Cross Connections

C.S. Lewis saves what might be his most ambitious section for last. Book IV, Beyond Personality: or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity, tackles the Trinity, the nature of time, and what it means to become a Christian — not just a nicer person, but a fundamentally new kind of human being.

What's in Book IV Lewis opens by distinguishing between making and begetting — a move that sets Jesus apart from the rest of humanity. From there, he uses dimensions for understanding the Trinity, then pivots to one of the book's most striking ideas: God exists entirely outside our linear experience of time. Every moment — past, future, and present — is simultaneously visible to God. This is far more interesting than predetermination.

In the second half, Lewis argues that Christianity spreads like an infection — a good one — and that pretending to be good is actually how you start becoming good. He closes with a vision of humanity not just improved, but entirely remade: a new evolution, but one you have to choose.

What we loved The chapter on time hit hard. The standard answer to "what happens after death?" is an extended version of the life we already have — but Lewis shifts that thinking entirely. The Kingdom of God isn't a longer line, it's the whole page. This reframe has implications for how God could know our choices without determining them, and we realize that C.S. Lewis comes up with this from a long line of similar thought – this same understanding can be found in the Holy Eucharist and in the architecture of cathedrals.

The "Nice People" chapter also generated a lot of discussion. It's essential reading for anyone who's been burned by the institutional church or walked away because of the hypocrites in the pews. Lewis's point: Christianity was never about producing nice people. It's about a new creation. And ironically, those who consider themselves "already good" may have the hardest road ahead.

The opening defense of theology as a discipline landed for us too. Personal experience matters — but theology is the accumulated map of everyone's experiences before yours. Dismissing it means navigating without the map.

What gave us pause Lewis's treatment of the Lord's Prayer feels forced, shoehorning his "pretending" concept in a way that doesn't quite hold up. His misogyny is also real — even accounting for his era, you have to actively read aroundn it. His claim that you alone can stop God's work in your life runs against Paul's argument in Romans 8. If Christ is truly Lord of all, the human will seems like a pretty small obstacle. (Interestingly, Lewis handles this better in his fiction than in his theology.)

Our rating: 3 out of 5 — Brilliant in places, dated in others, and probably due for a modern rewrite.

If you want to keep reading:

• Being Christian — N.T. Wright
• Help My Unbelief — Fleming Rutledge (sermons; very much in the spirit of this book)
• The Reason for God — Tim Keller (recommended with some reservation)

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 or also email questions to [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, you can donate to St. David's Church at https://⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

What does it mean to live well and what gets in the way?

In this third part of our four-part series on C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity” our hosts discuss “Christian Behavior.”

Rick, Natalee, and Elliot start off with a review of these twelve chapters, including:

• Lewis discusses how Christians should live, but it never makes any references to Scripture.
• What is morality?
• What are the cardinal virtues and how do we follow them?
• What does social morality look like and how does it impact politics
• Why psychoanalysis (which was a popular topic at the time) isn’t in conflict with Christianity.
• What C.S. Lewis doesn’t like about Freud.
• Sexual morality and Christian marriage (as told by an unmarried man)
• The difficulty of true forgiveness
• “The Greatest Sin” (spoiler – it’s pride. Find out why.)
• “Theological Virtues” of charity, hope, and faith – and what was so unique about faith that needed two chapters.

Our hosts then turn to what the lessons were in this section and what some of the problem areas are when reading it in a modern context. The conversation covered:

• More about “The Greatest Sin” – Pride.
• How vices and virtues are at the heart of Lewis’s understanding of morality.
• Lewis’ unorthodox but compelling views of heaven and hell, including how individual actions compound upon eternity.
• The problems reading Lewis in a modern world including his limited understanding of love and marriage, his homophobia, and his misogyny.

Despite any issues, the hosts end with one lesson each that they think readers could take away from this section of the book.

• Rick: “Part of the human condition is our brokenness, but there was one person who wasn’t broken and is our model for life: Jesus Christ.”
• Natalee: “Being a Christian takes work and constant reconnection with call and community.”
• Elliot: “Virtues are not cages; they’re pathways to true freedom.”

