{"id":80424,"date":"2021-03-16T00:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=80424"},"modified":"2021-03-16T14:48:58","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T21:48:58","slug":"pwj-s4e46","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2021\/03\/16\/pwj-s4e46\/","title":{"rendered":"PWJ: S4E46 &#8211; TSL 23 &#8211; &#8220;In Christ Alone&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/S4E46-YouTube.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/S4E46-YouTube.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/S4E46-YouTube.png 860w, https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/S4E46-YouTube-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/S4E46-YouTube-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Concluding that they&#8217;re not going to be able to extricate religion from the patient&#8217;s life anytime soon, Screwtape decides to adopt a new strategy. By encouraging him to accept a different vision of Jesus, and by wedding the his faith to politics, they&#8217;re going to turn the patient into a Pharisee!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>S4E46: &#8220;In Christ Alone&#8221;<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PWJ-S4E46.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Download<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PWJ-S4E46.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-51396fab-e50d-4cf5-92e3-e840026c934b\">If you enjoy this episode, you can subscribe&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/TheEagleAndChildPodcast\" target=\"_blank\">manually<\/a>, or&nbsp;any place where good podcasts can be found&nbsp;(<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-eagle-and-child-podcast-restless-pilgrim\/id1289456381\" target=\"_blank\">iTunes<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Ixvobfgi2wk4rkdegdnbdqjjh44?t=The_Eagle_and_Child\" target=\"_blank\">Google Play<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Pints-with-Jack\/dp\/B08K57WLYB\/\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/podcast-detail\/wqkqe-5e798\/The+Eagle+and+Child\" target=\"_blank\">Podbean<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=159766&amp;refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\">Stitcher<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/radio\/The-Eagle-and-Child-p1079872\/\" target=\"_blank\">TuneIn<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/overcast.fm\/itunes1289456381\/pints-with-jack\" target=\"_blank\">Overcast<\/a>), as well as on&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCcYFlFuyOmYL6LcuicqzULw\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube<\/a>. The roadmap for Season 4 is&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/pints-with-jack-season-4\/\">available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-a56ad4a8-f43a-4986-8d5f-09ffa487daa4\">More information about us can be found on our website,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pintswithjack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">PintsWithJack.com<\/a>. If you\u2019d like to support us and get fantastic gifts,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/pintswithjack\">please join us on Patreon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-2882b493-f1aa-48ab-8db6-3c40f02265fc\">Timestamps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">00:00 \u2013 <em>Entering \u201cThe Eagle &amp; Child\u201d\u2026 <\/em><br>00:13 \u2013 <em>Welcome <\/em><br>00:37 \u2013 <em>Chit-Chat <\/em><br>02:53 \u2013 <em>Song-of-the-week <\/em><br>03:55 \u2013 <em>Quote-of-the-week <\/em><br>04:47 \u2013 <em>Drink-of-the-week <\/em><br>06:47 \u2013 <em>Patreon Toast <\/em><br>07:19 \u2013 <em>Chapter Summary <\/em><br>08:03 \u2013 <em>Discussion <\/em><br>49:35 \u2013 <em>Unscrewing Screwtape <\/em><br>51:02 \u2013 <em>\u201cLast Call\u201d Bell and Closing Thoughts<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-256e7e4a-897b-43e2-a2ed-609bf087c84b\">YouTube Version<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k9pboU3f3Ao?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-a885e324-ccf9-42f2-9e03-3f3eb5dc7d6b\">After Show Skype Session<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this week&#8217;s letter from Screwtape, he talks a lot about the &#8220;historical Jesus&#8221;, how the devils come up with a new interpretation of Jesus under new ideological lines every thirty years or so. When David was preparing for that episode, he was put in mind of Trent Horn&#8217;s book <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Counterfeit-Christs-Finding-Jesus-Impostors\/dp\/1683571169\" target=\"_blank\">Counterfeit Christs<\/a>, so he invited him onto a Skype Session to talk about his book and how Lewis&#8217; Trilemma helps us discover the real Jesus&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KgDOOnu2bCw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-27508392-5bf9-4ea7-9a6d-34a4e3476c70\">Show Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chit-Chat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Today I\u2019m joined by a special guest co-host, our audio engineer and host of <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fortecatholic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Forte Catholic<\/a>, <strong>Taylor Schroll<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li><li>At the time of recording, we are now only a few away from having one hundred supporters on Patreon. I just want to say that we\u2019re going to send out a gift to our 100th supporter on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/pintswithjack\" target=\"_blank\">Patreon<\/a>, so if you\u2019ve thought about joining but haven\u2019t quite pulled the trigger, now might be a good time to do that!