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A review by holtfan
Letters to a Diminished Church: Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine by Dorothy L. Sayers
5.0
I love C.S. Lewis and appreciate the increased emphasis on his writings displayed by many Christian writers and academics. But if I may be so bold, Christians really need to start paying more attention to Dorothy L. Sayers. She often gets swept under the rug as "that woman who wrote detective novels" and it is such a shame. Her writings about creativity and Christianity compliment and expand the writings of Lewis and enlarge on many of the themes that draw creative souls to him. I suppose, in a sense, she touches on fewer "subjects" than Lewis, which might explain the lack of enthusiasm. Sayers, you see, has one, great passion that shines through all her work: the Christian's call to creativity.
The subheading of Letters to a Diminished Church reads, "Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine." True, at least initially. But the essays in this volume center on a more specific theme even than that. Namely, "Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine As It Pertains to the Description of God As Creator." What does it mean that God created the universe? And how does the description connect to man's purpose and calling?
Or, to take a very different but no less accurate angle, take the quote: “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” Letters to a Diminished Church explains the Christian theology for why that quote rings so true.
Sayers writes with biting wit and clear truths that reveal profound ideas. She touches on ancient history, Medieval allegory, and modern psychology. She unhesitatingly jumps from author to author in fleshing out her ideas, including references to C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy.
And she is just so, so good!
This collection is far easier to read and understand than [b:The Mind of the Maker|782050|The Mind of the Maker|Dorothy L. Sayers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347414044s/782050.jpg|768066]. At the same time, it does come with several difficulties. For example, some quotes are left untranslated, making me wish I didn't give up on my 8th grade German. And the essays themselves - why topically related - do not always fit together nicely. Some seem more on point to the subject than others. Exactly when, or to what purpose, she wrote the essays remains unclear. Most seem to come from the WW2 era, but at least one referenced the 1970s. (Unless I read it wrong.) Further, I could not tell if she wrote all the essays for this one volume, or later compiled and edited essays that touched on a subject she felt passionate about.
Despite these weaknesses, I think the book firmly places Sayers in her rightful position as a theological equal of C.S. Lewis whose writings seriously need to be further explored.
The subheading of Letters to a Diminished Church reads, "Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine." True, at least initially. But the essays in this volume center on a more specific theme even than that. Namely, "Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine As It Pertains to the Description of God As Creator." What does it mean that God created the universe? And how does the description connect to man's purpose and calling?
Or, to take a very different but no less accurate angle, take the quote: “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” Letters to a Diminished Church explains the Christian theology for why that quote rings so true.
Sayers writes with biting wit and clear truths that reveal profound ideas. She touches on ancient history, Medieval allegory, and modern psychology. She unhesitatingly jumps from author to author in fleshing out her ideas, including references to C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy.
And she is just so, so good!
This collection is far easier to read and understand than [b:The Mind of the Maker|782050|The Mind of the Maker|Dorothy L. Sayers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347414044s/782050.jpg|768066]. At the same time, it does come with several difficulties. For example, some quotes are left untranslated, making me wish I didn't give up on my 8th grade German. And the essays themselves - why topically related - do not always fit together nicely. Some seem more on point to the subject than others. Exactly when, or to what purpose, she wrote the essays remains unclear. Most seem to come from the WW2 era, but at least one referenced the 1970s. (Unless I read it wrong.) Further, I could not tell if she wrote all the essays for this one volume, or later compiled and edited essays that touched on a subject she felt passionate about.
Despite these weaknesses, I think the book firmly places Sayers in her rightful position as a theological equal of C.S. Lewis whose writings seriously need to be further explored.