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God as the Ultimate Mythmaker
Eighty-five years ago this week, Oxford professor C. S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia) told his friend and colleague, J. R. R. Tolkien (The Hobbit; The Lord of the Rings), that myths were “lies and therefore worthless, even though breathed through silver.” An expert in Norse mythology, C. S. Lewis knew well the pagan myths full of heroism, dying saviors, and resurrections. But Tolkien disagreed. He insisted that myths are not lies, but rather the best if not the only way to convey truths otherwise inexpressible. Humans created in God’s image, Tolkien reasoned, weave myths as a reflection of our original glory. Through poets’ stories, fragments of eternal light shine through. For that…
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What Did the Philosophers Know and When Did They Know it? Part 2
Jesus told Pilate, “For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). “Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness” – Jesus (Luke 11:35). While skimming a book I’d previously read entitled “The Great Philosophers: From Socrates to Foucault”, a quick summary of influential philosophers, I was sometimes struck by the darkness and futility of their ideas. Yet I was open to seeing truths that might be found within the shadows so to speak. I gleaned what truthful ideas I could from…