job we have. Our work should never become an idol, vying to control our life when our true Lord would free us for the life of new creation. This is especially significant in this day and time. It is a “bleak midwinter” indeed, when companies in every sector of our economy are requiring their workers to embrace ideas and actions that do not honor the Lord of all creation. But being a servant does not mean agreeing to do whatever anyone asks us to do. We have only one Lord; and he is the one who sets the terms of our service (Romans 12:11).

I realize that I am raising what must be for some of us a very difficult set of problems. Deb and I understand this difficulty personally because, though we are retired now, we had to deal with this at one point in Craig’s career as the editorial director of a major religious publisher. But Paul seems to know and understand this territory as well. For, after describing the gifts in Romans 12:3-6, he goes on to describe in more detail how we are to use them. “Love must be genuine,” he says. “Hate what is evil; stick fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). Perhaps some of us will have to sever ties with a particular job or company because they demand that we “conform to the pattern of this fallen world.” But Paul also says that we should do good to everyone, even to our enemies, because this sometimes has the effect of winning them over (Romans 12:10-18). Therefore, some of us may be able to stay at a compromised job because the Lord is using us to change things.

And then Paul goes on to call us to use the “ruling authorities” who are given by God to restrain evil (Romans 13:1-5). The court system in America today is often serving as a last bastion of protection for our freedom of religious and moral conscience under God. Above all, Paul keeps his own mind grounded in the presence of the risen Christ (who, he says, is even now “praying for us,” Romans 8:34), and in the power of the Spirit (who “intercedes” for us, 8:26), and on the goal of new creation itself. This is what gives him (and us) a calm confidence, no matter what difficulties arise, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:22-39).

And so, as strange as it might seem to a secular observer of “Xmas,” we celebrate Advent and Christmas by rejoicing in the freedom that our Lord brings into our lives to serve him openly, generously, and without pride, envy, or fear of losing our position in a dark and embattled world. For he has broken the power of those fears and passions, first in his own faithful life and death, and then in his resurrection and the sending of his Spirit to work powerfully among us.

Heaven could not hold him, while the earth was stained.

Heaven and earth will shine again, when he comes to reign.[1]

____________________________________________________

  1. Some readers may notice that Deb and I have changed the words to Christina Rosetti’s original second stanza. This is because the original words–“Heaven and earth will flee away when he comes to reign”–do not reflect the full scriptural promise of new creation. Was this a slip by Rosetti into the artistic idealism of the romantic movement of which she was part? Did she not realize that Jesus was born physically, and suffered physically, and was raised physically, in order to be the first born from the dead (Col. 1:18) and to restore the material world? Or was she referring only to the cleansing stage of judgement day, to which both Paul and Peter refer (1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2nd Peter 3:4-13). 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2022: Gabriel’s Message and Mary’s Obedience

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She Kept These Things and Pondered Them in Her Heart, linoleum block print by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2000. After Antonella Da Messina, Virgin Annunciate, 1465.

Gabriel’s Message, a 13th century Basque carol paraphrased into modern English (mid 19th century) by the Anglican priest Sabine Barring-Gould. This arrangement for cello and guitar by Craig and Deborah Gallaway (copyright 2019) influenced by a live-video performance of the recording artist, Sting.

“BE IT UNTO ME, O LORD, ACCORDING TO THY WILL.”

When the angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce that she would give birth to a very special son, Mary already knew and loved the ancient Scriptural story of the covenant and the promise of which he spoke; and thus, though initially startled by his appearing, she came quickly to see why he called her “favored one.” Her son would become the promised King of Israel in the line of David (that is, the Messiah, Christos). And he would fulfill the promise that God made to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3): “All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in you.” Given this background, we may find it only reasonable, an almost predictable response, that Mary would answer Gabriel, “Be it unto me according to what you have said.” But then we would miss the chain of difficulties, warnings, and dangers that the angel’s message brought into Mary’s life. Her faithfulness was never untested.  

