The World's Last Night: And Other Essays

I especially enjoyed the Screwtape speech and also the fact that the discussion on education mirrors our concerns now about dumbing down education since we are all equalBut cs Lewis wrote this in the early 1960sI enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I bought and read this book as a part of my goal to read all of C. S. Lewis's published essays in 2022. The book is an inexpensive paperback, but of perfectly useable quality for my purposes and quite readable. While hardback is always preferable, this was much more affordable and will stand up to normal use just fine.There are 7 essays in this volume, primarily religious but touching on a variety of topics. I'm not going to presume to critique the quality or content of Lewis's essays here, except simply to point out — as Lewis himself freely acknowledged — that he was not a trained theologian and therefore his primary strengths were his literary expertise, his power of reasoning and his profound skill in writing. He had the rare of gift of seeing the big picture, yet also being able to finely-focus on a specific real-life question and address it within the greater context of that overarching big picture. While others handle matters of doctrine and Bible exegesis better than Lewis, his line of reasoning is always thoughtful and his candor thoroughly refreshing. That thoughtfulness and authenticity make Lewis's perspective still relevant and useful today, and even in the (not infrequent) cases where I disagree completely with him I still value the way he challenges me to think and grapple with the question. He is among the people of history I would have loved to have met.I particularly appreciated three of the included essays: "On Obstinacy in Belief," "The Efficacy of Prayer" and "The World's Last Night." Lewis addresses some tough questions in these essays, but he dares to meet them head on and he raises many a profound point in the process. There is, of course, more to these questions than Lewis can address; and there are points I would answer very differently. But as a springboard to probing mysteries, these are solid and even inspirational essays. I have to confess: The conclusion of "The World's Last Night" moved me to tears.If you want to be challenged by one of the keenest minds of the last century, this book is worth a read.

C S Lewis never fails! It is amazing how prescient he was about the times we now live in. I highly recommend.

This is a fun book I enjoyed reading

I am a huge C.S. Lewis fan! His perspective on the spiritual world is unequaled in any other author I have read. In “The World’s Last Night,” Lewis shares seven essays ranging from how our prayers really impact things, to life on other planets, to the end of our world as we know it.The title of this book (and the title of the concluding chapter) are taken from a question by John Donne: “What if this present were the world’s last night?” So all of Lewis’ essays are written from that perspective. If this is the world’s last night, why should we keep praying? If demons knew this was the world’s last night, why would they keep on tempting? If atheists knew this was the world’s last night, would they keep arguing the same way?As with all of his writings, C.S. Lewis has a unique knack of giving his readers a perspective that is totally original. His skills in philosophy, literature, and understanding the human heart are unparalleled! If you are ready to have your horizons expanded, these essays will not disappoint!(And for any fans of “The Screwtape Letters,” Screwtape himself makes a special appearance as he gives a toast in hell that is sure to evoke both smiles and chagrins.)

This book has the only essay that Lewis ever wrote about the 2nd coming of Christ. He also makes a very clear case about what it means and what we should do about it. There are other essays that are also good to read.

Classic Lewis. So much to underline, quote, share, and meditate on. Just finished and I want to reread at some point.

This book covers in depth a lot of issues facing Christians, and is wonderfully free of the current excesses of both the extreme Christian right and the equally extreme Christian left.

A++