“If the law is grace, and if grace has a backbone, perhaps we ought not be too dismissive of those who have learned how to hold the Word of God in both hands” (Writers to Read, p. 113).
Grace Gets On the Floor
“When the wineskins burst, grace sometimes gets on the floor . . . Find me a place where grace has gone and taken deep root, and I will show you a place where vivid prose flourishes” (Writers to Read, p. 111).
An Imagination Fortress, Not an Imaginary One
“One of the reasons many apologists are not nearly as effective as Lewis is that they want the cold granite of reason to do everything. But true reason will collapse before a false imagination. False imagination must be answered by a true imagination, and when that happens, reason can flourish in its native habitat” (Writers …
What the Actual Mistake Was
“Keep in mind that the battle between Galileo and the church was not a battle between science and mindless fundamentalism. It was a battle between new science and old science, and the error of the church had been that of getting into bed with the best science of the day. And we all know, as …
A Real Challenge
“What happens when you try to put eternity into a human life? The same thing as when you try to put the Pacific Ocean into a thimble, only worse” (Writers to Read, p. 88).
A Glorious Turn
“Even Galadriel is a penitent” (Writers to Read, p. 88).
Magic Temptation
“The world of The Lord of the Rings is the very reverse of this—the good guys there represent a photo negative of magic. The ring of power is the ultimate symbol of magic in the traditional sense, and the whole point of the book is to destroy it, resisting all temptations to use it” (Writers …
Too Self-Aware
“J.R.R. Tolkien had a problem, along with C.S. Lewis, and as we should also, with sentences that begin like this” (Writers to Read, p. 75).
Love Up Stream and Down
“Honoring our parents (and ancestors) does not need to reduce to mere tribalism. Loving and nourishing our distant children is not superstition” (Writers to Read, p. 71).
Which Is a Weak Spot in the Resume
“If I worship the true God, then I am worshiping the Ancient of Days, the eternal God. But if I worship any created thing whatsoever, I am serving something that used to be nothing” (Writers to Read, p. 69, HT: Tim Edwards).