The Reformed Realist Video Discussion #1

Sovereignty in Middle-earth

Author and philosopher C.S. Lewis is often considered to be the first to write a Christian fantasy story. The Chronicles of Narnia are well known, not only because of the multiple film adaptations and simple writing style being appealing to children but because of the obvious and intentional allegories. However, it could be argued that it is not the only Christian fantasy worth reading, and even fantasy can point us to greater realities already shown in Scripture. Despite the myriad of such tales now flooding the market (whose theological foundations span a number of denominations), there is another source of classic fantasy that could be argued to fall beneath the label of “Christian fantasy”, even though it was never meant to be so. J.R.R. Tolkien, who was a contemporary of C.S. Lewis and a fellow member of the literary club “The Inklings”, is internationally acclaimed for his masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings , which is the sequel to the children’s fantasy novel, The Hobbit ....

18 Months with Matthew Henry Pt.1

Regarding the works of C.S. Lewis, I once heard someone say something like, “Always read the preface.” [1] This is certainly wise advice when reading Lewis, but it should also be the case when reading any book. I am convinced I’ve missed something vital in the many times I’ve skipped the preface. Not long ago, I began the process of reading through Matthew Henry’s beloved commentary on the whole Bible in 18 months. Although I’ve consulted Henry’s tome many times before, I firmly believe this undertaking will culminate as one of the healthiest things I’ve engaged in to learn more about God’s Word. Therefore, I would like to document some of the highlights of my reading as I progress through his commentary. This post will serve as the introduction to the series. However, a question remains: what does “always reading the preface” have to do with this post? As is the case for Lewis' works, so too is it true for Henry's; always read the preface. In his commentary, Henry provides ...

Seeing God’s World Through New Eyes

In a famous passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus—when asked by his disciples, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”—exhorts us to “become as little children” to “enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-3). Given the context, it seems that our Lord was emphasizing the cruciality of humility for true saving faith. However, I believe there are still other vital benefits of childlikeness, particularly for Christians influenced by the prevailing materialism of our day. Perhaps the most compelling defense of childlikeness that I have encountered comes from G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy . In this spiritual autobiography, Chesterton recounts his path to discovering the truth of the Christian creed, and a major theme throughout is his resultant return to an outlook of childlike wonder. Chesterton says much about returning to the “garden of childhood”¹ after becoming a Christian, and we can scarcely plumb the depths of this idea here, but let’s briefly consider one particularly in...

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