The book actually belongs to Matthew, but he let me write in it. He said it's a philosophical book so it's meant to be written in. Thank goodness, because I found a TON of stuff to underline and box.
The first quote I underlined in the book was this:
"What is religion then? It is a set of beliefs that explain what life is all about, who we are, and the most important things that human beings should spend their time doing."
Holy moly - what a statement! I think it is a wonderful definition of the word religion. So many people associate a God with the word religion, and that's not necessarily true. But I can definitely say that once I read that I knew I was going to love this book.
I just love the way this book is set up. Timothy Keller takes different arguments against Christianity and then explains why he believes those arguments are false. Each chapter is a new argument. For example, chapter one is called There Can't Be Just One True Religion; chapter two is called How Could a Good God Allow Suffering; chapter three is Christianity is a Straitjacket. (side note: Chapter 3 has probably been my favorite so far!)
Chapter three discusses love and restraint. I marked up SO much of that chapter. I would choose my favorite quote from the chapter, but I just can't! There's too many. And the one I would love to share with you is pretty long. Oh heck, I'll share it anyway!
"A friend of C.S. Lewis's was once asked, 'Is it easy to love God?' and he replied, 'It is easy to those who do it.' That is not as paradoxical as it sounds. When you fall deeply in love, you want to please the beloved. You don't wait for the person to ask you to do something for her. You eagerly research and learn every little thing that brings her pleasure. Then you get it for her, even if it costs you money or great inconvenience. 'Your wish is my command' you feel - and it doesn't feel oppressive at all. From the outside, bemused friends may think, 'She's leading him around by the nose' but from the inside it feels like heaven. For a Christian, it's the same with Jesus. The love of Christ constrains. Once you realize how Jesus changed for you and gave himself for you, you aren't afraid of giving up your freedom and therefore finding your freedom in him."
GAH - isn't that just amazing!? That's the last part of the chapter. I seriously just fell in love with this chapter. Definitely my favorite chapter so far!
If you are curious about Christianity or if you are a Christian, I suggest you check out this book. It's really great and has opened my eyes a lot. I think one of the reasons I find this book helpful to me is because before I was a Christian, I used a lot of these arguments to try to disprove Christianity.
The Shippmate would so agree with you about this being a book that is made to be written in! He has loaned his copy out to people and encouraged them to write their own thoughts/reflections in it, because he'd love to have a collection of various ideas and comments. So neat to read your thoughts about this favorite book of his. :)
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