For one thing, the angel’s message put Mary’s approaching marriage in jeopardy. How would she explain this unprecedented pregnancy? Matthew’s gospel is candid about Joseph’s initial misgivings. We know that Joseph eventually stood faithfully with Mary as her husband; but she did not have assurances of this when she first embraced Gabriel’s life-altering news. And yet, in this way, Mary also gave her own marriage back to God, the Creator of marriage itself. She did not make an idol of it or bend it into some other shape that would come between her and her Maker. Her marriage would be a place where God’s purpose to restore the world, to restore the faithfulness of marriage as well, would be at home.

Then, after Jesus’s birth at Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph took their son to have him circumcised at the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:22-35). And there, meeting Simeon, Mary faced another fierce test of faith. For though Simeon confirmed Jesus’s identity as the promised King whose reign would bless the whole world; he also warned Mary that her son would be a cause of division and conflict in Israel and that “a sword will pierce your own heart as well.” Yet here again, Mary did not pull back. She did not make an idol of her own or her son’s future safety by grasping at security. How “normal” that sort of family-anxiety would have been. Instead, she offered her life and waited to see how God’s promise would yet unfold. Did she foresee clearly or fully how Jesus would defeat the fear of death and the stubborn idols of anxiety and avarice at the cross, in his resurrection, and with the gift of his Spirit? No, surely not, at least not as yet; but she put her faith in the God whose promise to Abraham was to restore the world, and whose covenant was now focused somehow in this Son to whom she had so recently given birth.  

Study for Saint Nicholas of the Dowry, graphite drawing by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2011.

And then there came the Magi, the three wise men from the East, who brought gifts to honor the King whose birth even the stars of heaven bore witness. They came by way of power-hungry Herod. They departed Bethlehem wisely by another route. They were warned in a dream, as Joseph was warned by an angel: Herod, the existing authority of state in Jerusalem, would kill the child if he could find him. And so, Mary and Joseph became a kind of outlaws, running away to Egypt until Herod did his worst and finally died. They were not against the government or the state in principle. They had, after all, come to Bethlehem to participate in the census for the purpose of taxation. But neither would they make an idol of the government. If the government set itself up against the purpose and promise of God, they would not cooperate. They would not obey. Afterall, the government was given to serve God’s purposes, not the other way around.  

And so, when Mary responded, “Be it unto me according to what you have said,” she did the most basic thing of all: she placed herself in obedience to the One true God of Israel, the God of Abraham, and David, the Creator of the universe, her Creator. She placed her whole life into God’s hands—her marriage, her hopes for a family, her future security and safety, her social standing and political influence. And though we have an advantage over Mary, at least at that early stage in her life—for we look back on Jesus’s birth from the other side of his faithful life and death, his victorious resurrection, and the sending of his Spirit with power—yet we are also very much like her and Joseph. For we also look forward through the haze of challenging personal, moral, social, and political trials and temptations to the ultimate fulfillment of our Lord’s promise to restore the whole world, and our own lives as well.

Mary no doubt came to know more fully in her life what the apostle Paul would later describe as the general pattern of life for all Christians, what we sometimes too readily soft pedal or skirt around, that we must be prepared to suffer and do battle, and yes to “groan,” as we make our way toward the fulfillment of the new creation. Indeed, Paul describes our calling with great clarity and spirit (Romans 12:1-2): “In view of the mercies of God,” he says, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice . . . that you may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Thus, in our own time and place, like Mary, we also can say with growing faith and hope, “Be it unto me, O Lord, according to thy will.”

Preparing for Advent 2022: The Promise of New Creation

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The Promise Image

FATHER ABRAHAM, watercolor by Craig Gallaway (copyright 2018). After the fall of Adam and Eve with its many branching consequences (Genesis 3-11), God came to the old man Abraham and his wife Sarah (Genesis 12) promising to use their descendants (as yet unbegotten and unborn!) to restore the broken, sinful, and divided world. 

Father Abraham, words and music by Craig Gallaway, arrangement for cello and guitar by Craig and Deborah Gallaway, copyright 2020. Based on a traditional 17th century Swedish folk melody, Hoken.

