All of Lewis's chapter on friendship is pointing to the exultation and rehabilitation of friendship in the modern eye. We have made too little of friendship, calling acquaintances and companions our friends when really the relationship is so much more. Some of Lewis's arguments may be strictly semantics, but I think his points are valid.
Rather than recount these arguments, I find the end of his argument the most interesting. Labeling something as spiritual is not a qualitative statement: friendship may be good or bad. I appreciate Lewis's own acknowledgement here, especially regarding his earlier advocacy. Lewis finds very good reasons for treating friendship, like all other loves, with great caution. The most interesting is the third reason: no where in scripture is friendship a model for God's relationship with his people.
As we've discussed in and out of class, I don't entirely agree with this statement. I think that our "Jesus is my Homeboy" shirts are funny, but not without a foundation somewhere. The image of Jesus as friend is not a false one, but it is also not the only image. I think it has its weaknesses, like any metaphor, but it also possesses great truth, especially when in light of Lewis's argument. I'd like to think that Jesus and I are pursuing the same goal together; at least, on most days.
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