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''Mere Christianity'' is a Christian apologetical book by the British author

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

. It was adapted from a series of

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radio talks made between 1941 and 1944, originally published as three separate volumes: ''Broadcast Talks'' (1942), ''Christian Behaviour'' (1943), and ''Beyond Personality'' (1944). The book consists of four parts: the first presents Lewis's arguments for the

existence of God The existence of God (or more generally, the existence of deities) is a subject of debate in theology, philosophy of religion and popular culture. A wide variety of arguments for and against the existence of God or deities can be categorized ...

; the second contains his defence of Christian theology, including his notable " Liar, lunatic, or Lord" trilemma; the third has him exploring

Christian ethics Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system: it is a virtue ethic which focuses on building moral character, and a deontological ethic which emphasizes duty. It also incorporates natural law ethics, whic ...

, among which

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

and

theological virtues Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian theology and philosophy with salvation resulting from the grace of God. Virtues are traits or qualities which dispose one to conduct oneself in a morally good manner. Traditionally they have ...

; in the final, he writes on the Christian conception of God. ''Mere Christianity'' was published in the United Kingdom by

Geoffrey Bles David Geoffrey Bles (1886–1957) was a British publisher, with a reputation for spotting new talent. He started his eponymous publishing firm in London in 1923 and published the first five books of C.S. Lewis' ''Narnia'' series. Early life Ble ...

on 7 July 1952. While initial reviews to the book were generally positive, modern reviewers were more critical of it, and its overall reception was relatively mixed. The praise was primarily directed to Lewis's humorous, straightforward style of writing; the criticism was primarily around the validity of his trilemma, which defends the Christian doctrine of the

divinity of Jesus In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Diffe ...

, and how he should have considered providing more choices. Deemed a classic in Lewis's career and religious literature, ''Mere Christianity'' has often received a wide readership decades following its release, and contributed to establishing its author's reputation as "one of the most 'original' exponents of the Christian faith" in the 20th century. The work, with Lewis's arguments for God's existence in it, continued to be examined in scholarly circles. ''Mere Christianity'' has retained popularity among Christians from various denominations, and appeared in several lists of finest Christian books. Often used as a tool of evangelism, it has been translated into over thirty languages, and cited by a number of public figures as their influence to their conversion to Christianity. Several "biographies" of the book have also been written.

Background

After reading Lewis's ''

The Problem of Pain ''The Problem of Pain'' is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. S. Lewis, in which Lewis argues that human pain, animal pain, and hell are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God. Lewis states that his writing ...

'' James Welch, the Director of Religious Broadcasting for the BBC, wrote Lewis the following:

I write to ask whether you would be willing to help us in our work of religious broadcasting ... The microphone is a limiting, and rather irritating, instrument, but the quality of thinking and depth of conviction which I find in your book ought sure to be shared with a great many other people.

Welch suggested two potential subjects. Lewis responded with thanks and observed that modern literature, the first, did not suit him, choosing instead the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith as Lewis understood it. In the preface to later editions, Lewis described his desire to avoid contested theological doctrine by focusing on core beliefs of the Christian Faith. The succinct and pithy language employed by Lewis enabled him to impact broad audiences, while retaining intellectual substance for more studied readers. Every Wednesday from 7:45 pm to 8 pm during August 1941, Lewis gave live talks entitled "Right or Wrong: A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe” which would become the first book in Mere Christianity. The first set of talks became very popular and flooded Lewis with responses from an adoring and irate public. This feedback led to Lewis going back on air to answer listeners' questions. The following January and February, Lewis gave the next set of talks on what would become “What Christians Believe”. The talks remained popular and because of the success of the newly released

The Screwtape Letters ''The Screwtape Letters'' is a Christian apologetic novel by C. S. Lewis and dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien. It is written in a satirical, epistolary style and while it is fictional in format, the plot and characters are used to address Christi ...

, Lewis’s publisher was happy to publish the broadcast talks as books that year. In Autumn 1942, the third series of talks were, ironically, cut down from 15 to 10 minutes. Due to a miscommunication, Lewis had prepared for 15 minutes, but added the cut material back into the next book and added several more chapters. The fourth set of talks did not take place until 1944. The script drafts had a much wider scope originally, and Lewis prepared for 10-minute talks when the BBC was giving him 15. The timing of these talks was important and strictly adhered to because due to

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

and WWII, Germany would broadcast propaganda through the English-spoken " Lord Hawhaw" during any dead air. Due to the timing of the fourth set of talks (10:20 pm), Lewis said he couldn't do them all live and would have to record some.