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Song-of-the-week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In today\u2019s letter from Screwtape, there are two themes, the reimagining of Jesus under different ideological lines, and the usurping of faith by politics. I had quite a few choices:<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cLsp5BA-v8M\">Just give me Jesus<\/a> by Unspoken<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_eQd3K2Fxp4\">Only Jesus<\/a> by Casting Crowns<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tdxSC1tHJn0\">Jesus Messiah<\/a> by Chris Tomlin<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>But in the end I went with <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/8kvFtXphmMU\">In Christ Alone<\/a> by Stuart Townsend, since it both speaks about who Jesus is and affirms that it\u2019s in Him we put our trust (as opposed to earthly hopes):<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>In Christ alone my hope is found, <br>He is my light, my strength, my song <br>This Cornerstone, this solid Ground <br>Firm though the fiercest drought and storm. <br>What heights of love, what depths of peace <br>When fears are stilled, when strivings cease <br>My Comforter, my All in All <br>Here in the love of Christ I stand.<\/p><cite>In Christ Alone<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quote-of-the-week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Since there has been a lot of talk in the media and from pulpits about the relationship between Christianity and politics, I thought we\u2019d have the quote-of-the-week from the section in this letter where Screwtape unpacks his Hellish point-of-view on the subject&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201c\u2026.our position is more delicate. Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster. On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means\u2026 The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy demands, and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice.\u201d<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drink-of-the-week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The drink-of-the-week is <strong>Balvenie Double Wood (17 Year)<\/strong><ul><li><strong>Color: <\/strong>Deep amber<\/li><li><strong>Nose: <\/strong>Honey, malt, vanilla, unripe bananas, and green apples<\/li><li><strong>Body: <\/strong>Creamy<\/li><li><strong>Palate: <\/strong>Dried fruit, malt, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves<\/li><li><strong>Finish: <\/strong>Lengthy, with softly spiced oak<\/li><li><strong>Score: <\/strong>88<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Taylor was drinking water, but I forgave him.<\/li><li>I mentioned the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/business-56279525\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">end of a tax war between the US and UK on whisky<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Patreon Toast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>We have a new Gold-level Patreon supporter to toast. Today we are toasting <strong><em>Matt B<\/em><\/strong>:<ul><li><strong><em>Matt, may the Lord bless you and keep you, make his face shine upon you, may you put your trust in Him and may He give you peace.<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>Cheers!<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chapter Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Onto the one-hundred word summary for Letter #23, which was first published in <em>The Guardian <\/em>on <strong><em>3rd October 1941<\/em><\/strong>&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Screwtape has a new strategy &#8211; he will corrupt the patient\u2019s faith and turn him into a Pharisee! He will begin by getting the patient to focus on the \u201chistorical Jesus\u201d, which is the most recent reimagining of Christ. (This separates the patient from reality and reduces Christ to simply a teacher who taught whatever ideas are currently fashionable) Then all they have to do is allow the patient to take these ideas to the political arena and to view his Christianity as a means to these political ends, rather than an end in itself.<\/p><cite>Chapter Summary of Letter #23<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-27508392-5bf9-4ea7-9a6d-34a4e3476c70\">Discussion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Charges dropped!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In the previous letter, we heard about the new lady in the patient\u2019s life &#8211; a Christian girl of great virtue. Needless to say, Screwtape wasn\u2019t happy! Well, today he\u2019s even less happy! He writes&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Through this girl and her disgusting family the patient is now getting to know more Christians every day, and very intelligent Christians too.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I referenced this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tS_JBDRk8o0?