C. S. Lewis' Classic Collection: "The Weight of Glory"

Greg: This book gets better each time I read it. And since the book is the same, it must be my own dim eyes becoming enlightened by repetition, along with my spiritual sanctification, as He Who began a good work in me is faithfully completing it. If you desire to have your mind challenged and stimulated, I highly recommend this book.

Some quotes that struck me...

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations—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 or everlasting splendours."

"The promises of Scripture may very roughly be reduced to five heads. It is promised (1) that we shall be with Christ; (2) that we shall be like Him; (3) with an enormous wealth of imagery, that we shall have “glory”; (4) that we shall, in some sense, be fed or feasted or entertained; and (5) that we shall have some sort of official position in the universe—ruling cities, judging angels, being pillars of God’s temple."

"Before I became a Christian I do not think I fully realised that one’s life,...

United States on Dec 02, 2023

CJ: Que pena colocar o texto de c.s.lewis em uma encadernação tão pobre e mal feita. Sem contar o valor alto do livro.

Brazil on Sep 08, 2023

Mary Robinson: Why have I received an email saying I will be refunded for this book? It is great and brand new. I did not return the book. I have it in my possession and I very pleased with it. Do not give me a refund. I did not request one. The email to me states you have the book. Impossible!! I still have it. Must be some mistake.

United Kingdom on Jun 14, 2023

Alastair Watson: Personal use. Good Christian book

Australia on Mar 11, 2023

Henry the Hedgehog: We are so lucky when we come across that rare book that affects us so deeply it actually makes a difference to how we see life, which in turn affects how we end up living our lives, and 'The Weight Of Glory' is one of those treasures.
This collection of essays is a formidable work, the 'Transposition' chapter alone is worthy of the Nobel Prize as it illuminates a human experience that has only recently been confirmed to be the case by psychologists 70 years after CS Lewis described it.
In 'Transposition', Lewis persuades us that the spiritual realm, being infinitely richer than the terrestrial, cannot be fully apprehended by human experience which rests on a relatively poor sensual apparatus. Thus complex spiritual events collapse into familiar sense data, joy is felt as a flutter in the stomach, elation as a feeling faint and so on. Thus the mystic’s representation of spiritual things in erotic poetry does not, as Freudians think, demonstrate the sexual root of mysticism, but the inability of our organism to fully represent a transcendent reality and having to rely on the nearest-fit images. Of course, Lewis puts it fantastically well, with beautiful analogies – the...

United Kingdom on Dec 07, 2021

Penguin: C. S. Lewis's books often are not an easy read, not because his language is difficult but because it requires concentration and active thinking in order to keep up with his logic and line of arguments. His books often offer refreshing perspectives which are counter-intuitive at first sight, and sink in only upon further mediation.

This book is no difference. His observations are sharp and the essays are so well-argued that make the conclusions inevitable. In other words, C S Lewis is persuasive. The way how he writes makes his works very quotable and in turn memorable for us.

In this book, Lewis did not shy away from controversies of his time but confronted them head on. His skills rest not only in taking apart and in turn illuminate the questions asked, but also to argue eloquently with conviction from his heart. This is what makes Lewis so compelling to read. In arguing learning in war-time, he says, among other things, "the learned life then, is, for some, a duty." (p.59) Why? "[The learned life] has indirect values which are especially important today... To be ignorant and simple now - not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground - would be to throw...

United Kingdom on Aug 10, 2016

Philip Thompson: The book opens with a neat little introduction by Walter Hooper which reminds the reader of the intense personality of "Jack." A window into the humor of one of the greatest Christian minds of the last century does the reader much good in empathizing with the writer. This factor is all-important because most readers are not comfortable with the level of detail to which Lewis will go to make his points. In the mind of this reviewer, many millennials will miss much from this great writer for this reason.

The first address, "The Weight of Glory" is an address on the nature of glory. Lewis begins the address by reminding the reader that they are too often distracted by simple distractions of life and fail to see that something greater remains just out of view. As he makes this argument, Lewis utters his classic statement, that "it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily...

United States on Nov 26, 2011