The Case for Christianity (Broadcast Talks in UK)

The core of the first section centres on an

argument from morality The argument from morality is an argument for the existence of God. Arguments from morality tend to be based on moral normativity or moral order. Arguments from moral normativity observe some aspect of morality and argue that God is the best o ...

, the basis of which is the "law of human nature", a "rule about right and wrong," which, Lewis maintained, is commonly available and known to all human beings. He cites, as an example, the case of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, writing:

"This law was called the Law of nature because people thought that everyone knew it by nature and did not need to be taught it. They did not mean, of course, that you might not find an odd individual here and there who did not know it, just as you find a few people who are colour-blind or have no ear for a tune. But taking the race as a whole, they thought that the human idea of decent behaviour was obvious to everyone. And I believe they were right. If they were not, then all the things we said about the war were nonsense. What was the sense in saying the enemy were in the wrong unless Right is a real thing which the Nazis at bottom knew as well as we did and ought to have practised? If they had had no notion of what we mean by right, then, though we might still have had to fight them, we could no more have blamed them for that than for the colour of their hair.

On a mundane level, it is generally accepted that stealing is a violation of this moral law. Lewis argues that the moral law is like scientific laws (e.g. gravity) or mathematics in that it was not contrived by humans. However, it is unlike scientific laws in that it can be broken or ignored, and it is known intuitively, rather than through experimentation. After introducing the moral law, Lewis argues that thirst reflects the fact that people naturally need water, and there is no other substance which satisfies that need. Lewis points out that earthly experience does not satisfy the human craving for "joy" and that only God could fit the bill; humans cannot know to yearn for something if it does not exist.The Life and Writing of C.S. Lewis, Lecture 3; The Great Courses, Course Guidebook; Professor

Louis Markos Louis Markos is Professor in English at Houston Baptist University, where he holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities. Education Markos earned his B.A. in English and History from Colgate University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the U ...

, Houston Baptist University; The Teaching Company; 2000 After providing reasons for his conversion to theism, Lewis explicates various conceptions of God.

Pantheism Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical with divinity and a supreme supernatural being or entity, pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity still expanding and creating, which has ex ...

, he argues, is incoherent, and atheism too simple. Eventually, he arrives at

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, and invokes a well-known argument now known as ''

Lewis's trilemma Lewis's trilemma is an apologetic argument traditionally used to argue for the divinity of Jesus by postulating that the only alternatives were that he was evil or mad.Lewis, C. S., ''God in the Dock'' (Eerdmans, 2014), pages 100–101. One versio ...

''. Lewis, arguing that Jesus was claiming to be God, uses

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

to advance three possibilities: either He really was God, was deliberately lying, or was not God but thought Himself to be (which would make Him

delusional A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some o ...

and likely insane). The book goes on to say that the latter two possibilities are not consistent with Jesus' character and it was most likely that He was being truthful.

Christian Behaviour

The next third of the book explores the

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

resulting from Christian belief. He cites the four

cardinal virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in both classical philosophy and Christian theology. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They form a virtue theory of ethics. The term ''cardinal'' comes from the ...

prudence Prudence ( la, prudentia, Contraction (grammar), contracted from meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity") is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of th ...

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

, and fortitude. After touching on these, he goes into the three

: hope, faith, and

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

. Lewis also explains morality as being composed of three ''layers'': relationships between man and man, the motivations and attitudes of the man himself, and contrasting worldviews. Lewis also covers such topics as

social relations A social relation or also described as a social interaction or social experience is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more individuals ...

and forgiveness,

sexual ethics Sexual ethics (also known as sex ethics or sexual morality) is a branch of philosophy that considers the ethics or morality or otherwise in sexual behavior. Sexual ethics seeks to understand, evaluate and critique interpersonal relationships and ...

and the tenets of Christian marriage, and the relationship between morality and

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...

. He also writes about ''the great sin'': pride, which he argues to be the root cause of all evil and rebellion. His most important point is that Christianity mandates that one "love your neighbour as yourself." He points out that all persons unconditionally love themselves. Even if one does not ''like'' oneself, one would still love oneself. Christians, he writes, must also apply this attitude to others, even if they do not like them. Lewis calls this one of the ''great secrets'': when one acts as if he loves others, he will presently come to love them.

