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In the next installment, I will nail all of this down by looking at the influential 18th-century spiritual autobiography of the writer of "Amazing Grace," John Newton. Newton wrote his life story using the conventions of a literary/philosophical tradition called "sentimentalism" (later on, Charles Dickens was also influenced by this tradition). The sentimentalists strongly affirmed the transformative value of reading about other people's life experiences and the inner emotional states that come with those experiences. We'll ask what this tradition looked like, what happened to it in Western history, and whether it has something to teach us today.

But for now …

Grace and peace to all who both share God's image and reflect the unique creativity of his genius. May we learn what we can from each other on the redemptive path to recovering his likeness.

Chris Armstrong

Bethel Seminary

*I am inclined to agree with the social scientists that emotions are indeed not pure feelings, but also involve a learned cognitive component. Interestingly, that's just what the "fathers of evangelicalism," Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley, said too. They used the term "affections" to name this holistic view of emotion.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Christian History & Biography devoted an issue to C.S. Lewis in 1985. Its Winter 2005 issue also covers Lewis, and is available for purchase from our site. Lewis was also covered in the magazine's issue on the most influential Christians of the 20th century.

Previous Christian History Corners include:

Eat, Drink, and Relax | Think the Pilgrims would frown on today's football-tossing, turkey-gobbling Thanksgiving festivities? Maybe not. (Nov. 18, 2005)

Is It Wrong-Headed to Translate the Gospel for Culture? | Christian History Corner takes on the Christ and culture debate. (Oct. 28, 2005)

Old Words, Vibrant Faith | Christian pop/rock band Jars of Clay explains why the church needs more Redemption Songs. (Oct. 21, 2005)

J.S. Bach: For the Glory of God | Such humility is exceedingly rare among those who have gained worldwide fame (Oct. 14, 2005)

Bringing Peace to Paradise | The wave of the future needs the wisdom of the past (Oct. 7, 2005)

Emergents, Meet Saints! | The wave of the future needs the wisdom of the past (Sept. 30, 2005)

From Mutual Aid to Global Action | How the Anabaptist emphasis on practical acts of love led a tightly knit enclave to reach out to the world. (Sept. 23, 2005)

The Trailblazer | The first evangelical missionary to India set out to prove that the gospel does not destroy culture but transforms it from within. (Sept. 16, 2005)

Reformation Reoriented | Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom evaluate the Catholic/evangelical detente in Is the Reformation Over? (Sept. 2, 2005)

Ministries of Mercy: Mother Teresa | She stirred a generation by touching the untouchables. (Aug. 26, 2005)

Changed Lives: Luther | The daily gift of new life. (Aug. 19, 2005)

Liberating Faith | When Korea threw off Japanese rule in 1945, it was as much a victory for the church as for the nation. (Aug. 12, 2005)

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December (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49