Every so often someone seems to arise and make sense to me about our Christian faith. It's not that I am a complex person (most of my friends would confirm that lol), but I am a realist...in the sense of: "what really happened over there" and "what does it have to do with me?"
And they are out there: C.S. Lewis, Eugene Peterson, and....Dorothy Leigh Sayers.
Dorothy L. Sayers was among other things an English crime writer. She lived her life in England, born on June 13th, 1893 and passing away on December 17th, 1957 at the young age of 64.
She was well known for her mysteries, which normally consisted of a series of novels with their background settings between WWl and WWll. Her crime stories usually featured a mythical investigator named Lord Peter Wimsey, who was a wealthy individual taking up criminology more for a hobby. He was an expert on the taste of wines and different types of food, well-versed in male fashions, and loved classical music. He also displayed a keen interest in "Incunables", which were pamphlets and/or books that were printed before 1501 A.D. Lord Wimsey had the luxury of having a 12 cylinder ("double-six") 1927 Daimier 4 seater auto which he christened with the name "Mrs. Merdle".
Sayers wrote 11 novels involving the infamous Lord Wimsey, along with other short stories featuring his family as well.
Sayers works included poetry, teaching, and public advertisements, and became well-known for her writings as a Christian humanist.
Her influential essay; "The Lost Tools of Learning" has been used by a number of U.S. schools as a basis for classical education, a thought originating that uses a form of Western culture education patterns with a particular emphasis on education as understood and taught in the Middle Ages.
It was Sayers articles on Christianity that has intrigued me the most. She wrote some strong articles on Christianity from an Anglican position that resulted in the Archbishop of Canterbury offering her the Labeth doctor of divinity in 1943, which she gracefully declined.
She later on did accept an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Durham in 1950.
Sayers was a friend of C.S.Lewis, and Lewis was said to read her "The Man Born to be King" each Easter.
This particular drama became a radio drama, broadcast by the BBC during WWll. It consisted of a series of 12 plays...and had its share of controversy and criticism.
The major criticism to this particular story was the featuring of realistic and identifiable Biblical characters that actually displayed human emotions and motivations along with speech patterns of modern day society ( can you imagine...what is this world coming to? lol)
Moving away from the religious, King James Version and Victorian train of thought in reference to Christian religion...was taboo. For Dorothy L. Sayers, it was a monumental move of its day and opened the door for "real Christianity" to permeate into the hearts of people! (what a concept!)
Dorothy L. Sayers was the daughter of a clergyman herself, and she too faced obstacles in life just like each one of us....but remained determined to make her mark on society....of which I am ever grateful. There are numerous websites on this great lady including a society after her legacy.
I leave you with some great quotes of Dorothy L. Sayer:
"In the world it is called Tolerance, but in Hell it is called Despair, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die."
"The Great Advantage of Telling the Truth...nobody will ever believe it."
"As I grow older, and toter toward the tomb, I find I care less and less who goes to bed with whom."
" It is...startling to discover how many people...heartily dislike and despise Christianity without the faintest notion what it is. If you tell them, they cannot believe you. I do not mean that they cannot believe the doctrine: that would be understandable enough, since it takes some believing. I mean that they simply cannot believe that anything so interesting, so exciting, and so dramatic can be the orthodox Creed of the Church."
" Somehow or other, and with the best intentions, we have shown the world the typical Christian in the likeness of a crashing and ill-natured bore...and this in the Name of One Who assuredly never bored a soul in those thirty-three years during which He passed through the world like a flame."
" It is the dogma that is the drama...not beautiful phrases, nor comforting sentiments, nor vague aspirations to loving-kindness and uplift, nor the promise of something nice after death...but the terrifying assertion that the same God Who made the world, lived in the world, and passed through...the grave and the gate of death. Show that to a heathen, and they may not believe it, but at least they may realise that here is something that a man might be glad...to believe."
And they are out there: C.S. Lewis, Eugene Peterson, and....Dorothy Leigh Sayers.
She was well known for her mysteries, which normally consisted of a series of novels with their background settings between WWl and WWll. Her crime stories usually featured a mythical investigator named Lord Peter Wimsey, who was a wealthy individual taking up criminology more for a hobby. He was an expert on the taste of wines and different types of food, well-versed in male fashions, and loved classical music. He also displayed a keen interest in "Incunables", which were pamphlets and/or books that were printed before 1501 A.D. Lord Wimsey had the luxury of having a 12 cylinder ("double-six") 1927 Daimier 4 seater auto which he christened with the name "Mrs. Merdle".
Sayers wrote 11 novels involving the infamous Lord Wimsey, along with other short stories featuring his family as well.
Sayers works included poetry, teaching, and public advertisements, and became well-known for her writings as a Christian humanist.
Her influential essay; "The Lost Tools of Learning" has been used by a number of U.S. schools as a basis for classical education, a thought originating that uses a form of Western culture education patterns with a particular emphasis on education as understood and taught in the Middle Ages.
It was Sayers articles on Christianity that has intrigued me the most. She wrote some strong articles on Christianity from an Anglican position that resulted in the Archbishop of Canterbury offering her the Labeth doctor of divinity in 1943, which she gracefully declined.
She later on did accept an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Durham in 1950.
Sayers was a friend of C.S.Lewis, and Lewis was said to read her "The Man Born to be King" each Easter.
This particular drama became a radio drama, broadcast by the BBC during WWll. It consisted of a series of 12 plays...and had its share of controversy and criticism.
The major criticism to this particular story was the featuring of realistic and identifiable Biblical characters that actually displayed human emotions and motivations along with speech patterns of modern day society ( can you imagine...what is this world coming to? lol)
Moving away from the religious, King James Version and Victorian train of thought in reference to Christian religion...was taboo. For Dorothy L. Sayers, it was a monumental move of its day and opened the door for "real Christianity" to permeate into the hearts of people! (what a concept!)
Dorothy L. Sayers was the daughter of a clergyman herself, and she too faced obstacles in life just like each one of us....but remained determined to make her mark on society....of which I am ever grateful. There are numerous websites on this great lady including a society after her legacy.
I leave you with some great quotes of Dorothy L. Sayer:
"In the world it is called Tolerance, but in Hell it is called Despair, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die."
"The Great Advantage of Telling the Truth...nobody will ever believe it."
"As I grow older, and toter toward the tomb, I find I care less and less who goes to bed with whom."
" It is...startling to discover how many people...heartily dislike and despise Christianity without the faintest notion what it is. If you tell them, they cannot believe you. I do not mean that they cannot believe the doctrine: that would be understandable enough, since it takes some believing. I mean that they simply cannot believe that anything so interesting, so exciting, and so dramatic can be the orthodox Creed of the Church."
" Somehow or other, and with the best intentions, we have shown the world the typical Christian in the likeness of a crashing and ill-natured bore...and this in the Name of One Who assuredly never bored a soul in those thirty-three years during which He passed through the world like a flame."
" It is the dogma that is the drama...not beautiful phrases, nor comforting sentiments, nor vague aspirations to loving-kindness and uplift, nor the promise of something nice after death...but the terrifying assertion that the same God Who made the world, lived in the world, and passed through...the grave and the gate of death. Show that to a heathen, and they may not believe it, but at least they may realise that here is something that a man might be glad...to believe."
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