Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6103 in Books
• Published on: 1997-12-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1943, when hope and the moral fabric of society in Britain were threatened by the relentless inhumanity of global war, an Oxford don was invited to give a series of radio lectures addressing the central issues of Christianity. Over half a century after the original lectures, the topic retains its urgency. Expanded into book form, Mere Christianity never flinches as it sets out a rational basis for Christianity and builds an edifice of compassionate morality atop this foundation. As Mr Lewis clearly demonstrates, Christianity is not a religion of flitting angels and blind faith, but of free will, an innate sense of justice and the grace of God.

Synopsis
Each article in this text is an example of Lewis's ability to explain and defend what he terms "mere" Christianity. He expounds the reasons why Christianity is a credible faith, looks at Christian belief and behaviour and the final section, entitled "Beyond Personality", is an examination of the spiritual transformation which occurs when God invades the human heart and mind.

Customer Reviews

Your nicked
This book is the citizens arrest of Christianity. Logical, well written and dangerous. You really can't read it without coming to a decision of whether to agree with his conclusions or not.

Good fun, though not logical
Lewis writes brilliantly and will persuade those who wish to persuaded. There is of course nothing logical about Christianity, as some Christian apologists have recognized from Tertullian's certum, quia impossible est to Sir Thomas Browne: "Methinks there be not half enough impossibilities in religion for an active faith."

An example of Lewis's fallacious argument is seen in his declaration that Jesus' declaration that he is God is either a lie, a statement of a madman, or something worse. In fact, there is no reasonable certainty that Jesus ever made this claim, since it appears in the least historical of the gospels (none of which were written by the original disciples). For a good, scholarly study of the gospels, see Spong, Rescuing the Bible from fundamentalism : a bishop rethinks the meaning of Scripture.

Lewis' stance in this book is kind persuasion of the average reader. Thus he must ignore historical and anthropological data that show that the belief human sacrifice is necessary to please the god(s) has antecedents thousands of years before Christianity. Obviously many people still find credible the idea that only a human sacrifice can please God (yes, we all know Christians believe Jesus to be God, but Jesus suffered horribly as a human being). A god who requires human sacrifice (note precedents in OT) because all human beings inherit the guilt of their supposed first parents, Adam and Eve, is a bronze age god. The old, bloody ideas of collective, inherited guilt requiring human sacrifice keep marching on.

simply wonderful!
CS Lewis shines in this book. He has the extraordinary ability to see into the heart of things and to provide simple answers to complex questions concerning christianity and humanity. Like the desert fathers, he shows considerable understanding of the human psyche and on every page, demonstrates his extraordinary humanity. I laughed in a deep and hearty way (and with joy) at some of his thoughts. Well done Mr Lewis; I hope and pray that you see the good Lord face to face!