Saint Athanasius in the 4th century asked a very important question: “Why the incarnation?” Why did the Son of God, the Word of God, become a human being? Why did he become a man living among us, suffering, dying, and rising again to new life? And Athanasius’s answer was the full and salutary biblical answer (John 1:1-12): He did this in order to restore the fallen world, to bring about the New Creation, as his Father had promised Abraham He would do. This, according to the Apostle Paul, is what has happened (with results that continue to unfold today) in Jesus’s victorious death, resurrection, ascension, reign, and the sending of his Spirit into the world. Thus, when we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of the Son of God, we celebrate this whole grand sweeping story of the renewal of the world in which we are still living and making our journey with him toward the final fulfillment. The whole creation waits eagerly for that day (Romans 8:19).

FATHER ABRAHAM (detail), watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2018.

This is why Deb and I begin our Advent preparation this week with a song about the promise God made to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). And it is why each verse of “Father Abraham” anticipates the other themes and songs that we will share with you in the weeks ahead, all of them proclaiming the ongoing New Creation work of the risen and exalted Christ. For our Lord is even now putting all sorts of things back into their proper creation order (1 Corinthians 15:20-28). For example, the third verse of “Father Abraham” speaks of how we lean into his kingdom work as he builds within us the virtues of justice, beauty, and love. And we will sing again about each of those virtues in the weeks ahead as we celebrate our Lord’s special reordering through his Spirit of how we see the value of our own work, and how we approach the problem of racism, and how we recover a life of holiness in marriage. All, as a result of the incarnation. All, as a consequence of Christmas. All, a matter of his new creation purpose.

So, Yes! Christmas is about all of these things because it is about the birth of the baby Jesus who took our nature upon himself in order to restore it. And it is about his faithful life and death, because that was the initial battleground upon which he achieved the restoration by defeating sin, death, and the devil in his own body, irrevocably, at the cross. And it is about his resurrection and ascension and the sending of his Spirit, because that is how he makes the power and glory of his victory available to us even now as we make our journey with him toward the ultimate fulfillment of his plan and purpose. No wonder, then, that Charles Wesley’s famous hymn has remained so resonant among all who love and celebrate Christmas:

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art;

Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

In the weeks of Advent just ahead, then, Deb and I will be sharing one song and at least one work of art each week that celebrate some of the different facets of this grand Christmas story. Here is a brief preview:

She Kept These Things and Pondered Them in Her Heart, Linoleum Block Print by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2000. After Antonello Da Messina, Virgin Annunciate, 1465.

Week 1, Nov.27 – The Angel Gabriel and the story of Mary’s obedience, “Be it unto me according to Thy will.” In a way, Mary did what Paul calls all Christians to do in Romans 12:1-2, “In view of God’s mercies, present your bodies as a living sacrifice . . . that you may prove the full extent of God’s holy purpose.”

Snow Dance, watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2010. Based on C. S. Lewis’s Narnia Tales.

Week 2, Dec. 4 – In the Bleak Midwinter and the call to lay our talents, our gifts, and our work at our Lord’s feet in service to others (Romans 12:3-16). This might seem simple enough at a glance; but it is actually very difficult in a world that trains us constantly to be concerned about our own status in comparison to others, especially in our areas of work and professional life. This song quietly reminds us to give our hearts to the Master, who took a towel and a bowl of water . . .

Saint Nicholas Praying for the Recovery of His Tradition, watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2005.

Week 3, Dec. 11 – Some Children See Him and the celebration of our common humanity in Christ (Galatians 3:28). In a world where the charge of racism is abused by neo-Marxist critical theory to stir up envy and to divide, the Lord’s call to unity and to the simple affirmation of cultural differences is a healing balm indeed. “So, lay aside each earthly thing; and with your heart as offering . . .”

Saint Nicholas of the Dowry, graphite drawing by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2012. Based on the stories of Nicholas’s provision of dowry resources for daughters of the poor.