Two books recommended this week were:

N.T. Wright’s “Jesus and the Victory of God” and “Surprised by Hope.” If you order through these links from St. David’s Bookshop site, each order supports St. David’s International Outreach ministries.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's Church. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

On today's episode...

C.S. Lewis wrote a series of radio programs in the late 1930s as England was mired in World War II. In response to the everyday person's struggle with the concerns of the time, and of all time, Lewis proposes Christianity as the sensible response. Listen in as we discuss what C.S. Lewis proposes and talk about the ways it does or does not still relate to us today.

This is part two of our four-part series. Today, we dive into the section that Lewis has titled, “What Christians Believe.” This section starts by discussing other religions and what they believe about God. It then moves into Lewis’s description of how Christianity is different from any of these. The show graphic for this episode is Elliot’s whiteboard drawing of these various concepts, and you can see the full image if you’re on our email list. Lewis has a particular opinion on how he believes Christians see the world as one “invaded” by an evil force. We talk about this and how the imagery does and doesn’t land so well today. Lewis also talks about the centrality of Christ’s death and resurrection and how they “work.”

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode/ Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

On today's episode...

C.S. Lewis wrote a series of radio programs in the late 1930s as England was mired in World War II. In response to the everyday person's struggle with the concerns of the time, and of all time, Lewis proposes Christianity as the sensible response. Listen in as we discuss what C.S. Lewis proposes and talk about the ways it does or does not still relate to us today.

This is part one of a four-part series, mirroring the sections of his radio program turned into a book. Today, we give some background for Lewis’s life and the timing of the radio program. We then dive into the first part of his book and how he begins to frame his apologetics (arguments) for Christianity.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's Church. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

On today's episode...

What is Easter? Not just bunnies and eggs. Why is it when it is in the year and how do we place this “Movable feast”.

Then we get into how Jesus’ resurrection is different than the revivifications that happen elsewhere in the Bible.

We discuss the earliest documentation of the resurrection story, especially how Paul writes about it in his letters. We also talk about whether it is reasonable to believe that “this really happened” and talk about different ways to understand thesestories. We discuss perspectives of N.T. Wright, Dale Allison, and Bart Ehrman. Elliot specifically mentions Dale Allison’s book, “The Resurrection of Jesus: Apologetics, Polemics, History,” which you can find on our Bookshop site.

We close by talking about what it means to live, as Christians, in a world post resurrection, centering on recalling the resurrection every Sunday and our call to bring “God’s kingdom come on earth as in heaven.”

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David'sChurch. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St.David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

On today's episode...

We finish our series of episodes on the worship services of Holy Week. Today we discuss the Great Vigil of Easter (Easter Vigil), the last of three services called the Triduum.

We discuss not only what the service is about but its meanings. Why is there a fire? What is the prayer to the candle about? Why so many readings? Why are we celebrating Easter at night, shouldn’t it be in the morning? Most of all, why would anyone come to this service?

Up next: Next Wednesday we will release an episode on the Resurrection and what it means for us.

We look forward to seeing you for worship during Holy Week and Easter! Tonight is Tenebrae and we’ve got services all week leading up to Easter Sunday, April 5. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/easter/ and see you in church!

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's Church. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

On today's episode...

We continue our series of episodes on the worship services of Holy Week. Today we discuss Good Friday, the second of three services called the Triduum.

We first talk about the oddities of language in the name of Good Friday. Why is it called good? Do you also confuse Good Friday and Black Friday? We also touch on some of the colloquial names for other days of Holy Week.

When we get into the liturgy of the day, we note a few things right away: it’s not participatory in quite the same way that Maundy Thursday is; it starts in silence (the continuation from Maundy Thursday ending in silence, perhaps?); and the Passion reading is always only from the Gospel of John. We do talk about two of the participatory moments: standing/ kneeling during the Gospel reading and the veneration of the cross. Before we get into talking about the veneration, first we discuss the Gospel of John and how its specific wording hascaused great damage over the years and up to today. You can hear more about this in our episode on the Gospel of John from last season. We also get into Elliot’s issues with only using the Gospel of John for this service.