Critical reception

Initial reviews of ''Mere Christianity'' generally show enthusiasm, and most of them were from Christian publications. However, combining them with the reviews published decades later indicated a more mixed reception. The historian Stephanie L. Derrick observed that the book's literary elements, such as its eloquence, were the aspect most frequently noted by contemporary publications. The historian George M. Marsden summarised that ''Mere Christianity'' "has been hated as well as loved. Nonetheless, as a popular presentation of the faith it has drawn less systematic criticism than would a book that purported to be a definitive treatise on Christian apologetics and theology." On the general reception to the book, the Lewis biographer Margaret Patterson Hannay described it as his "most popular and ... most disparaged" work, adding that "probably because its fans have spoken of it as a profound piece of theology, while it is, as was designed to be, only a primer". Describing the book as "a rare gift", Edward Skillin of the ''

Commonweal Commonweal or common weal may refer to: * Common good, what is shared and beneficial for members of a given community * Common Weal, a Scottish think tank and advocacy group * Commonweal (magazine), ''Commonweal'' (magazine), an American lay-Cath ...

'' magazine commented of Lewis's ability to make "complicated matters" more accessible especially to laypeople. On a passage of the book, Edward D. Myers of ''

Theology Today ''Theology Today'' is an academic journal published by SAGE Publications for the Princeton Theological Seminary; it was formerly published by Westminster John Knox. It appears four times a year. The first issue of Theology Today appeared in April ...

'' noted, "This is clear, it is simple, it is eminently Christian, and it is typical of the ease with which Mr. Lewis puts great matters into plain language." Joseph McSorley of the ''

Catholic World ''The Catholic World'' was a periodical founded by Paulist Father Isaac Thomas Hecker in April 1865. It was published by the Paulist Fathers for over a century. According to Paulist Press, Hecker "wanted to create an intellectual journal for a g ...

'' found Lewis writing "with his customary clarity and incisiveness, and with proofs that the average man will find convincing. It is a delight to see him demolish in a paragraph many of the heresies which have contributed to our present ghastly condition." ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

'', a Catholic magazine, wrote:

"We have never read arguments better marshalled and handled so that they can be remembered, or any book more useful to the Christian, in the Army or elsewhere, who finds himself called upon to argue briefly from first premises, to say why morality is not herd-instinct, why there is a special and unique character attaching to the sense of obligation, why the conviction that there is a law of right and wrong and a transcendent morality is only intelligible if there is a God."

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'' wrote of Lewis's "quite unique power" of making theology interesting, even "exciting and (one might almost say) uproariously funny". The reviewer added: "No writer of popular apologetics today is more effective than Mr. C. S. Lewis." ''The Clergy Review'' G. D. Smith opined that Lewis "shows himself a master in the rare art of conveying profound truths in simple and compelling language". J. H. Homes of the ''New York Herald Tribune Weekly Book Review'' wrote that "his clarity of thought and simplicity of expression have a magic about them which makes plain the most abstruse problems of theological speculation". ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' said: "His learning is abundantly seasoned with common sense, his humor and his irony are always at the service of the most serious purposes, and his originality is the offspring of enthusiastically loyal orthodoxy." The author

Colin Duriez Colin Duriez (born 19 July 1947) is a writer on fantasy, especially that of J. R. R. Tolkien. Life and works Duriez was born in Derbyshire and spent his early life in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, in a couple of new council estates near Portsmouth and ...

praised it as easy to understand, and the biographer Thomas C. Peters opined that his straightforward language makes the book fit to a wide audience. There had been also criticism, which was primarily directed towards Lewis's "Liar, lunatic, or Lord" trilemma. The Lewis biographer and Christian apologist

Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is a Northern Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in ...

, while commending the book in general, felt that his trilemma is a weak defence for the doctrine of the

, calling this the book's "most obvious concern". He wrote his argument is mostly unsupported by the modern

biblical scholarship Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

, and argued that others options such as that Jesus was mistaken about his identity should have gotten into consideration of alternatives. Scathing criticism came from the philosopher John Beversluis, in his book ''C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion'' (1985). Beversluis analysed Lewis's arguments for Christianity, arriving in the conclusion that each of them is built on faulty logic. He argued that Lewis made his arguments convincing by creating false analogies, with an instance in his trilemma. Beversluis said there are more alternatives in addition to Jesus being a liar or lunatic, one of which is that his disciples misinterpreted his words. The philosopher

Victor Reppert Victor Reppert (born 1953) is an American philosopher best known for his development of the "argument from reason". He is the author of ''C.S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea'' (2003) and numerous academic papers in journals such as ''Christian Scholars' R ...

replied to Beversluis in ''C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea'' (2003), noting that Beversluis was correct in pointing out that many of Lewis's arguments are not strictly logical but overestimating the degree to which Lewis rested his case for Christianity on reason alone. Reppert continued that Lewis, in his autobiography, '' Surprised by Joy'' (1955), realised Christianity rests on far more than solely reason.

