# “The diagnosis is very bad news” by C.S. Lewis

- Link: https://tollelege.net/2009/08/29/the-diagnosis-is-very-bad-news-by-c-s-lewis/
- Published: 2009-08-29T12:29:02-05:00
- Author: tollelege

“When the apostles preached, they could assume even in their Pagan hearers a real
consciousness of deserving the Divine anger. The Pagan mysteries existed to allay
this consciousness, and the Epicurean philosophy claimed to deliver men from the
fear of eternal punishment.

It was against this background that the Gospel appeared as good news. It brought
good news of possible healing to men who knew that they were mortally ill. But all
this has changed. Christianity now has to preach the diagnosis– in itself very bad
news– before it can win a hearing for the cure.”

–C.S. Lewis, [_The Problem of Pain_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652969?tag=toletaupanre-20)(
New York: HarperCollins, 1940/1996), 48.

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