This morning, while completing some reading for my summer course- The Trinitarian and Christological Controversies, I came across a most delightful, and in many respects encouraging and challenging quote from C.S. Lewis. In the Popular Patristics Series published by St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Lewis writes an introduction for St Athanasius’ On the Incarnation and on page 8, Lewis writes:
“For my own part I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many other. I believe that many who find that “nothing happens” when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology.”
How true this is for me, but seldom heard from many in the church. What Lewis is getting at here is the needless division between two types of Christian books: those that tend to spiritualize and devotionalize matter and those that tend to be more academically rigorous and technical. We all know what books and authors I am referring to here, and while both have their usefulness, I cannot tell you how many doctrinal, academically rigorous books have caused the devotional cords of my heart to sing. Of course part of Lewis’ quote gets to the issue that the devotional books don’t really say anything. Now I don’t mean that every devotional/pastoral book out there is guilty of such criticism, but the best books for spiritual devotion seem to be “a tough bit of theology” because of what it forces one to do. That is, think much harder and deeper about the issue at hand.
I would like to conclude with what I think this really gets at today. Namely, this quote both encourages and challenges the Christian to read rather difficult doctrinal books and not separate the spiritual and devotional aspects of the literature from the academic rigor. For how often do we as Christian do that? I know I have heard this method told to me many times! For example, there were several instances in my undergraduate education, where students and professors alike told me that in addition to my classroom assignments and studies I need to have a personal “quite time.” But why?! Is not Scripture just that-Scripture? Are we to ever separate those spiritual teachings found in the Word from our academic study? As it seems Paul would respond, “mh… gevnoito” or “Certainly not!” Shouldn’t we always be devotional in every aspect of our study of the Word (whether we are dealing with the Word itself, or a secondary source)? In other words, shouldn’t our study of the Word always be applied to matters of our Christian life? I think so. And I think Lewis is encouraging and challenging us to do the same.
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