Synopsis
Overall Rating
Final Thoughts
Year Published
1947
Authors
Topics
Synopsis
Final Thoughts
Overall Rating
I was supposed to read this book for one of my classes at Cornerstone about science in the Christian culture. (read- I didn’t read it.) But I figured I’d read it now. I struggled with reading it. Like Lewis’ other non-fiction books, his writing style is difficult to read. He’s wordy and doesn’t stay on topic. As such, I struggled with finishing the book. I even struggled with writing this post (I finished the book weeks ago) but here I am, finally getting around to it.
I appreciate Lewis’ thoughts on things very much. I think it was a very intelligent man. I do, however, wish he had been more concise with his writings. Throughout the book, I constantly kept saying, “what does this have to do with the topic at hand?” It’s as if he would go off on a tangent and not pull himself back for a while. It’s frustrating to reach such a book.
Lewis sets out in writing Miracles to discuss if miracles are possible, or probable. In all honesty, I don’t know if he ever actually answered the question. I will do my best, to sum up the book for you. Just so you’re aware, some of what I may say might not be in the book directly. I may not have read the book for the class, but we did talk about it. As such, some of the points I make may be from without the book based on these class discussions, but I believe they fall in the realm of what Lewis was trying to say.
He begins by discussing whether or not a natural or supernatural view of the world is most accurate. In the natural view, there’s nothing more than nature. If one holds the supernatural view, there’s something apart from nature that set up nature and directs/guides it. If one believes in the natural viewpoint, miracles are impossible. Believers of the supernatural viewpoint, are left with the discussion of whether or not miracles can occur. Lewis discusses the supernatural viewpoint for the remainder of the book. I think he argues away the natural view, but I’m not entirely sure. The question now becomes- is it possible for the supernatural to invade the natural. That is what miracles are.
The short answer that the book mostly presents, and the class discussions influenced, is yes.
When God made nature he made it self-sufficient. The rain comes and goes on its own. The seasons cycle without God’s direct help. It’s a system that he set up that governs and regulates itself. There are, however, instances where He can intervene. The virgin birth, for instance.
In order for something to be a miracle, it has to be something that cannot happen within the system of nature itself. If nature on its own cannot create an event to happen, then something supernature had to step in and make it. The creation of nature, therefore, was a miracle. Nature could not create itself. With that, the probability of such events happening on their own needs to be taken into account. Just because nature could cause something to happen, doesn’t make it not a miracle. If the event could happen but is mostly implausible, there’s a good chance something stepped into nature to make it happen. There’s a lot more to the discussion than this, but that’s the gist of it.
Miracles can happen, but they have to be things that nature cannot do it on its own, or would be incredibly improbable for nature to accomplish without help. In such instances, God steps in to make things happen.
