Tag: Mere Christianity

Language That Can Be Understood

  

One of the reasons I enjoy teaching about C.S. Lewis and sharing his thoughts is that he is so good at putting deep thoughts into words that should communicate well with almost any audience. One doesn’t have to be an academic to figure out what he is saying. In one of his essays, “Christian Apologetics,” he offers this guidance: He continues in that same essay with sound advice for anyone seeking to present Christian truth: “You must translate every bit… Read more »

Mere Christianity: Teaching a Classic

  

C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity has become a classic in the history of books explaining the Christian faith. I have begun teaching this classic at my church on Wednesday evenings. People can come in person, watch on Zoom, or watch the sessions later after the video is uploaded. The interest is high: 60 have now participated in the first session and others will undoubtedly let me know later that they have watched the first video. It’s a blessing to have this… Read more »

Solidifying the Faith of Mere Christians

  

I’ve finished three weeks of my university course on C. S. Lewis and enjoyed every minute of it. We began by going through his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, which I can tell was well received by the students. We have now begun key chapters in Mere Christianity and carefully analyzed and discussed Books I and II, which provide the basis for building an apologetic for the faith. As I read my students’ reading reports on the assigned chapters, I see… Read more »

The God-Is-In-Control Cliche

  

Lest there be any alarm at the title of this post, let me give the broader context first. I firmly believe that God is capable of doing whatever He chooses. Further, Scripture makes it abundantly clear that He will be the one to decide when this thing called history will come to an end. I also believe this verse is true: It’s a wonderful assurance that the Lord is an active God who works in our behalf. Keep in mind,… Read more »

True Hope in a Dismal World

  

We live in a world of COVID exhaustion, political turmoil, and cultural upheaval. Many people over the past year have let hope slip. They view all of these problems and descend into despair. But for Christians, it’s not supposed to be that way. Of all people, we should be the people of hope. Yes, that can be cliched. It’s often easy to throw out verbal assurances that have little meaning. As we’re reminded in the book of James, What good… Read more »

Developing the Ransom Trilogy

  

While I cannot recall the precise order of my initial reading of C. S. Lewis’s books, I do know that his science fiction offerings must have been near the beginning. First, I have always loved science fiction; second, the realization that a Christian author wrote such things had to have piqued my interest. It’s possible The Screwtape Letters came first, but I had to have read what is commonly called “The Space Trilogy” during that same period. I, along with… Read more »

A Companion to Mere Christianity

  

I’ve been teaching my C. S. Lewis course at Southeastern University since August. I’m delighted that my students, by their own testimonies, have found it to be so valuable. For some of them, this is the first time they have truly had direct contact with Lewis and his writings, rather than just seeing a couple of Narnia movies. They got a lot out of reading his autobiography, Surprised By Joy, and The Screwtape Letters. In between those two reading assignments,… Read more »