Then Rick asks us why we think people should come to this service, which looks death in the face and sits in grief, on a sunny spring evening. Elliot and Natalee give their answers and then Rick gives his own thoughts – which, interestingly, include a reference to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Finally, we move on to the other participatory moment of the service – the veneration of the cross. Rick explains it for Natalee (“Explain to me how this is not idolatry?”) in a satisfying way. We then talk about Elliot’s favorite part: thesolemn collects – something you’ll only ever experience in this service–prayers that go back thousands of years.

We close out with a few quick fun facts and fascinations. First, a rundown of the Holy Saturday service. This is a short one-page liturgy for during the day, ahead of when we would celebrate Easter Vigil, which is our next episode. Then, a noteabout the tradition around Holy Saturday being the day that Jesus “descended to the dead.” Finally, Natalee’s fascination with imagining what it was like to be a disciple on that day between Jesus’ death and resurrection. Up next: our Easter Vigil episode.

We look forward to seeing you for worship during Holy Week and Easter! Palm Sunday this year is Sunday, March 29 and we’ve got services all week leading up to Easter Sunday, April 5. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/easter/ and see you in church!

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David'sChurch. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode/ Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

On today's episode...

We continue our series of episodes on the worship services of Holy Week. Today we discuss Maundy Thursday, the first of three services called the Triduum, and what Rick calls the “most full” service of the year. We start off by defining some terms – which includes a funny and relatable story about Rick’s sister. Then we get into the many Biblical events commemorated by this one liturgy – from foot washing to the new commandment to the Last Supper and the vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane. Learn about the biggest controversy in all the Christian denominations – and how the Anglican Church (and thereby The Episcopal Church) finds a middle way through it. Find out what you can expect at St. David’s Maundy Thursday worship, or what you might find at your local Episcopal church if not able to join us here.

We look forward to seeing you for worship during Holy Week Easter! Palm Sunday this year is Sunday, March 29 and we’ve got services all week leading up to Easter Sunday, April 5. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/easter/ and see you in church!

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's Church. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill with editing support from Blinck Media . Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode/ Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St. David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

On today's episode we begin our next series on the worship services of Holy Week. We get started with Palm Sunday, or “Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday” as it is officially named. This is the final Sunday in Lent, the week immediately prior to Easter Sunday. Did you know that in the Episcopal Church we combine Palm Sunday with the passion, but that in the Church of England they celebrate Passion Sunday a week prior – two weeks before Easter Sunday? Learn more about Palm/Passion Sunday, including its Biblical roots, its liturgical history, how we practice it at St. David’s, and why we celebrate when and how we do in today’s episode. Then, come and join us this year for worship for Holy Week and Easter! Palm Sunday this year is Sunday, March 29, 2026 and we’ve got services all week leading up to Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/easter/⁠ and see you in church!

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can also email questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's Church. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5. You are welcome to learn more about all of St.David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.

We invite you to lean into your Lenten discipline of study and reflection with this extra-long episode of Cross Connections on the Mystics. We promise it's worth it: There's even some music and a conspiracy theory this week!

What makes someone a mystic? What do they do and how do they live?

In this episode we explore the idea and history of mysticism and what mystics can teach us about God and how tolive our lives. The Rev. Rick Morley, Natalee Hill, and Elliot VanHoy each bring a mystic to discuss: The pseudo-Dionysius, Evelyn Underhill, and Thomas Merton. Come and find out when these mystics lived, what they believed, and what we have to learn from them.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Cross Connections. Be sure to follow or like us on your favorite podcasting app to find us easily each week, or join our email list at ⁠⁠⁠https://stdavidschurch.org/crossconnections/

We love getting your questions! Please call us at 484.588.5656 and leave a voicemail with your name, where you’re from, and your question or comment. You can alsoemail questions to us at [email protected].

If you like what you hear, please share this episode with your friends and rate us in Spotify and Apple podcasts so other people can find us as well. If you really love what you hear, we'd be ever so grateful if you would donate to St. David's Church. You can visit our website at ⁠stdavidschurch.org/giving⁠ and write "Cross Connections" in the memo line to indicate your support.

Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

Logo graphic design and podcast production by Natalee Hill. Stock Media Music provided by Marscott and MoodMode / Pond5.

You are welcome to learn more about all of St.David’s worship and ministries at https://stdavidschurch.org.