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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

Faith (Belief as a Virtue) by C.S. Lewis Doodle (BBC Talk 17, Mere Christianity, Bk 3, Chapter 11)

Updated: Apr 30, 2023


Video from CSLewisDoodle


"C.S. Lewis as an atheist used to ask himself ‘How on earth can faith or belief be a virtue? What is there moral or immoral about believing or not believing a set of statements?’ Now as a Christian he explains what a good many people do not see about faith... During WWII C.S. Lewis broadcast two talks on Faith entitled ‘Faith as a Virtue’ and ‘The Problem of Faith and Works’. These were cut down from their original scripts for the radio broadcasts, but the original talks ended up being printed in full and expanded in the book version of the talks which later became the book ‘Mere Christianity’. (0:35​) C.S. Lewis talks about four kinds of faith. Faith A1 - Simply belief – accepting or regarding as true the doctrines of Christianity. Faith A2 - The art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. Faith B1 - Trust that Christ will somehow share with you the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make you more like Himself and, in a sense, make good your deficiencies. Faith C1 - Adherence to God, and His Christ, that is no longer proportioned to every fluctuation of the apparent evidence. The first three types are covered in the book 'Mere Christianity'. The last one in Lewis' other essays. (1:23​) More on reason and authority here: https://youtu.be/k2xY2k26HFo​. See also comment section on this video. (4:57​) “Blessed is he who is not offended/tripped up because of Me.” https://www.biblehub.com/matthew/11-6...​ (5:19​) “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/6-...​ (Exception: 1 Corinthians 7:12​). This is the Old Testament picture of an ox yoked to a donkey rather than to another ox, i.e. the combination of different species in work creates special pressures on each creature. This principle applies to the unequal pairing of believers with unbelievers in marriage relationships. "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds" https://biblehub.com/colossians/3-9.htm​ "Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil." https://biblehub.com/james/4-16.htm​ Also 2 Corinthians 10:17​ "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord" https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/9-24.htm​ "Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need" https://biblehub.com/ephesians/4-28.htm​ (7:33​) The sermon here is on https://biblehub.com/matthew/15-5.htm​ (10:08​) https://biblehub.com/niv/luke/4.htm​, https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/4.htm​ "The more opportune" mentioned here being the leadup to and carrying out of the crucifixion where Christ would be tested with the same three temptations as in the desert at the start of His ministry. The original broadcast had the following words italicised which add to our understanding: "and leaves HIM unsupported in the water", “if Christianity were NOT true”, “any real new REASONS”, “the fact that you HAVE moods”, “simply DRIFT away?”, “give ME sixpence to buy YOU a birthday present”. The bombing sounds were actually recorded during the London blitz. The closing music is based on the credits of the Churchill film 'The Darkest Hour'." from video introduction.


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