C. S. Lewis

How My Grammar Nazi Mom Taught Me to Think

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I grew up with a grammar Nazi. I called her mommy. In my household, a day would not go by without phrases like, “I don’t know, ‘can’ you?” “You mean, ‘My friend and I,” and “Did you mean ‘was’ or ‘were’? How many ‘was’ there?” ringing through the house. You might’ve also noticed that a certain condescending sarcasm accompanied most of the grammatical corrections that came my way. My regular readers now understand where I’ve gotten all of my style from. (<Is that a preposition at the end of that sentence?!?!?) These daily corrections were, at the time, some of … [Read more]

The Gate is Small (Pt. 7)

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This is a continuation of an allegorical tale begun in The Gate is Small (Pt. 1) and continuing through The Gate is Small (Pt. 2), The Gate is Small (Pt. 3), The Gate is Small (Pt. 4), The Gate is Small (Pt. 5), and The Gate is Small (Pt. 6). I suggest reading the full story in order, but of course, that’s only my opinion. Jack and I were sitting at an antique wooden breakfast table inside a backpacker’s hostel. The kitchen was well-stocked with the usual ingredients for breakfasts and dinners, and crystal clear water ran from the tap. … [Read more]

Why I Stopped Saying “I’m Proud of You”

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  I’m pretty picky about the words I use. I try to speak clearly and concisely, and choose my words precisely. There have been plenty of posts from me before talking about this sort of thing… from “His Name’s Not Lucifer” to “People Have Sex, Words Have Gender” to “What Does it Mean to BE Gay?” to “Yes You Are Black” to “The Dreaded A-Word” to “You’re Just Another Klansman” to “When I Criticize the Church” to “C.S. Lewis Was Wrong” to… it could go on. Yes. I talk a lot about how we use words. I think it’s important. … [Read more]

Yes You Are Black

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You may have seen a video that’s been floating around Facebook for a few years. It starts out with the tantalizing phrase “I am not black.” Here’s a link to the video on YouTube , and here’s a link to the artist’s (Prince EA) webpage . It’s a compelling little video, definitely worth watching, but with both eyes open! It is a huge mix of great and horrible. There is truth in it, and there are massive and dangerous lies in it. I figured as an exercise for myself, as well as for instruction, I would deconstruct this video and … [Read more]

The Gate is Small (Pt. 6)

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This is a continuation of an allegorical tale begun in The Gate is Small (Pt. 1) and continuing through The Gate is Small (Pt. 2), The Gate is Small (Pt. 3), The Gate is Small (Pt. 4), and The Gate is Small (Pt. 5). I suggest reading the full story in order, but of course, that’s only my opinion. Jack and I continued down the path for some time. We stopped at the water spigot he had mentioned and refilled our canteens, and we talked about the things we both enjoyed, mostly words, philosophy, and great literature. It was nearing … [Read more]