Entries that relate to Pascal’s wager.
This is a wonderful collection of letters, and a long but very enjoyable read. The letters reveal that the famous Georgia author was a charming, funny, sensible woman, very Christian and very Catholic. They end sadly with her untimely death. I noted that she praised C.S. Lewis’s book on prayer and his Miracles (572). And there … [Read more…]
This is a really good book, and it ends with a chapter that is explicitly Christian. I think the author sometimes overstates what he has shown, but he does show a lot and it is always helpful, even if it is not quite as definitive as he sometimes claims. Obviously the existence of life after … [Read more…]
This book is a very good summary of Lewis’s writing, though organized by theme, not by the work: reasons for Lewis’s success, reasons to believe, what God is like, who is Christ, miracles, faith and reason, rivals of Christianity (little on Islam, by the way), Christian living, prayer, death and beyond. I wrote down this … [Read more…]
Here are some thoughts on effective evangelism, from someone who may or may not be an especially effective evangelist: You need to have good answers to obvious questions like: (1) Why does God let children die of cancer? (2) Why are good people who don’t believe in Jesus sent to Hell? On the other hand, … [Read more…]
Some Christians say yes, and criticize those who would make it easy. But let me hazard a more laid-back answer. And let me note at the outset that Our Savior said, “For my yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:30. It’s not so bad being a Christian, considering the alternative, which is … [Read more…]
Here’s an obvious but important asymmetry that occurred to me when I was reading Mary C. Neal’s 7 Lessons from Heaven about her near-death experience. In the book, she discusses not only her own visit to Heaven, where she met Jesus, and the effect it had on her life, but also the similar experiences of many other people. … [Read more…]
There can be both selfish and unselfish reasons for wanting to be good and wanting to be godly. They are not inconsistent and may not even be that distinct. *** Faith and love can both be cultivated. Whether we’re considering when they’re beginning or when they’re already extant, it’s romantic but foolish to think otherwise. … [Read more…]
It seems to me that Pascal’s Wager is greatly underutilized and ought to be used more aggressively in evangelism. Brief review: Pascal’s Wager argues that, because the costs of incorrectly choosing not to believe in God if He turns out to exist (namely, eternal damnation instead of eternal and joyful life) are so much greater … [Read more…]
There are about forty excerpts from a Who’s Who of Christian theologians (Luther, Calvin, St. Thomas, Wesley, C.S. Lewis, etc.). Needless to say, there is some good stuff in here; there’s also a biography, bibliography, and questions for each. Note: I did not read the whole book (my notes don’t say why). I read the … [Read more…]
This close reading of Mark is very good, though it drags a bit toward the end. The author says C.S. Lewis is his “favorite author”; he cites N.T. Wright, too. And he says that a key way to cultivate faith is to pray for if (cf. 56). “And straightway the father of the child cried … [Read more…]