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The Great Divorce (Paperback) (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
| Category:
Heaven and Hell, Fable |
| Market price: ¥ 128.00
MSL price:
¥ 118.00
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MSL rating:
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| MSL Pointer Review:
This amazing little book explores the difficult subjects of heaven and hell and salvation and damnation with a depth that will enlarge your vision, shrink your ego, and strip away all your excuses for living lives of pretense. |
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Author: C. S. Lewis
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Pub. in: February, 2001
ISBN: 0060652950
Pages: 160
Measurements: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00290
Other information: New Ed edition
ISBN-13: 978-0060652951
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- MSL Picks -
C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce" may be the most unusual book you will ever read. Beyond allegory, beyond fantasy, this look at the nature of Heaven, Hell, and the denizens of both has radically altered the view of what happens after we die in the lives of more people than any book you will encounter.
Lewis provides an utterly original view of the afterlife through the mechanism of a bus trip from Hell to Heaven. The portrayals of the vast, nearly-empty city in Hell and a Heaven more real and solid than our reality are so profound that many will find their thoughts on the two places forever altered.
Also included is an examination of the question that has haunted many: "How can a loving God send people to Hell?" Lewis brilliantly answers this in a way that is completely satisfying to even the most demanding inquirer. You'll have to read the book to see.
There are so many gems in "The Great Divorce" that any further discussion would spoil the book. But suffice it to say, this work of fiction may be the greatest ever written for provoking long and enjoyable discussions with others. As a worthy diversion from more heady small group studies, it is without peer.
Target readers:
Geneal readers
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C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity.
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C. S. Lewis takes us on a profound journey through both heaven and hell in this engaging allegorical tale. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis introduces us to supernatural beings who will change the way we think about good and evil. In The Great Divorce C. S. Lewis again employs his formidable talent for fable and allegory. The writer, in a dream, finds himself in a bus which travels between Hell and Heaven. This is the starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil which takes issue with William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. In Lewis’s own words, "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven then we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."
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| View all 16 comments |
Robert W. Kellemen (MSL quote), Crown Point, IN United States
<2007-01-24 00:00>
In some ways one could compare "The Great Divorce" to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Both are allegories speaking to the consequences of earth choices. Or more properly, the consequence, singular. Or even more properly, the eternal consequence of life's one major earthly choice.
As the title indicates, Lewis sees a great divorce, or a great divide between all people of all time: there are those who choose for Christ and there are those who choose against Christ. The title also highlights the relationality of our choice: we either choose to accept the marriage proposal of Christ our Worthy Groom, or we choose to divorce ourselves from the final Marriage Super of the Lamb.
Choice made, Lewis, as only he could do, takes us on a bus ride to heaven and hell illustrating the types of choices we make, the moral peril our choices place us in, and the end result of a life time of choices that confirm us either in good or evil.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Beyond the Suffering: The Story of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."
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P. M Simon (MSL quote), New Mexico
<2007-01-24 00:00>
If you haven't yet read any theology or Christian apologetics, this novella is a fine place to start. If you already read such, then you know that you just HAVE to read this classic.
C.S. Lewis uses a dream device, ala not only Dante and Bunyan, but also echoing of Isaiah and John, to give us a keyhole glimpse of the afterlife, albeit in more modern terms.
Hell is an endless, shabby, grey city in the rain, where the quarrelsome and disputatious residents are given a chance for a bus ride to Heaven. There they must confront their sins and foibles and make the ultimate choice. Even faced with the reality of God, many are still unable to free themselves from the shackles of vanity, uncertainty, and pride!
Lewis clearly is intending The Great Divorce as a metaphor, for the notion of the damned being given "another chance" and a bit of a day-excursion to Heaven is, of course, not in accord with any Christian doctrine. However, he uses the metaphor to illustrate many telling points of Christian theology, starting with God being the Great `I AM.' The bus ride itself, and the relative sizes of things are also evocative of the extra-spatial nature of the Godhead.
In summary, Divorce is a short, brilliantly-written tract and a wake-up call for many: A thought-provoking read for anyone and worth multiple readings! Get it.
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Lissiehoya (MSL quote), Berkeley, CA
<2007-01-24 00:00>
This week in class we read The Great Divorce. It's a great book and if you haven't read it... just... go read it.
The book is about a bus that goes from hell to heaven. People from hell can get on the bus and go to heaven where people are waiting to greet them and convince them to let go of their sins and follow them to the mountains. The people who come from hell, however, are like ghosts against the landscape of heaven which is very hard. It is more real (hello, Plato!). Anyway, the narrator is met by George MacDonald, the Christian writer whose writing helped to convert/inspire C.S. Lewis.
The thing about C.S. Lewis' view of hell is that it is essentially a hell of your own choosing. He takes human freedom so seriously that God's grace can ultimately do nothing about it.
The interesting thing, which can be seen in other works by Lewis, is that all of the sins that keep people from hell are the deep sins that take a person over. Each person is very consumed by themselves. My personal favorite character is the Episcopal theologian who is so obsessed with the questioning and the prestige that he can get from coming up with new questions and theories that he forgets that the questioning should lead to answers.
Interestingly, the one person who made it from hell to heaven was the person who had the sin of lust. The thing that I found interesting about all that is that if you looked at the media or even just what the Church focuses on, you would think that lust is the WORST SIN POSSIBLE. But, it is not all consuming like some of the other sins and, as I said, ultimately the person with the sin of lust is the only person who makes it to heaven.
This is one of my personal C.S. Lewis favorites, the other being "The Screwtape Letters". If you like Lewis, you'll love these and if you haven't read anything by him, "The Great Divorce is a perfect place to start.
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Yosemite Sam (MSL quote), Reno-Tahoe
<2007-01-24 00:00>
This book had a profound impact on me when I read it for a class in college. It seems a more believable vision of heaven and hell than the traditional fire n' brimstone/pearly gates and harps version. When you think about it, what could be worse than forever wallowing in old resentments, temporary schools of thoughts, or the should have, could haves of life?
I think Lewis' central message is that we all have the means to our own salvation-for some it is a seamless process, but for others it's a struggle involving "fear and trembling". The benefits of reading this book is that it puts the things in life that seem such a big deal into a perspective of is spending time on this going to hinder my spiritual progress or not? It reminds you to "render unto Caesar, the things that are Caesar's" and keep your focus on becoming selfless and not letting anything get in the way of your spiritual growth.....even if you believe that what you are doing will benefit your own brand of religion. This book never ceases to shock my thinking because any of us can identify with the characters he depicts in hell....how they refuse to shed their fears, hatreds, pettiness, trendy thinking, whatever. This book is a wake up call for everyone regardless of their religion. It quite frankly offers a better way to live.
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