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>We spoke about how this relates to <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Benedict-Option-Strategy-Christians-Post-Christian\/dp\/0735213291\" target=\"_blank\">The Benedict Option<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Religion gone wrong<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape says that, since it\u2019s going to be impossible to remove spirituality from the patient\u2019s life for some time, they must instead corrupt it:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The World and the Flesh have failed us; a third Power remains. And success of this third kind is the most glorious of all.&nbsp;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a rich theological tradition of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_world,_the_flesh,_and_the_devil\">The World, the Flesh and the Devil<\/a>, but here I think this \u201cthird power\u201d which Screwtape talks about is a little subtler &#8211; it\u2019s twisted spirituality &#8211; religion gone wrong. He later writes that&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>A spoiled saint, a Pharisee, an inquisitor, or a magician, makes better sport in Hell than a mere common tyrant or debauchee.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>We\u2019re going to read <em>Screwtape Proposes a Toast <\/em>once we\u2019ve finished Screwtape\u2019s letters and there he\u2019s got some quite positive things about religion!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>The fine flower of unholiness can grow only in the close neighbourhood of the Holy. Nowhere do we tempt so successfully as on the very steps of the altar.<\/em><\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Proposes a Toast<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Religion and politics<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape does an assessment of the patient\u2019s new friends and evaluates the best strategy with which to move forward is &#8220;the border-line between theology and politics.&#8221; He writes:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Several of his new friends are very much alive to the social implications of their religion. That, in itself, is a bad thing; but good can be made out of it.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I\u2019ll admit, I was a little nervous as I was preparing this episode. The relationship between faith and politics has been much talked about here in the United States, following the recent election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden so <strong><em>tread carefully Taylor!<\/em><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Pursuing the \u201cHistorical Jesus\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Before speaking directly to the twisting of religion and politics, Screwtape takes what initially seems to be something of rather major detour (although he returns eventually).&nbsp;Here\u2019s how he begins:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>You will find that a good many Christian-political writers think that Christianity began going wrong, and departing from the doctrine of its Founder, at a very early stage. Now this idea must be used by us to encourage once again the conception of a \u201chistorical Jesus\u201d to be found by clearing away later \u201caccretions and perversions\u201d [additions and distortions] and then to be contrasted with the whole Christian tradition.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape explains that in the previous generation (so that would have been the generation before WWII) that they had promoted an \u201chistorical Jesus\u201d along what he calls <em>\u201cliberal and humanitarian lines\u201d<\/em>. He says that their <strong>new<\/strong> <em>\u201chistorical Jesus\u201d <\/em>is being promoted along <em>\u201cMarxian, catastrophic, and revolutionary lines\u201d<\/em>.<\/li><li>I mentioned Dr. Michael Barber, a teacher at the Augustine Institute who, in his talks, often reminds his listeners that we should talk <strong>to<\/strong> God as much as we talk <strong>about<\/strong> God. He also often quotes:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Every new thing learned about God is a new reason to love him<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>The Advantages<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, Screwtape tells us that the \u201chistorical Jesus\u201d keeps changing. He says that they do this every thirty years or so, and there\u2019s some real advantages to doing this. He gives four advantages in total\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1st Advantage: Depart from history<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>He says&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>In the first place they all tend to direct men\u2019s devotion to something which does not exist, for each \u201chistorical Jesus\u201d is unhistorical.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, this begs the question as to how they keep coming up with a new unhistorical Jesus\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;by suppression at one point and exaggeration at another, and by that sort of guessing (brilliant is the adjective we teach humans to apply to it) on which no one would risk ten shillings in ordinary life, but which is enough to produce a crop of new Napoleons, new Shakespeares, and new Swifts, in every publisher\u2019s autumn list.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>They come up with this new Jesus by doing something which St. Augustine noted in the 4th\/5th Century. He said that heretics downplay one aspect of Scripture and exaggerate another. Additionally though, they encourage scholars to engage in crazy conjecture and call it \u201cbrilliant\u201d. You see this every Easter when the latest crop of books and documentaries come out, purporting to reveal \u201cthe truth\u201d about Jesus.