Legacy

''Mere Christianity'' has been referred to as a classic of Lewis's career, as well as of religious literature, particularly in the category of Christian apologetics. Commentators have also seen it as a guide to the basics of the Christian faith and to his theology. The book, along with his arguments for the existence of God, have frequently received academic evaluation, either complimenting or critical. Analysing Lewis's books, the Australian archeologist

Warwick Ball Warwick Ball is an Australia-born Near-Eastern archaeologist. Ball has been involved in excavations, architectural studies and monumental restorations in Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. As a lecturer, he has been involved wit ...

believed ''Mere Christianity'' is perhaps his most influential and widely read apologetic work; the American philosopher

C. Stephen Evans Charles Stephen Evans (born 1948) is an American philosopher. He is one of the United States' leading experts on Søren Kierkegaard and has also published extensively on subjects including philosophy of religion and the relationship of psychology ...

called his

moral argument The argument from morality is an argument for the existence of God. Arguments from morality tend to be based on moral normativity or moral order. Arguments from moral normativity observe some aspect of morality and argue that God is the best o ...

the "most widely-convincing apologetic argument of the twentieth century"; McGrath considered it "perhaps as outstanding an example of a lucid and intelligent presentation of the rational and moral case for Christian belief as we are ever likely to see". ''Mere Christianity'' has retained popularity years after its publication, and has been compared to other well-known Christian works, including

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

's ''

The City of God ''On the City of God Against the Pagans'' ( la, De civitate Dei contra paganos), often called ''The City of God'', is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century AD. The book was in response ...

'' and G. K. Chesterton's ''

The Everlasting Man ''The Everlasting Man'' is a Christian apologetics book written by G. K. Chesterton, published in 1925. It is, to some extent, a deliberate rebuttal of H. G. Wells' ''The Outline of History'', disputing Wells' portrayals of human life and civi ...

'' (1925). The BBC journalist Justin Phillips observed that it "continues to transform the lives of those who read it. There is no reason why it won't continue to be potent for decades to come." According to the authors

Roger Lancelyn Green Roger Gilbert Lancelyn Green (2 November 1918 – 8 October 1987) was a British biographer and children's writer. He was an Oxford academic who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkie ...

and

Walter Hooper Walter McGehee Hooper (March 27, 1931December 7, 2020) was an American writer and literary advisor of the estate of C.S. Lewis. He was a literary trustee for Owen Barfield from December 1997 to October 2006. Life Hooper was born in Reidsville, No ...

, its success led to the acknowledgment of Lewis as "one of the most 'original' exponents of the Christian faith" of the 20th century. The book, Hooper continued, shows Lewis's ability of providing a comprehensible guidance of the Christian beliefs/theology to everyone, and "has become synonymous with Lewis". The academic

Bruce L. Edwards Bruce L. Edwards (September 5, 1952 – October 28, 2015) was professor emeritus of English and Africana Studies and Associate Vice President for Online Programs and E-learning Services at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, w ...

noted that it contributes to shaping Lewis's reputation as "a witty, articulate proponent of Christianity". The author Marvin D. Hinten wrote: "When people are asked which C. S. Lewis book has most influenced them spiritually, the most common answer is ''Mere Christianity''." According to Peters, the book is more popular among Christians of various denominations, including Catholic, Latter-day Saint, Orthodox, and Protestant, but less among non-Christians. It is often used as an evangelistic tool, predominantly in Christian-majority countries, including the United States, where its influence is most felt. Furthermore, its influence is strengthened by the publication of its translations; according to Marsden, it has been translated to about thirty-six languages. In the next decades, ''Mere Christianity'' is continued to be reprinted and sold by Christian and online booksellers. For instance, soon after the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, it was translated into the several native languages of its

breakaway states Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

, which was done by Orthodox Christians to rebuild their influence. As of 2010, the book had been in BookScan Religion Bestseller's list for 513 weeks, consecutively. There is also a considerable readership in China, with 60,000 copies had been sold there as of 2014. The book has also been cited by a number of public figures as their influence to their conversion, or re-conversion, to Christianity as well as other Christian denominations. The American geneticist

Francis Collins Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-geneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He is the former director of the National Institutes of Health ( ...

related his story of conversion from atheism in his book, ''

The Language of God ''The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief'' is a bestselling book by Francis Collins in which he advocates theistic evolution. Collins is an American physician-geneticist, noted for his discoveries of disease genes, and his ...

