Categories: uncategorized
Date: 29 May 2006 01:11:41
CS Lewis was a genius. I've also been reading a biography written by his stepson which talks more about the man that CS Lewis was, and I'm very impressed with his life as well as his works. More on that book another time - I want to write about Mere Christianity, by CS Lewis.
Lewis covers a lot of ground in this book, which is based on a series of radio talks he gave in Britain during the second world war. His aim with the talks was to explain the basic concepts of Christianity and why he believed them. He does an excellent job.
The most striking thing is Lewis' easy command of language. The whole book feels like a chat with the author, with him presenting his arguments in a friendly and accessible way, always justifying what he believes with anecdotes and scripture references where appropriate. This makes it read more like a talk with a learned friend than a textbook, and I think this is where the strength of the work lies.
The first few chapters go through a couple of relatively simple reasons why Lewis believes that there is a God at all, mainly focused on the idea that we as humans have an innate sense of right and wrong that transcends what could be provided by evolution, and which therefore must have come from a creator god. He moves from this to the Christian God, through several ideas and doctrines central to Christian belief, and ends with a couple of relatively complex ideas like the trinity and God-outside-time.
Very good for a beginner Christian, or even someone who simply wants to hear a wise account of the bases of our faith, I recommend this book heartily. Lewis takes the reader by the hand and leads you through the concepts in a passionate and entertaining way. I'm reading for the second time at the moment - it's not very often a book this accessible has such powerful content.