Week 4, Dec. 18 – You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere and the joyful recovery of marriage following the bridegroom’s example (Ephesians 5:21-33). Again, in a world riddled with sexual decadence, pornography, and licentiousness, the Lord’s example of a life of caring, faithful, self-disciplined stewardship on behalf of one’s spouse is like a harbor for the soul and for society as well. “Ooh wee, ride me high, tomorrow’s the day my bride will arrive . . .”

All Creation Waits in Eager Expectation, watercolor by Craig Gallaway, copyright 2004.

Dec. 25 – On Christmas day, then, we’ll share Charles Wesley’s great hymn of invocation, personally welcoming and inviting our Lord’s ongoing work in our lives both at Christmas and in the year ahead.

If you choose to make use of these Advent offerings from our house to yours in the weeks ahead, we hope they will bring an added element of worship, praise, thanksgiving, and hope to you and your house.

THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH: Chapter 13

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An image of Merlin’s countenance hovering above Merlin’s Well in Bragdon Wood evokes the cultural legacy of King Arthur and Logres for which Merlin himself stands. This image was the cover art for
the 1983 Pan Books edition of THS.

THEY HAVE PULLED DOWN DEEP HEAVEN ON THEIR HEADS 

Overview Question

This is the first of three chapters (along with Chapters 15 and 16) which clarify in one way or another who Merlin is, and what is his special role in the spiritual battle between St. Anne’s and Belbury. Chapter 15 will show how Merlin is equipped by the heavenly powers to undertake the battle. And Chapter 16 will show the destructive results for Belbury of Merlin’s engagement, like live video of an ongoing battle. In this chapter, however, we discover why God has chosen to use Merlin in the first place. Why doesn’t God just send down the heavenly powers themselves to destroy Belbury? Why wait for a man of ancient Logres and work through him?

This aspect of God’s strategy is announced most clearly in Part 5 of the chapter when Ransom explains to Merlin why God will not break the “Seventh Law” by allowing the planetary powers to work directly on the earth. As Ransom explains, “They will work only through man.” And then he goes on to explain why Merlin is precisely the sort of man that God needs for the job. One who is a Christian and committed to the ancient “natural” order of creation, yet also one who is a penitent and knows the ways of sinful man.

There is much in Ransom’s longer explanation that is simply part of Lewis’s fairytale (for example, his travels in space, and Merlin’s travel through time, as we saw in Chapter 9). These do not require a literal or concrete interpretation. But the principle of the Seventh Law, of God’s choosing to work only through a human agent, is another matter. Overview Question: 

Given what you have already learned about the traditional worldview and its understanding of human nature (for example in the portrayal of Mark’s struggle with his own vanity until he finally calls out to God for help) why would God refuse to produce a spiritual victory by divine fiat rather than requiring the obedient response and practiced discipline of faithful human beings who turn to him for help? Why won’t God break the Seventh Law?

 

An ancient ruin deep in an old forest evokes the fictional setting in THS of Merlin’s Well and Bragdon Wood. The real history of the ancient Celts and Druids is, however, consistent with the Christian and biblically grounded portrayal that Lewis provides of Merlin, Arthur, and Logres in the 5th and 6th centuries. (See, for example, Peter Berresford Ellis, The Druids.)

Deeper-Dive Questions

1. In Parts 1 and 3, Merlin and Ransom and the people of St. Anne’s must “vet” each other as to their respective bona fides—that is, they must test and prove to each other their allegiance to the right side. They do this by asking and answering questions that ferret out the principles upon which each of them takes their stand. In this way, Merlin discovers that Ransom is in fact the Pendragon, the heir of King Arthur and the realm of Logres; and Ransom discovers that Merlin is a Christian who affirms the gifts and disciplines of faithful marriage as well as the biblical tradition of God’s creation and providence. Similarly, the search party (upon their return and surprise at finding Ransom and Merlin together) are finally convinced of Merlin’s good faith when the Director vouches for his loyalty to the Christian essence of Logres (which Dr. Dimble had long wondered about and hoped for).

