by C.S. Lewis
First published 2001
C.S. Lewis steps into pulpits across wartime Britain to address Christians whose faith buckles under bombardment and loss. These nine sermons emerged from a world where air raid sirens pierce Sunday services and parishioners mourn fresh graves each week. Lewis tackles the questions that matter when your city burns: How do you forgive enemies who kill your neighbors? Where is God when children die in rubble? What does divine glory mean amid human destruction? His most famous address anchors the collection, defining the weight of glory that believers must shoulder. Lewis refuses to soften Christianity's hard edges or offer comfort that rings hollow against real suffering. Instead, he builds a framework for faith that admits doubt while maintaining hope. These addresses show how belief functions not in sanctuary quiet but when familiar certainties collapse around you.
Genres: essays, christian, 20th-century, non-fiction, christianity, theology
Vibes: challenging, contemplative, honest, profound, thought-provoking
Tropes: faith-tested-by-adversity, philosophical-inquiry, rhetorical-sermon
Setting: Britain
Period: 20th-century
192 pages · Paperback · HarperSanFrancisco
Content warnings: death, war