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Miracles
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Author: C. S. Lewis
Publisher: Harper San Francisco
"I read Lewis for comfort and pleasure many years ago, and a glance into the books revives my old admiration." Book Description Do miracles really happen?"The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this." This is the key statement of Miracles, in which C. S. Lewis shows that a Christian must not only accept but rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the unique personal involvement of God in creation. Using his characteristic warmth, lucidity, and wit, Lewis challenges the rationalists and cynics who are mired... read more See all editorial reviews. ..Customer ReviewsAvg. Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:A philosophical defence of miracles, August 11, 2001Reviewer:Bruce H(see more about me)from Toronto, Ontario CanadaThis is the fourth Christian C.S. Lewis book that I have read (the others: Mere Christianity, The Abolition of Man and The Screwtape īLetters). This is typical Lewis style; a common sense approach to the writing that makes me imagine Lewis in a conversation saying something like, "Come now, lets be reasonable." In the introduction, Lewis says what his subject matter will be. He notes that before one can look at historical evidence, one must settle the question philosophically (i.e. whether miracles are possible). If someone is persuaded that miracles, per se, are impossible then no amount of evidence will convince. So, it you are looking for argumentation regarding specific miracles look else (I suggest William Lane Craig; his defence of the Resurrection is the best available).I think there are better, shorter and more forceful defences of miracles but this book is not too bad. Other places to look for a defence of miracles: The Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler and Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig.Lewis first task is to define naturalism (I think he does a muddled job but the gist of it is: the doctrine that the world can be understood in scientific terms without recourse to spiritual or supernatural explanations or that only the physical world [i.e. Nature] exists). Lewis refutes this by showing that immaterial objects exist namely Reason (that is to say both the existence and validity of logic and the part of human beings that performs acts of reasoning) and the existence of morality or ethics (i.e. When somebody suggests that I ought not to sit in his seat in the theatre, he is not simply making an emotional statement, he is saying that I have violated a rule. The fact that the language of ethics, "ought" "should" etc are meaningful shows this).He deals with the objection that miracles are against the laws of nature or that experience in general is against miracles happening. Lewis also deals with the objection that miracles were believed and wrote about millennia ago because the people were simple-minded, misunderstood the world and lacked modern science. Lewis also deals with the "problem" of language (i.e. the literal "v.s." metaphorical uses). The remaining portion of the book is on different topics...For example the chapter: Christianity and "Religion", Lewis compares Christianity with pantheism. He says that modern people hold to pantheism because they think it is a sophisticated belief that doesnt have all the old-fashioned mythology et al that theism has. Lewis then goes on to show that merely because pantheism is easy or popular is no reason to accept it as true. In one of his insights, near the end of the chapter he says: "Man are reluctant to pass over from the notion of an abstract and negative deity to the living God. I do not wonder. Here lies the deepest tap=root of Pantheism and of the objection to traditional imagery. It was hated not, at bottom, because it pictured Him as a man but because it pictured Him as king, or even as warrior. The Pantheists God does nothing, demands nothing. He is there if you wish for him like a book on a shelf. He will not pursue you." (page 124)Lewis then looks at the issue of how probable miracles are. He then has a chapter entitled, "The Grand Miracle," which is on the Incarnation, the Resurrection and the Ascension. However, it does not seem to be an argument as such to me, rather it is an explanation and discussion of what the Incarnation is. This is fine, but I dont think this sort of material is appropriate in work that is setting out to DEFEND Christianity rather than simply explain it. He also has a chapter on the general Resurrection. The book ends with an admonition to keep Naturalism out of our minds. I agree with Lewis that it is defeated as a philosophy; the problem is that it can easily gain a foothold in our minds and before we know we are thinking with naturalistic assumptions.This is a fairly good book but sometimes I wondered while reading it, "Where are you going with this, Lewis," or, "How is this relevant?". . . .Read More
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