God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics Summary & Study Guide

This Study Guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics.
Study Guide

God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics Summary & Study Guide

This Study Guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics.
This section contains 468 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy the God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics Study Guide

God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics Summary & Study Guide Description

God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide contains the following sections:

This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics by C. S. Lewis.

God in the Dock is a series of forty-eight essays written by C. S. Lewis on theology and ethics. These essays, speeches, lectures, interviews and letters were written over a twenty-four year time span and many have not been published elsewhere. The essays range from discussions of particular objections to Christianity, to political questions concerning, for instance, theories of punishment, to the proper method of engaging the common Englishman with regard to Christianity.

The book is divided into four parts. Part I is composed of the twenty-three essays which are most clearly about theological matters. Part II includes the sixteen essays the editor sees as "semi-theological" or related to theological topics but not directly concerning them. Part III contains the nine essays that are directly concerned with ethical questions. Part IV is a brief compilation of twelve of Lewis' letters.

Part I contains twenty-three essays which may be briefly summarized as follows; only ten are mentioned here. "Evil and God" concerns the problems with theological dualism. "Miracles" argues that modern science has not refuted a rational belief in miracles. "Dogma and the Universe" advances the claim that dogma can be rationally maintained even in a scientifically developed world.

"Horrid Red Things" addresses the religion-science conflict, as does "Religion and Science." "Laws of Nature" argues that the laws of nature are not incompatible with the efficacy of prayer. "The Grand Miracle" argues that Christianity cannot survive watering down its core miracles.

"Man or Rabbit" grapples with whether one can be a good person without being a Christian. "Some Thoughts" argues that Christians should aid the sick even if it is God's will that some die. "The Trouble with 'X'" argues that one should still witness to those people one believes will never accept the Gospel. "What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?" argues that we cannot merely accept Christ as a moral teacher.

Part II contains sixteen essays that may be summarized as follows; only five are mentioned here. "The Dangers of National Repentance" emphasizes the dangers of national repentance. "Two Ways with the Self" outlines how a Christian should conceive of self-love. "Meditation on the Third Commandment" rejects the idea of a Christian political party. "Meditation in a Toolshed" argues that modern science does not reveal the whole of reality. "Scraps" concerns the nature of heaven. "The Decline of Religion" denies equating the decline of Christianity with the decline of its apparent practice.

Part III contains nine essays that may be summarized as follows; only three are mentioned here. "Bulverism" argues that one must always first ask whether a view is true and then ask why people believe in it. "First and Second Things" criticizes the Nazi embrace of a Nordic ethos. "The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment" criticizes the Humanitarian theory of punishment.

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