In this light, our own question about the bond between Merlin and St. Anne’s must be equally probing: To what group or tradition do these principles (King Arthur, Logres, the Bible, Christianity, faithful marriage, etc.) correspond in the cultural and spiritual battles that we face and fight today, and that Lewis faced and fought in post-war England? What is it that Merlin stands for (along with the people of St. Anne’s) in the battle against the dark spiritual forces of the NICE?

2. Part 2 of Chapter 13 gives us another peek into the troubled lifeworld of those at Belbury who hold the modern worldview. While discussing their strategy for working with the tramp (their false “Merlin”) Wither and Frost are drawn into a set of sniping and threatening remarks toward each other. What is it about the modern worldview (with its conception of the individual, the “freedom” of the individual, and “universal” reason) that seems to provide the perfect seedbed for this kind of combative and divisive social atmosphere?

3. In Part 4, Dr. and Mrs. Dimble discuss the effect of Merlin on the people at St. Anne’s and speculate about how Merlin’s influence will affect the whole course of their battle with the NICE. Dr. Dimble notes Merlin’s ancient and intimate connection with nature in contrast to the modern view of nature as a machine, and even more in antipathy toward Belbury’s desire to change, alter, and work against nature (the anti-nature posture that we have noted before). And then Dimble observes how everything in the cultural and political atmosphere seems to be polarizing, “coming to a point,” as he puts it: “Good is always getting better and bad is always getting worse.” Then Mrs. Dimble sees how this is like the biblical portrayal of judgement when the “wheat is separated from the chaff.” Where in the polarizing events of our own time do you see such a separation between good and evil taking place, and what other biblical grounds can you suggest for advocating this view of our own cultural, political, and spiritual battles, especially right now as the midterm elections pressure everyone to make the “terrible choice” (Mrs. Dimble’s reference to Browning).   

4. In Part 5, Ransom defines for Merlin what will be the necessary tools and methods by which the battle with the dark eldil can be won, but only if Merlin will submit to the part he has to play. At the same time, Ransom also clearly and forcefully rejects certain other tools and methods that Merlin finds more congenial to his tastes and confidence. Thus, Ransom rejects Merlin’s acquaintance with ancient natural magic and remedies because they are no longer “lawful,” and because they are merely earthly in scope. Something more powerful is needed. Also, Ransom rejects the resort to national, global, or ecclesial authorities because they are already tainted with the same evil infection and anyway, they also do not possess the necessary kind of power to defeat the dark powers.

Instead, according to Ransom, what is needed is a human being, a Christian and a penitent, who is willing to be invaded by the powers of heaven in order not only to withstand the evil influences of the dark eldil, but also to draw them out into the light where they will have to face the ultimate consequences of their own choices. What is needed is a person who is willing to have his own heart changed in this way so he can be used by heaven in the wider world to expose and defeat the dark powers, and to help establish under God’s rule the good community of the restored creation. How does this definition of Merlin’s role expand and fill in the principles we have already noted regarding the tradition of Arthur and Logres, the Bible and Christian marriage? Is there a political, spiritual, and cultural tradition in our own time (as well as in Lewis’s time) that embraces these same basic principles and commitments? If so, what is it? And what would it take to recover it today?

THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH: Chapter 12

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A striking image of a large bear reminds me that Mr. Bultitude, though subdued by Dr. Ransom’s Adam-like understanding of the animals (Genesis 1-2) is still an animal by nature. He is not a human being. Nor is he something to be trifled with or presumed upon as the animals are in the vivisection lab at Belbury. (Image from PixelsTalk.net)

WET AND WINDY NIGHT 

Overview Question

This is another whirlwind chapter with numerous sub-plots moving around each other: Jane, Dimble, and Arthur are still out searching for the elusive Merlin. Wither has his own people searching as well, but they are on a false trail. Meanwhile, Frost is trying to train Mark in the ambitions of the NICE but Mark is changing inside and only feigns his full devotion. At the same time, the people back at St. Anne’s have a conversation with MacPhee and Dr. Ransom about the nature of their animals (Mr. Bultitude and the cat) in contrast to the emotions and virtues that shape a human life. And back at Belbury, the leaders are welcoming the tramp (thinking they have captured the real Merlin) while Mark barely escapes another demonic attack of vanity by engaging in a kind of desperate elementary prayer. So much going on; but is there a thread that ties it all together?   

