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Devilish Social Justice…

February 10, 2010 6:00 pm

The ‘historical Jesus’ then, however dangerous He may seem to be to us at some particular point, is always to be encouraged. About the general connection between Christianity and politics, our position is more delicate. certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster. On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferable, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything–even to social justice. The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy demands, and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice. For the Enemy will not be used as a convenience. Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of heaven as a short cut to the nearest chemist’s shop. Fortunately it is quite easy to coax humans round this little corner. Only today I have found a passage in a Christian writer where he recommends his own version of Christianity on the ground that ‘only such a faith can outlast the death of old cultures and the birth of new civilizations’ You see the little rift? ‘Believe this, not because it is true, but for some other reason.’ That’s the game.

~Screwtape, as Written by C.S. Lewis; The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters
Author: C. S. Lewis

Categories: Social Justice, C.S. Lewis, Christianity, Books
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Christ Followers, a Trendy Designation from 1850…

January 8, 2010 12:56 am

Lord Jesus Christ, you did not come to the world to be served and thus not to be admired either, or in that sense worshiped. You yourself were the way and the life–and you have asked only for imitators. If we have dozed off into this infatuation, wake us up, rescue us from this error of wanting to admire or adoringly admire you instead of wanting to follow you and be like you.

…he “defiantly and stubbornly” wanted to be the abased one and, what embitters people’s self-loving spinelessness most of all, wanted to have only imitators–no, he would have become the object of admiration and the confusion would have become so great that it can scarcely be imagined.

What, then, is the difference between an admirer and an imitator? An imitator is or strives to be what he admires, and an admirer keeps himself personally detached, consciously or unconsciously does not discover that what is admired involves a claim upon him, to be or at least to strive to be what is admired.

~Søren Kierkegaard, Practice in Christianity

The Essential Kierkegaard
Author: Søren Kierkegaard

Categories: Kierkegaard, Christianity, Books
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I recently found myself recommending an old favorite to a few friends, “Mere Christianity”. I had rediscovered it recently as an essential aid in describing my favorite sin, “The Great Sin” as Lewis puts it. In the midst of highlighting entire pages, I thought… “Maybe I should just reread this whole book…”

The real black, diabolical Pride, comes when you look down on others so much that you do not care what they think of you. Of course, it is very right, and often our duty, not to care what people think of us, if we do so for the right reason; namely, because we care so incomparably more what God thinks. But the proud man has a different reason for not caring. he says ‘Why should I care for the applause of that rabble as if their opinion were worth anything? And even if their opinions were of value, am I the sort of man to blush with pleasure at a compliment like some chit of a girl at her first dance? No, I am an integrated, adult personality. All I have done has been done to satisfy my own ideals–or my artistic conscience–or the traditions of my family–or, in a word, because I’m That Kind of Chap. If the mob like it, let them. They’re nothing to me.’ In this way real thorough going pride may act as a check on vanity; for, as I said a moment ago, the devil loves ‘curing’ a small fault by giving you a great one.

~C.S. Lewis; Mere Christianity, The Great Sin