Wednesdays with Words: Different Organs

Mere Christianity has been a bit of a mixed bag for me. Occasionally I disagree with Lewis, and other times the way he puts things makes me uncomfortable, but I’m not sure if it’s because I disagree with him or I’m misunderstanding him. Sometimes I think he speculates too much on theological matters, although he does a pretty good job of making a distinction between his own theories and generally held doctrines. But as always with Lewis, there are those aptly-put passages that make you want to stand up and cheer – or at least record it in your commonplace book. 😉 Such was the passage I came across today:

Christianity thinks of human individuals not as mere members of a group or items in a list, but as organs in a body – different from one another and each contributing what no other could. When you find yourself wanting to turn your children, or pupils, or even your neighbours, into people exactly like yourself, remember that God probably never meant them to be that. You and they are different organs, intended to do different things. On the other hand, when you are tempted not to bother about someone else’s troubles because they are ‘no business of yours’, remember that though he is different from you he is part of the same organism as you. If you forget that he belongs to the same organism as yourself you will become an Individualist. If you forget that he is a different organ from you, if you want to suppress differences and make people all alike, you will become a Totalitarian. But a Christian must not be either a Totalitarian or an Individualist.

Of course, this particularly applies to the Church as the Body of Christ (connections here to what I’ve been reading in Fearfully and Wonderfully Made), but I think it applies to humans in general, made in the image of God, but each with unique personalities and abilities. And it definitely has implications for a homeschooling mother. 😉

A few of the books read in our home recently:

Wednesdays with Words is hosted by ladydusk.

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One Response to Wednesdays with Words: Different Organs

  1. There were parts of Mere Christianity I took issue with when I first read it … right after we became Reformed. I wonder if I’d be so upset with them now.

    I don’t recall this quote at all, but it is wonderful. I like the emphasis on both separate and in fellowship. Thanks, Anna!

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