For me, the clue comes with the different images and ideas set forth in this chapter about what it means to be human, especially regarding the role of emotion and virtue in the constitution of a truly human life. On the one hand, we have Frost’s insistence to Mark (echoing closely the first principles of the modern worldview) that the “objectivity” of the NICE requires ridding oneself of all emotional (that is “merely chemical”) attachments that might keep one from pursuing a line of experiment no matter where it leads. And, on the other, we have Ransom’s insistence, in the discussion about Mr. Bultitude, that what makes a human being fully and truly human is precisely the emotional capacities (virtues) for intentional friendship that lead ultimately to Love (charity, agape).

These two opposing visions of the place of emotion and virtue in human life clearly represent the two worldviews (modern and traditional) with which we have been working from the beginning. And they lead to our Overview Question for this week:

What are the two views of emotion and virtue that are expressed by Frost and Ransom, and how does this contrast help to clarify what is at stake in practical terms by choosing to commit one’s mind and heart to one vision or the other?

As you think about this question, it may also be helpful to remember Lewis’s statement (in the Preface of THS) that his modern fairytale has behind it the same point he was trying to make in The Abolition of Man: The modern conception of “objectivity” (which defines poetry and emotion as purely “subjective”) has created “men without chests,” that is, men whose hearts and minds are no longer shaped by the virtues and emotions that arise from the biblical story and worldview. As Lewis also knew, he was affirming the traditional view of the passions (the evil thoughts/demons of pride, vanity, greed, impurity, etc.) which impair human reason and cut us off from a true perception of reality and nature. See also, John MacMurray, Reason and Emotion, and Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue, which also examine the importance of emotion and virtue for the formation of human nature, freedom, and reason.

Detail from Michael Angelo’s Sistine Chapel painting of the Creation of Adam. The frescos of the Chapel portray the larger story from Genesis 1-2 of the creation of man, male and female, in God’s image.

DEEPER-DIVE QUESTIONS

1. Frost’s modern view of “objectivity” (stripped of all traditional emotional values) is directly counter to the biblical and classical view which claims that the virtuous life—far from interfering with reason, or objectivity, or the accurate perception of nature—actually connects us to them. Frost’s account of reason and objectivity, note well (and by his own reckoning) readily leads to the most horrific experiments and treatment of other human beings that would formerly (under the traditional worldview) have been considered unthinkable (e.g., genocide). Where in the world of contemporary “politicized” science are we seeing a similar break with the traditional values of religion and virtue combined with an anti-nature” or “anti-reality” agenda?

2. In his conversation with MacPhee about the difference between animals and humans, Dr. Ransom alludes to the biblical and traditional hierarchy of being: mineral, vegetable, animal, human, and angelic. Furthermore, in keeping with his sources (Genesis 1 and classical cosmology, see Lewis’s The Discarded Image) Ransom locates our human calling specifically between the animal and the angelic. Like the animals, we have sensation (the sensitive soul), but like the angels we also have understanding and reason (the rational soul). Thus, according to Ransom, human beings are created and called to embody not only appetites and sensations (like animals) but also intentional virtues such as friendship and charity. To be truly human, then, contrary to Frost’s vision of technocratic man, is precisely to embrace a certain shaping of our emotional life centered in Christ and rejecting the evil passions.  How does this conversation bring out the very different conception of human nature, reason, and emotion in the traditional worldview at St. Anne’s? And how does Mrs. Dimble’s self-discipline to control her own anxieties, earlier in this section, demonstrate the task?    

3. In Part 6, Wither and Frost welcome to Belbury the tramp, whom they suppose to be the real Merlin.  There is a great irony at work here in Lewis’s portrayal of Wither and Frost (the enlightened elite) being strung along by an ordinary and unsophisticated vagrant who is himself driven by little more than his sensate (animal) appetites. But this is, perhaps, part of Lewis’s hidden point. For this downtrodden human being has a kind of natural shrewdness that neither Wither nor Frost can penetrate. For all of their pretense to elite knowledge about the technocratic “man” of the future, they are completely duped by their present quarry. How does the tramp, in this regard, register points for the traditional view of nature and human nature over against the modern?

