Customer Reviews

The Case for Christianity

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This book is just the first section of his famous book "Mere Christianity." It is a very good look at the discussion of the existence of God. He attacks the issue from the beginning of our self-awareness of morality. The only complaints I have are that 1) it is fairly short and 2) it is the first third of "Mere Christianity" (which I did not know until after the fact). However, the size is not necessarily a detriment, because you don't have to pay a lot for it, and you can buy it for friends who are interested in intelligent engagement in the subject.

I thoroughly enjoyed this small book. CS Lewis writes with a logical style that makes you come away wondering how anyone could not see it as clear as he does. This book is taken from his radio addresses in WWII - I only wish they were longer

Even if you have definitely set your mind against God and Christianity, you Must admit that C.S. Lewis is a brilliant author. I have read some of Lewis's other works and have also glanced at other persuasive books on the atheist's side. Recently I began reading "The Case Against God" by another author on the the nature of Atheism. After I had read no more than 20-30 pages it was obvious to me that Lewis's writing technique and the way that he presented his case was much more informed; much more thought out. C.S. Lewis has a captivating writing style that draws you in, and holds you in awe of the consistent logic and informed/educated perspective throughout the book. I am a Christian, so I love C.S.Lewis's writings all the more for that reason, but as an educated person it is inconceivable for me to imagine that anyone, even an atheist could deny the obviously briliant presentation of "The Case for Christianity."

Personally I feel I should point out that a wise man would not buy this book -- not for spiritual reasons but for economic ones. MERE CHRISTIANITY opens with this book, THE CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY, and has two other books with it that provide a central thesis for the skeptics and believers alike. Don't buy this edition -- buy MERE CHRISTIANITY

That being said, this work gives in detail how there simply must be a God, and how athiesm simply does not hold water. It also talks about dualism, the belief of the Ying and Yang, where good and evil are contained and balance out one another. To all you Star Wars fans, this abolishes the Force and all its false theological implications.

C. S. Lewis's cool clear logic, well founded arguements, and easy-to-read writing style make this one of the best of witnessing tools. This is a book anyone can read and understand, and stands as one of the great apologetics of the 20th Century.

Mike London

C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, he is witty and clear, and when he explains a point, if you don't understand it, you probably never willl.

In the case for Christianity, Lewis draws out the argument for Christianity, begining with the Law of nature, and step by step drawing the reader to the existence of God, the necessity of Salvation, and Christ's salvific work in the world. The book itself is out of print, but if you want to read it, don't despair. It's the first part of Lewis' larger work, Mere Christianity.

The Case for Christianity functions much as a microcosm of the theology of C.S. Lewis. This small book is an excellent introduction to the thought of C.S. Lewis which is heavily centered on the claims of morality in the face of materialistic philosophy. Primarily, the first half is a defense against this type of thought, ending on an invocation to understand that Christianity fills the void primarily because of its answer to the problem of the Fall.

The second half of the text is a very brief outline of Christian dogma. While it does not hit many points (and does not promise to do such), it does hit the major points of Christianity. His contrast Christianity to Dualism and refutation of Dualism are succinct and very good. Additionally, he stresses the all-important fact that Christianity is about Christ's person (and work -- i.e. life/death/resurrection) as well as his teaching, and that it is precisely in His person/work that Christianity is differed from other religions/philosophies. My only qualm is with his view of the importance of various understandings of the Cross. He purports that is only faith in the fact that the Cross was effective that is important and that it is not important to be concerned with the images/understandings thereof. As a Catholic, I truly think that one can (to a degree) understand the soteriological aspects of the Crucifixion and that they do express truths. However, Lewis foresees this Catholic view and even explains how the Catholic view is not different from his by great degrees, for we still acknowledge that the Crucifixion itself is still greater than all explanations thereof.

This is an excellent apology for Christianity that I suggest to all who wish to see a brief glimpse of the mind of C.S. Lewis.

As was stated in another review, this book is the first third of mere Christianity. That said, Lewis is at his best here. Truly the ability to write with any sort of lucidity and laconicity about Christ and Christianity is a most admirable trait. I don't like to recommend many books beyond the Bible for Christians, but this one that I will. Do read.

