Customer Reviews

C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity (Shepherd's Notes)

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The reviews on this page are erroneously coupled with The Shepherd's Notes (like Cliff notes, but by the Shepherd, one supposes) to Mere Christianity, NOT the book itself. I bought this thing, and since I do my own reading and can generally keep up with Mr. Lewis' excellent writing style, this was the last thing I needed. The reviews posted here are good and accurate, but the book you're buying is not the one you think it is. Be careful!

If you are viewing the page for Mere Christianity (Shepherd's Notes), you are looking at a sort of Cliff Notes book. I'm glad I ordered it by mistake (I just put in my order for the actual book) because it looks like an extremely useful tool for understanding the context of Mere Christianity. Before you click Add to Cart, make sure you are buying the book you actually want.

As a young man trying to decide whether or not to believe the things I grew up in, this book was very helpful to me. I remember reading the chapter on pride, "The Great Sin," one night at a camp in Alaska where I was counseling. The Holy Spirit showed me myself in that chapter. I poured over this book in those days, internalized it, even learned Chinese hoping to translate it.

I have since "moved on" to more detailed and empirically-oriented books by Christians, skeptics, and followers of other religions. Many of these offer interesting facts and insights. But the only place I have found as much wisdom as here (outside the Bible) was G. K. Chestertons's Everlasting Man, which influenced Lewis to faith. (As for Conversations With God, the innane "revelation" one reader recommends instead, a single paragraph of Lewis or Chesterton contains more wisdom than the whole first volume.)

Lewis has a marvelous gift for explaining things in simple terms without patronizing or talking down. Some may find his argument difficult, and others, too simple. In that case I recommend further reading; Lewis is not trying to be thorough.

I agree with the skeptic below that Lewis does not offer "proof" of God, or even logically-compelling evidence. He dismisses atheism with amazing abruptness. "Atheism is too simple. . . If the universe has no meaning, we would never have found out." (How does he know that? Does he have a control universe in his pocket?) But don't misunderstand. Lewis does not really offer "proof" of God. Notice he calls section one, "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe." Lewis views our relationship with God not in scientific but in personal terms. God does not force faith on His wayward children, but drops hints for those who are seeking, is his assumption. Life is not an equation, but an adventure, even a romance with truth.

Some also suggest a loophole in Lewis' famous "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" argument for the deity of Christ. Jesus' words were misrepresented by his followers, they say: he didn't really make the claims the Gospels say he did. Here again, remember that Lewis is trying to be concise. If you want his answer to that objection (still a very devastating answer, if you are familiar with Jesus Seminar material), you'll find it in his essay, Fernseed and Elephants. The argument is also more fully developed in the first chapters of "On the Man Called Christ," in part two of Everlasting Man, where I guess Lewis found it in the first place.

There are books with a more empirical approach to the existence of God; Hugh Ross' book on the Anthropic Principle, Creator and the Cosmos, for example, or Don Richardson's Eternity in Their Hearts, that shows how God has worked in cultures around the world. My new book, Jesus and the Religions of Man, argues for the existence of God from comparative religion and miracles. It also discusses the divinity of Jesus in relation to other religions. But I don't know any modern popular author of any viewpoint who can hold a candle to Lewis or Chesterton in terms of expressing deep truths in simple words. Reading Mere Christianity and finding only "a mess of holes," would be like going into a mine full of precious jewels and coming out with bucket of coal. There are truths here that will enrich you the rest of your life, if you lay hold of them.

d.marshall@sun.ac.jp

I am really enjoying the detail that Mere Christianity Shepherd's Notes has for group devotionals, and individual study. This is a great companion to the complete book.

This book is not "Mere Christianity", it is a guide to go along with it. Do not Purchase it thinking that you will get the text of the book "Mere Christianity".

"Mere Christianity" was originally a set of three BBC radio talks given by Lewis in the 1940s, sort of "fireside chats" about Christianity, if you will. His take on the faith has held up quite well because he addresses enduring issues such as the relationship between the individual and God, living a moral life, and the Christian virtues, and because he does so in everyday language.

As a stylist, Lewis employs turns of phrase that are simple, direct and powerful. "A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself." "The first thing to get clear about Christian morality . . . is that in this department Christ did not come to preach any brand new morality. The Golden Rule of the New Testament is a summing up of what everyone, at bottom, had always known to be right."

Lewis is an orthodox believer, and not everyone will agree with him on every issue. One suspects he would disagree with today's pick-and-choose "cafeteria" approach to Christianity. Here he is on sexual ethics: "[A] cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither."

I disagree with the reviewers who think this book is "just for Christians." Bearing in mind that not all Christians will accept every single opinion in it, "Mere Christianity" is nonetheless an excellent introduction to the faith and thus offers a great deal of insight for those looking for insight, say, into the belief structure of one's Christian friends. There are tons of primers on Christianity in today's overcrowded religious-book market, but this little volume does the job better than practically anything else I've seen.

allen; charless@ync.net

I used this book a ton for my world religions class where the book Mere Christianity was required. I found the full length book very dry and repetitive, this book helped me tremenously to get through the text. I am getting a good grade in my class which is based half on my knowlege of this book and half on one other and lecture. I would reccomend it if you have a problem reading C.S. Lewis. good stuff!! The seller got this book to me super quickly and it was very affordable.

I was hoping for something that was more of a study guide that could be used in a Sunday school class setting. This is more of a condensed version of the book, almost a Mere Christianity mini version. It does have some interesting side notes.

Thank you for your prompt and professional service in purchasing this product. Your site listed the condition of the book and it arrived exactly as you said it would.

This is not Mere Christianity. I returned the twelve I bought. I did not look at it, so I cannot say if it is a good study guide to work with a group study. I just want you to know that it is not the book itself.

I highly recommend Mere Christianity to everyone. It is by far the best treatise for understanding basic Christianity. It is an easy and fast read. Sometimes a bit difficult to understand these concepts, but let's face it, Christianity is a bit difficult.