'' (2006), and described ''Mere Christianity'' as having influenced him to embrace Christianity. The American attorney

Charles Colson Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as Pr ...

's conversion happened after him reading a copy of the book given by his friend, Thomas L. Phillips (the chairman of the board of the

Raytheon Company The Raytheon Company was a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft unti ...

). His story became popular, enhanced by the release of his autobiography in 1976, which was consequently declared the "Year of the Evangelicals" by the ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' magazine. Catholic converts include the British philanthropist

Leonard Cheshire Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, (7 September 1917 – 31 July 1992) was a highly decorated Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and group captain during the Second World War, and a philanthropist. Among the honours Cheshire received as ...

, the German economist E. F. Schumacher, the American author

Sheldon Vanauken Sheldon Vanauken (August 4, 1914 – October 18, 1996) was an American author, best known for his autobiographical book ''A Severe Mercy'' (1977), which recounts his and his wife's friendship with C. S. Lewis, their conversion to Christianit ...

, the American columnist

Ross Douthat Ross Gregory Douthat (born 1979) is an American political analyst, blogger, author and ''New York Times'' columnist. He was a senior editor of ''The Atlantic''. He has written on a variety of topics, including the state of Christianity in Americ ...

, the American theologian

Peter Kreeft Peter John Kreeft (; born March 16, 1937) is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and The King's College. A convert to Roman Catholicism, he is the author of over eighty books on Christian philosophy, theology and apologetics. He also f ...

, and the American philosopher

Francis J. Beckwith Francis J. "Frank" Beckwith (born November 3, 1960) is an American philosopher, professor, scholar, speaker, writer, and lecturer. He is currently Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies, Affiliate Professor of Political Science and ...

. ''Mere Christianity'' has been featured in several lists. It was included in the 2000 book, ''100 Christian Books That Changed the Century'', by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. In 2000 and 2006, the evangelical magazine ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

'' editorial board included ''Mere Christianity'' in its "Books of the Century" and "The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals", respectively. In a 2013 article to ''Christianity Today'', McGrath ranked it the first among the five books by Lewis he liked the most. In the same year's "The Best Christian Book of All Time Tournament", run by

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is an inter-denominational, evangelical Christian campus ministry founded in 1941, working with students and faculty on U.S. college and university campuses. InterVarsity is a charter member of the Internat ...

, ''Mere Christianity'' was voted as the all-time, best Christian book, only after Augustine's autobiography '' Confessions''. In 2018, ''Christianity Today'' Greg Cootsona, a writer of the

relationship between religion and science The relationship between religion and science involves discussions that interconnect the study of the natural world, history, philosophy, and theology. Even though the ancient and medieval worlds did not have conceptions resembling the modern u ...

, featured it in his "5 Books That Bring Science and Christianity Together" listing. ''Mere Christianity'' has influenced other Christian publications, with the scholar Gary L. Tandy noting that it remains the standard for assessing them, mainly the apologetic ones. Subsequent publications with allusion to the book in their titles include

N. T. Wright Nicholas Thomas Wright (born 1 December 1948), known as N. T. Wright or Tom Wright, is an English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian and Anglican bishop. He was the bishop of Durham from 2003 to 2010. He then became research profe ...

's ''Simply Christian'' (2006) and McGrath's ''Mere Apologetics'' (2012). The American pastor Tim Keller referred to his apologetic ''

The Reason for God ''The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism'' (2008) is a book and DVD on Christian apologetics by Timothy J. Keller, a scholar and founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Book ''The Reason for God: Belief i ...

'' (2012) as "''Mere Christianity'' for dummies". The bimonthly ecumenical Christian magazine '' Touchstone'', which started publication in 1986, is subtitled ''A Journal of Mere Christianity''. Paul McCusker's ''C. S. Lewis & Mere Christianity'', which provides insights to the work in its historical context, was published in 2014; it was praised for being well-researched but was criticised for its factual errors. Another "biography" of the book, ''C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity'', written by Marsden, was released in 2016, and received a positive reception from critics, with some criticism to its conclusion.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chapters * * * * * * *

External links

*
Audio of the last remaining broadcast talk
from bbc.co.uk * , originally from SLewisClassics.com
Origin of the phrase "Mere Christianity"

Mere Christianity
Canadian public domain edition (PDF) {{Portal bar, Books, Christianity 1952 non-fiction books 20th-century Christian texts Books about Christianity Books by C. S. Lewis Christian apologetic works Christian ethics Criticism of atheism Religious philosophical literature Geoffrey Bles books