Mere Christianity – Eat This Book

The doctor’s prediction was fulfilled. Kitty returned home to Russia cured. She was not so gay and thoughtless as before, but she was serene. Her Moscow troubles had become a memory to her.

Dostoevsky: not known for easy reading

Anna Karenina has been my first Tolstoy book. Tolstoy intimidates me for two reasons. First, because you could bludgeon someone to death with even the paperback version of War and Peace. Second, because I have only read one other Russian author and that author happened to be Dostoevsky. That man’s prose is so dense that I feel like I am swimming through mud when trying to understand the dialogue between his characters. I understand that this problem lies with me and not him though. Not to mention, I cannot help but respect Dostoevsky because several of my favorite people happen to also be his devoted readers.

However, Dostoevsky aside, now that I am ankle-deep into this somewhat shorter story of Tolstoy’s, I find myself enjoying the experience much more than I expected. This story is akin to a picture album and each chapter a snapshot: compact, tidy, almost self-reliant. They all have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and this is much rarer of an occurrence than you might think. I just want to put some of these snapshots in frames and hang them around my home. Continue reading →

In a blog post from about a year ago, John Piper discussed Christian unity and truth and how they “are served better not by removing fences, but by loving across them…” Using C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity as a jumping-off point, he explains that we are not meant to live in the hall of general Christian beliefs (although we may first enter there) but should seek out the denomination or “room closest to the truth.” I agree, but I would also argue that every denomination understands certain aspects of the Christian faith particularly well and that, while we must land in one room or another, we can go further than simply praying for those on the other side of the hall.

We can learn from them. Continue reading →