| Synopsis
of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis:
Mere Christianity is a revised
and enlarged edition of the three books produced from C.S. Lewis' radio
broadcasts in England during World War II: The Case for Christianity, Christian
Behaviour, and
Beyond Personality. Here
is the outline for Mere Christianity:
Book I. RIGHT AND WRONG AS
A CLUE TO THE MEANING OF THE UNIVERSE. 1.) The Law of Human Nature (Where
Lewis begins by saying, "Every one has heard people quarrelling," then
goes on to talk about the moral law people appeal to when they argue.)
2.) Some Objections 3.)The Reality of the Law 4.) What Lies Behind the
Law 5.) We Have Cause to Be Uneasy
Book II. WHAT CHRISTIANS
BELIEVE 1.) The Rival Conceptions of God 2.) The Invasion 3.) The Shocking
Alternative (where Lewis presents his claims that Jesus of Nazareth was
either God incarnate, a liar, or a lunatic, but not merely a good moral
teacher.) 4.) The Perfect Penitent 5.) The Practical Conclusion
Book III. CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOUR
1.) The Three Parts of Morality 2.) The "Cardinal Virtues" (Lewis discusses
Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude) 3.) Social Morality 4.) Morality
and Psychoanalysis 5.) Sexual Morality 6.) Christian Marriage 7.) Forgiveness
8.) The Great Sin (pride) 9.) Charity 10.) Hope 11.) Faith 12.) Faith
Book IV. BEYOND PERSONALITY:
OR FIRST STEPS IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
1.) Making and Begetting
2.) The Three-Personal God 3.) Time and Beyond Time 4.) Good Infection
5a.) The Obstinate Toy Soldiers 6.) Two Notes 7.) Let's Pretend 8.) Is
Christianity Hard or Easy? 9.)
Counting the Cost 10.) Nice
People or New Men 11.) The New Men
In his preface, Lewis wrote,
"The reader should be warned that I offer no help to anyone who is hesitating
between two Christian "denominations." You will not learn from me whether
you ought to
become an Anglican, a Methodist,
a Presbyterian, or a Roman Catholic. . . Ever since I became a Christian
I have thought that the best, perhaps! the only, service I could do for
my unbelieving
neighbours was to explain
and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at
all times." This was Lewis's purpose in creating this book, to discuss
what Baxter called "mere"
Christianity, or the bare
essentials that should be common to all Christians. In a book that is less
than 200 pages long, it is amazing that Lewis was able to accomplish such
a task. Regardless of whether
you are already a Christian,
or someone who is interested only in what it is that Christians believe,
this concise book explains the basics in an engaging fashion.
Order C.S.Lewis' books:
Mere
Christianity, The
Case for Christianity or The
Problem of Pain or the Bible
Holy
Bible : The Niv Study Bible/.
Sample quote from C. S. Lewis,
converted atheist, in Mere Christianity...
"I am trying here
to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say
about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't
accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man
who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be
a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on the level with the
man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell.
You must make your choice. Either this man was and is, the Son of God:
or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you
can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and
call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense
about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.
He did not intend to."
Read the article on Faith
for more information on Christ and Christianity.
Lynette Hoy
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