Surprised I am just discovering this piece by Rowan Williams, I am nonetheless deeply grateful to listen to him and to read the many interviews with him in this particular season of Lent. What a gift to have the images of C.S. Lewis interpreted by this intellectual Christian. I love both men for their seeking and proclaiming the Truth, a journey I share. I see around me a society and a culture filled with mail-order gods. It's so good to concentrate this Lent on a God who surprises us by not giving us the answers we expect.
This is very touching and true. I think the river analogy is a good one but the river of God, like all other rivers, has many tributaries, streams, attributes, confluences and eddies. May be there are different places along its flow where each of us can drink, and quench our thirst for truth.
A journey towards the REAL God - as defined by who? The real God of Narnia, I suppose. Anyway, this video sounds like a confession to me although it would be more appropriate if he used the first person singular instead of implying everyone else commits the same sins as him. And actually giving up chocolate for lent is more appropriate than rearranging your mental landscape. You're supposed to save the money and give it to the poor. Jesus in the desert is tempted by Satan. He himself sweeps away all the questions by obeying God and refusing Satan. What are your questions anyway? You never define them. You just imply there are enormous questions that are not answerable. Matthew 4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. So in the desert, Jesus looks towards God and there's nothing there that will solve a problem? That is a blatant lie. Jesus relies on the words of Scripture to defeat Satan and then angels come and minister to him. You have totally misrepresented this entire episode. Luke 22 39 And Jesus came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” So apart from the angel strengthening him, there was "nothing." And unlike Aslan, Jesus does not eat girls and boys, women and men, frightening a thirsty child who wants to drink. Matthew 19 13Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away. Actually, I am not against Narnia. We read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at school when I was 11 and I thought it was really good. I studied the gospels at school for RE 'O' level from the age of 14, that's how I knew even as a teenager when it was being misrepresented by Anglican clergy.
Surprised I am just discovering this piece by Rowan Williams, I am nonetheless deeply grateful to listen to him and to read the many interviews with him in this particular season of Lent. What a gift to have the images of C.S. Lewis interpreted by this intellectual Christian. I love both men for their seeking and proclaiming the Truth, a journey I share. I see around me a society and a culture filled with mail-order gods. It's so good to concentrate this Lent on a God who surprises us by not giving us the answers we expect.
This is very touching and true. I think the river analogy is a good one but the river of God, like all other rivers, has many tributaries, streams, attributes, confluences and eddies. May be there are different places along its flow where each of us can drink, and quench our thirst for truth.
so was CS Lewis a catholic?
Male Order God or mail-order God?
A journey towards the REAL God - as defined by who? The real God of Narnia, I suppose. Anyway, this video sounds like a confession to me although it would be more appropriate if he used the first person singular instead of implying everyone else commits the same sins as him.
And actually giving up chocolate for lent is more appropriate than rearranging your mental landscape. You're supposed to save the money and give it to the poor.
Jesus in the desert is tempted by Satan. He himself sweeps away all the questions by obeying God and refusing Satan. What are your questions anyway? You never define them. You just imply there are enormous questions that are not answerable.
Matthew 4
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
So in the desert, Jesus looks towards God and there's nothing there that will solve a problem? That is a blatant lie. Jesus relies on the words of Scripture to defeat Satan and then angels come and minister to him. You have totally misrepresented this entire episode.
Luke 22
39 And Jesus came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
So apart from the angel strengthening him, there was "nothing."
And unlike Aslan, Jesus does not eat girls and boys, women and men, frightening a thirsty child who wants to drink.
Matthew 19
13Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
Actually, I am not against Narnia. We read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at school when I was 11 and I thought it was really good. I studied the gospels at school for RE 'O' level from the age of 14, that's how I knew even as a teenager when it was being misrepresented by Anglican clergy.
Bonkers as conkers.Sure this will be held back for uploader approval. Pity Rowan Williams wasn't