<\/li><li>Notes<ul><li>A shilling was an old form of British currency which was discontinued in 1971 when everything was decimalized.<\/li><li>Publisher\u2019s list was a list of forthcoming titles.<\/li><li>Rampant speculation which they\u2019d never bet on, but produces lots of new \u201cHistorical Jesuses\u201d.<\/li><li>Napoleon Bonaparte was an 18th\/19th Century French military leader who took power after the French Revolution. We met him in <em>The Great Divorce<\/em>.<\/li><li>\u201cShakespeare\u201d is William Shakespeare 16th\/17th Century poet and playright.<\/li><li>The \u201cSwift\u201d here is Jonathan Swift, 17th\/18th Century Irish novelist who wrote Gulliver\u2019s Travels.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>2nd Advantage: Just a teacher<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, the first advantage is that it gets people to believe in an ever-changing, unhistorical Jesus, but but Screwtape offers another advantage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;all such constructions place the importance of their Historical Jesus in some peculiar theory He is supposed to have promulgated.&nbsp;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>So, under this construction, Jesus is important, not because of who He is, but of ideas he is said to have publicly promoted.<\/li><li>I notice that it is for this very sort of thing for which Lewis crafted his Trilemma, which we read about back in Season 1 when we were studying <em>Mere Christianity<\/em>:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to\u201d <\/p><cite><em>C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book II, Chapter 3)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As I was preparing for this episode, I found him say something very similar in the essay from <em>\u201cGod in the Dock\u201d <\/em>entitled \u201cWhat are we to make of Jesus?\u201d:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>He was never regarded as a mere moral teacher. He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met Him. He produced mainly three effects &#8211; Hatred &#8211; Terror &#8211; Adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild approval<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, What are we to make of Jesus? (God in the Dock)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also recommended <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Jesus-Shock-Peter-Kreeft\/dp\/1937509176\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jesus Shock<\/a> by Dr. Peter Kreeft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape makes an interesting aside&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>We first make Him solely a teacher, and then conceal the very substantial agreement between His teachings and those of all other great moral teachers. For humans must not be allowed to notice that all great moralists are sent by the Enemy not to inform men but to remind them, to restate the primeval moral platitudes against our continual concealment of them. We make the Sophists: He raises up a Socrates to answer them.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Notes<ul><li>Sophists were rhetoricians in ancient Greece. Spin-masters.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Socrates debated the sophists. He was a 5th Century BC Greek philosopher.&nbsp;<ul><li>According to <em>Bill And Ted\u2019s Most Excellent Adventure<\/em>, it\u2019s pronounced SO-CRATES \ud83d\ude09&nbsp;<\/li><li>Lewis helped found the Oxford Socratic Club in 1942.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>3rd Advantage: Destroy the devotional life<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape then offers a third advantage. He says that they substitute real contact with God through Word and Sacrament and replace it with&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;a merely probable, remote, shadowy, and uncouth figure, one who spoke a strange language and died a long time ago. Such an object cannot in fact be worshipped. Instead of the Creator adored by its creature, you soon have merely a leader acclaimed by a partisan, and finally a distinguished character approved by a judicious historian.&nbsp;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>We discussed the misuse of Scripture.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>4th Advantage: Not a book, but an event<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape offers a fourth and final advantage of this approach:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>No nation, and few individuals, are really brought into the Enemy\u2019s camp by the historical study of the biography of Jesus, simply as biography.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I think the key element here is studying Jesus simply as biography &#8211; it brings with it a set of philosophical assumptions.&nbsp; Screwtape also notes that the New Testament doesn\u2019t actually contain enough of the right material for what we would today call a biography.