4. In the 7th and final Part of Chapter 12, Mark goes through a terrible gauntlet of temptation and resistance. He has discovered how evil are the leaders at Belbury, and he wants to escape their clutches. And yet, God help him, he cannot stop himself from feeling pulled again and again by the fallen power of his own vanity, his desire to be someone important in the inner ring of NICE. This terrible juggernaut culminates in Mark’s brief but earnest prayer, “Oh don’t, don’t let me go back into it.” After which, the room is suddenly cleansed and he simply goes to sleep. How does all of this illustrate the role of human emotion and the human will in response to God’s provision to which Ransom has earlier alluded?   

THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH: Chapter 11

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First published in 1945, the original dust cover for That Hideous Strength evokes something of what it feels like to walk into a shadowy forest at night. And that, of course, is what the opening scene of chapter 11 is all about. “I can’t see a thing,” said Jane.

BATTLE BEGUN 

Overview Question

In this chapter, Belbury and St. Anne’s are both seeking to strengthen their sources of strategic knowledge (“military intelligence” one might say) in order to undermine and defeat the other side. Belbury hopes to capture Jane and make use of her clairvoyance to reveal the plans of their as yet unlocated and unidentified enemies. St. Anne’s hopes to find Merlin in case he will be on their side, but also to try to stop him from helping the NICE if that is his inclination. Neither side is omniscient; but each uses very different methods to try to achieve their goals. Overview Question:

Based on what you already know about these two groups of people, as well as what you learn in this chapter (especially Frost’s speech to Wither toward the end of Part 2), how would you characterize the different goals of each group, and how are these goals consistent with the very different methods that each group uses?

The following quotation from Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters (Letter VIII) should also help with considering this question in greater depth. (Screwtape, the senior devil, is speaking to Wormwood, his understudy.)  

“To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience which the enemy demands of men is quite a different thing . . . He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of himself . . . not because he has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons.” (emphasis added)

 

Cover art for the 1961 edition of The Screwtape Letters.

DEEPER-DIVE QUESTIONS

1. As Jane, Dr. Dimble, and Arthur Denniston look for Merlin in the fields and woods at night, each of them begins to realize that, up to now, their ideas and beliefs about Merlin, or King Arthur, or the ancient Druids, or even about the Christian God and religion in the modern world, have often been either theoretical and abstract (Dimble) or shallow and poorly informed (Jane). Now they are about to encounter something in person, and it all looks very different. What parallels can you find in the culture wars of America today among some groups or individuals for this kind of awakening to the deeper reality and seriousness of faith and religion, and to the possibility that one might have to sacrifice something, even to give one’s life, in order truly to serve the good cause of God? Have you yourself felt or experienced this kind of sharpening of religious focus? 

2. Continuing a theme that we saw in Chapter 10, the leaders at Belbury believe they can use coercive techniques to manipulate Mark into doing their will (to bring Jane to Belbury). And yet there are signs of a kind of myopia or blindness built into their worldview, in particular their view of “man” (in this case Mark and others). What signs of this blindness can you detect in the chapter, and why do you think these types of ideological blindness are particularly endemic to the modern worldview?

3. In Part 3, after being arrested, Mark goes through another series of realizations and reactions about himself and Belbury; but he seems unable to sort it all out. As the narrator informs us, Mark is a materialist. He has no absolute reference point for moral judgement; and yet his conscience is still functioning at a level high enough to allow him to realize that he has been a fool to trust the people of NICE (Wither, Feverstone, Curry, Frost). He even has a momentary picture of his own corruption and villainy in the ways he has treated Jane and other friends from the past. According to the narrator, what is missing from Mark’s worldview that might have allowed him to understand his own foolish behavior more fully, more deeply? What is it in his current lifeworld that has blocked him from acquiring these other insights?