C. John Collins > Quotes

“I think we can also see the wisdom in the biblical material on bodily position in prayer and worship: your posture affects your attitude. Hence worshipers kneel, stand, raise their hands, lie prostrate. What is Christian public worship? It’s when the Maker of heaven and earth welcomes his blood-bought people into his presence, to love them and give himself to them in a way that’s not available anywhere else, to grant them a taste of what their souls yearn for. How can I give the full range of response to such an inexpressible privilege unless my whole self is involved? For example: when we confess our sins together in worship and ask for forgiveness, we ought to be humble suppliants. I know I’m usually not. Perhaps the way to begin bringing my soul into line is to make my body kneel.”
― C. John Collins, Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?

“This, by the way, is one of the arguments in favor of seeing ancient tradition, rather than free composition, behind these patriarchal stories: Their manners and customs reflect accurate recollections of the time in which the events occurred, not simply the time of whoever wrote the stories down.”
― C. John Collins, Reading Genesis Well: Navigating History, Poetry, Science, and Truth in Genesis 1-11

“Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”
― C. John Collins, Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?

“As C. S. Lewis said, Christ “wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head. He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but he also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting trim.”
― C. John Collins, Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?