It is Christ himself, not the Bible, who is the true word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to him. We must not use the Bible as a sort of encyclopedia out of which texts can be taken for use as weapons.
It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost him crucifixion. from Mere Christianity ————————Gender-neutral version: It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills...
Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors...
We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.
When she was about seven, her best friend got lost one day. The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn’t find a single landmark. She was very frightened. Finally a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the...
The first and most solid conclusion which (for me) emerges is that both musical parties, the High Brows and the Low, assume far to easily the spiritual value of the music they want. Neither the greatest excellence of a trained performance from the choir, nor the...
We must beware of the naive idea that our music can “please” God as it would please a cultivated human hearer. That is like thinking, under the old law, that He really needed the blood of bulls and goats… For all our offerings, whether of music or martyrdom, are like...
Beyond and through every earthly love and every earthly duty, we are to hear the call of God. On the one hand, we are called to the God who can put an end to our work and bring fulfillment to our loves and labors… But on the other hand, this call will often exact a...
I haven’t always been a Christian. I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of port wine would do that. If you want a religion to make you really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.