This little book is a quick, fun read but by no means (as another reviewer rendered it) a complete refutation of atheism. Theology is a deep and wide chasm draped in intricate propositions ad infinitum; and Lewis' book is definitely too miniscule to bridge the gap unless a real appreciation for the complexity of the situation is completely abscent in the seeker. Essentially, this text serves readers well in that it surreptitiously conducts the reader to an intellectual destination that seems simple enough, only to find out upon further investigation that Lewis' arguments are perhaps too simplistic after all.

For example, Lewis asserts the unimaginable claim that one of the reasons he believes in the Christian revelation is because the biblical claims and story retain such uniqueness as to be impossible to have been just made up. Christianity to Lewis isn't a fairytale but seems more like a real 'boy's religion"--that is, he makes an argument from its supposed realism. However, many religions are unique (there is no valid argument here) but to his credit, he is correct in identifying Christianity as an historical religion. But any student of the New Testament knows that the historicity found there is really a misinterpretation of the Judaic tradition and whatever new that appears in the NT is dug out of the Hebrew Bible out of context and character. To make things a bit more complicated, none of the NT writers (Apostles) qoute the Hebrew Bible correctly. In sum, even the supposed unique quality of Christianity rests on a myriad of propositions that are irreconcilable with the facts of the history they claim as their basis.

Another disappointment of Lewis' tract is its invalid reasoning. His main argument is that when two men argue, they both appeal to some moral law beyond themselves--a Third Man--so to speak to which both plaintiff and defendant acquiesce. There is a Standard, a Bench before which and to which all moral arguments concerning fairness is brought. "Such and such is unfair because we all know what fairness is." And since the material world, being simply a mindless, deterministic machine, cannot believe in a right or wrong. Therefore, there is a something outside the physical world that is getting in. This something he says is the Triune God of Christian brand of theism. The invalidity of this process of reasoning is obvious to the trained eye. It fails at the most important juncture: even if we were to agree that something "from without the physical universe" was getting in, no necessary connection exists between this Something and the Trinity. Lewis is attempting to prove too much or infer too much from the observed facts. It is true that human beings argue about right and wrong. But it is also true that human beings will appeal to anything to gain an advantage in any situation. Some appeal to the Qu'ran, others to the Bible and yet others to papal pronouncements and so on as a final standard. And, if two people do not agree to the authority of some final standard, then there is no reconciliation. The bottom line is that every attempt to ground Christianity upon cosmological arguments always fails because we cannot infer anything beyond what is given in the observed facts themselves.

I started reading this book out loud to my children to help strengthen their understanding of Christianity. Little did I know when I began how much it would strengthen my own faith and understanding as well! I love his clear and common sense approach to explaining things. I especially liked his analogy of training a puppy to be a beloved member of the family in his comparison of the natural state and the transformed state. I disagreed with only one small section of the book, that being his reasoning that beasts do not go to heaven because they don't have emotions. Having owned many pets over they years I know they absolutely do express emotion. And there are also verses (particularly in the old testament) that suggest animals do go to heaven. But this discrepancy is not sufficient to drop the rating, in my opinion. Some people have said to me that they heard C.S. Lewis was too "cerebral" but I found it to be refreshing and insightful. I highly recommend it to anyone who has struggled with "How do you know for sure that Christianity is the right answer?" or anyone who just wants to dig deeper into the Christian faith.

C. S. Lewis gives us food for thought in this book written in 1951.

Lewis is asking us to look beyond the mind and open ourselves to the dwelling of Christ's spirit living within each one of us. We have to take off our blinders, let go of our masks and our ego centered self.

Many authors have explained this phenomenon of looking within and letting go of our own egos. John Sanford in his book The Kingdom Within: The Inner Meaning of Jesus' Sayings. Leo Tolstoy The Kingdom of God is Within You. Eckhart Tolle Stillness Speaks.

Our journey continues, let us become one with Christ and share in His vision of a new earth. Christ is counting on us.