&nbsp;He says that people were converted to Christianity by&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;a single historical fact (the Resurrection) and a single theological doctrine (the Redemption)<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I mentioned the essential nature of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kerygma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kerygma<\/a>. <\/li><li>He also notes that this worked on a sense of sin which the people already had, not in response to some new teaching, but what he calls&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;the old, platitudinous, universal moral law which they had been taught by their nurses and mothers.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The \u201cuniversal moral law\u201d is \u201cnatural law\u201d, something Lewis spoke about in Book I of <em>Mere Christianity<\/em>, as well as \u201cthe Tao\u201d in <em>The Abolition of Man<\/em>. This was the advantage of Paganism!<\/li><li>Screwtape explains the purpose of the Gospels:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The \u201cGospels\u201d come later and were written not to make Christians but to edify Christians already made. The \u201cHistorical Jesus\u201d then, however dangerous he may seem to be to us at some particular point, is always to be encouraged.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>A means to an end<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It\u2019s at this point that Screwtape then finally circles back to his comment at the beginning of the letter about mixing faith and politics, and explains why he\u2019s been speaking so much about \u201cthe historical Jesus\u201d. This was the quote-of-the-week:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>About the general connection between Christianity and politics, our position is more delicate. Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster. On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything \u2014 even to social justice. The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy demands, and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Taylor referred to &#8220;JP2&#8221;, who is &#8220;Pope St. John-Paul II&#8221;.<\/li><li>Andrew has spoken a lot this season about \u201ctrading sins\u201d, the idea that the devil will accept some growth in virtue, or the extinguishing of some vice, as long as it is exchanged for a more pernicious sin, typically pride.<\/li><li>Screwtape wants the patient to treat Christianity as a means not an end in itself. He says it\u2019s quite easy to coax humans into this position. He notes something said by an anonymous Christian (I looked it up &#8211; it\u2019s actually Reinhold Nievhur) who said that his version of Christainity should be adopted because it\u2019ll survive the changing of civilizations.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;only such a faith can outlast the death of old cultures and the birth of new civilisations<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a quotation from Reinhold Niebuhr, a 20th Century theologian. It comes from <em>An Interpretation of Christian Ethics<\/em>. Screwtape points out what Reinhold was really saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cBelieve this, not because it is true, but for some other reason.\u201d<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #23)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Taylor compared the Church with Hydra from The Marvel Cinematic Universe!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The blood of the martyrs is seed of Christians<\/p><cite>Tertullian, Apologeticus<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I, in turn, quoted Obi-Wan Kenobi:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.<\/p><cite>Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Unscrewing Screwtape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Do<\/strong>&#8230; find Christian community<\/li><li><strong>Do not<\/strong>&#8230; get complacent or solely rely on that community<\/li><li><strong>Do<\/strong>\u2026 hang around smart Christians &#8211; Screwtape doesn\u2019t like it!<\/li><li><strong>Do<\/strong>\u2026 read the New Testament carefully and even-handedly<\/li><li><strong>Do<\/strong>\u2026 focus on the person of Jesus and not simply on what He said and did.<\/li><li><strong>Do not<\/strong>&#8230;be sucked in by the latest sensational view of Jesus (the original one is good enough, thank you very much!)<\/li><li><strong>Do not<\/strong>\u2026 make Christianity a means to an end<\/li><li><strong>Do<\/strong>\u2026 be careful with politics<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fr. Jeffrey Doyle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O_EHwpdHKB8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent&#038;listType=playlist&#038;list=PLG_zqUgLKJKAD5xCeISaSMjoPjBpa-1u8\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Concluding that they&#8217;re not going to be able to extricate religion from the patient&#8217;s life anytime soon, Screwtape decides to adopt a new strategy. By encouraging him to accept a different vision of Jesus, and by wedding the his faith to politics, they&#8217;re going to turn the patient into a Pharisee!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3111],"tags":[2969,5193,2928,84,1410,5194,4438],"class_list":["post-80424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-featured","tag-forte-catholic","tag-in-christ-alone","tag-jesus","tag-politics","tag-taylor-schroll","tag-the-eagle-and-child-podcast"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/S4E46-Blog.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80424"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80531,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80424\/revisions\/80531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}