A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
There have been men before who got so interested in proving the existence of God that they came to care nothing for God himself, as if the good Lord had nothing to do but to exist. There have been some who were so preoccupied with spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the danger of focusing on the theory of faith over the experience of faith itself.
C. S. Lewis points out a critical distinction between the intellectual pursuit of proving God's existence and the genuine relationship with God that one should cultivate. He warns that an obsession with theological arguments can lead individuals to forget the essence of faith, which is a personal connection with Christ, illustrating that faith should not be merely an academic endeavor, but a heartfelt experience.
Themes
FaithGodChristTheologySpiritualityRelationship
In practice
Example use cases
During a church discussion on the importance of faith versus doctrine.
More from C. S. Lewis
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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