Book 4, Chapter 7 Let's Pretend

This short episode shares the "About the author" blurb from the book. It also mentions that I'll be recording The Screwtape Letters next: search for it under mandmbowles!

What is the "next step in evolution"? What will the "new men" look and be like? In this final chapter, Lewis concludes his consideration of mere Christianity by examining the possibilities.

In this chapter, Lewis responds to the criticism that, if Christianity is true, why are not all Christians obviously nicer than all non-Christians?

In chapter 8, Lewis commented on Jesus's words, "Be ye perfect." He spends this entire chapter elaborating on the meaning of this statement, explaining his view of Jesus's intent.

In the last few chapters, Lewis has presented the Christian idea of dressing up as a Son of God as the means of becoming a son of God. In this chapter, he contrasts this with ordinary ideas of "morality" and "being good." Against this background, he then addresses the contrasting views of the Christian life as being hard and easy.

Earlier in this book, C. S. Lewis explains that our Christian beliefs start with the realization that we are hopelessly sinful creatures in need of saving. In this chapter, he leads us through the role that an unexpected (to many of us) activity plays in that journey: pretending.

In this short chapter, Lewis addresses two issues arising from his metaphor of the toy soldiers from the previous chapter: (1) why God didn't beget many sons (instead of toy soldiers that had to be turned into sons), and (2) the seeming contradiction between envisioning humans as all part of one organism and the importance of individual differences.

How is it that Jesus's life paves the way for our Bios (physical life) to join with God's Zoe (spiritual life)? Lewis pictures it like bringing a toy tin soldier to life.

With this picture of a three-part God in mind (and Lewis provides greater detail in this chapter about the third person, the Holy Ghost), how are we to be drawn into their life of love, i.e., go from "made" to "begotten"? Lewis observes that it is like being infected...

Some of our biggest objections to Christianity involve the concept of time. In this chapter, Lewis shares his understanding of our experience (time) and God's experience (beyond time).