Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C. S. Lewis [Paperback]

Andrew Lazo (Editor), Mary Anne Phemister (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2009

C. S. Lewis continues to hold remarkable appeal to people from all walks of life, with books by and about Lewis remaining perennially popular. Arguably no author of the twentieth century has had a greater spiritual impact on more people than Lewis. Mere Christians explores this influence through personal accounts from fifty-five Christians whose spiritual lives have been dramatically altered by reading Lewis's books. The contributors include ordinary laypeople as well as well-known leaders and writers including Charles Colson, Anne Rice, Jill Briscoe, George Gallup Jr., Philip Yancey, and many more. This unique collection shines new light on the impact of Lewis's work and will be of wide interest to his many fans.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The spiritual legacy of a literary master--and mentor To many who have discovered his books, C. S. Lewis is more than simply a writer; he has been a spiritual mentor. Here over fifty Christians share how meeting the mind and imagination of Lewis in his books sparked the beginning or changed the course of their spiritual journey. These inspiring reflections have been shared by ordinary laypeople as well as many well-known leaders and writers, including: Philip Yancey Charles Colson Anne Rice Randy Alcorn Francis S. Collins Joy Davidman Liz Curtis Higgs George Gallup Jr. Walter Hooper Thomas Howard Jill Briscoe David Lyle Jeffrey This unique celebration of Lewis's spiritual legacy will be treasured by all those who treasure Lewis's words. "The distinguishing excellence of Mere Christians is its scope. There is something here for everyone. The range of ways in which the contributors to the book have been influenced by C. S. Lewis is as varied as the contributors themselves. The result is two for the price of one--an engaging fireside chat with fifty-five people telling their story and a many-sided portrait of C. S. Lewis and his writings."--Leland Ryken, Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English, Wheaton College "This excellent collection of testimonials to Lewis's enduring influence is unusual for its depth and its breadth--depth for how profoundly his work continues to touch and turn around lives and breadth for how many and how diverse this Lewis-affected population is."--Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame "I believe that Lewis would be pleased by the pieces in this collection. The heartfelt contributors notwithstanding, it is evident that their gratitude is ultimately for their life-changing encounter with the divine as Lewis primarily intended."--Marjorie Lamp Mead, associate director, Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College

About the Author

Mary Anne Phemister is an author and serves as a docent at the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College. Andrew Lazo holds a Master of Arts degree in Modern British Literature from Rice University, where he was Jacob K. Javits Fellow in the Humanities. He currently teaches literature at the University of Houston, has done scholarly research at the Marion E. Wade Center, and is a frequent speaker for the C. S. Lewis Foundation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801071844
• ISBN-13: 978-0801071843
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Into the Heart of C S Lewis, March 4, 2009

By 

Carolyn R. Scheidies "CRS" (KEARNEY, NE United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

I can't recall the first time I was introduced to C. S. Lewis. I do know I am a life-long fan. In college I read his Space Trilogy and other works. When my children were young, we read through the Narnia series every Winter for years. It has made my son also a life long fan of Lewis. (I will be giving him a copy of this book for his birthday this year.)

This particular work is a compilation of contributions from authors, pastors, professors and more, including many eminent scholars and Christians, who've been profoundly influenced by C. S. Lewis and how. It is a revealing work not just about the contributors, but also about the heart of Lewis himself and his influence on Christian thought, talk and walk.

This book is intriguing and very readable. Lewis aficionados will want to add this book to their collection, while those who don't know Lewis's works will be drawn to check them out.

[...]

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars C.S. Lewis - showcased as a great communicator, March 16, 2011

By 

Holly E. Ordway - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

Mere Christians is a valuable casebook of how C.S. Lewis, through his writing, changed people's lives, guiding them toward Christ in such a powerful way that many of them went on to become writers, teachers, pastors, missionaries sharing the Gospel with passion and humility.

What we have here is not a dry scholarly analysis of Lewis' work; rather, we have fifty-five different voices, giving testimony to the particular ways that Lewis spoke to them. The range and variety of the pieces is significant: the contributors come from all walks of life, different professions, age groups, religious backgrounds, experiences.

Mere Christians helps us understand the power of Lewis as a communicator. He could communicate in a way that pointed readers and listeners unfailingly to Christ, making the truths of the faith so clear that the power of God could shine through into the lives of those who read his books.

For one thing, the sheer variety of responses should tell us something about Lewis' art of witness: that it is not "one size fits all." These accounts, and others like them, bring home an important insight for apologists: Reason and Imagination are allies, not opponents, as we seek to share the faith - and to strengthen our own. As Andrew Lazo says in his introduction, "I don't exaggerate in claiming that Lewis taught me how to think. In fact I gladly claim that when I was a child, Lewis sparked my imaginative life, and when I became a man, Lewis saved my intellectual life."

Second, many of these accounts show the power of longing. Lewis is cited again and again as someone who awoke desire for God - a desire that could only be satisfied by a real relationship with the Living God, not by anything in Lewis' own works.

Third, account after account references Lewis' honesty and clarity. He brings out the power of Christian truth in fresh, vibrant imagery - not just recycling the tired tropes with the assumption that they will push the right buttons in the reader.

We can learn a lot from C.S. Lewis' art of witness! With its fifty-five personal accounts of how Lewis' s writing changed lives, Mere Christians is a wonderful resource for inspiration and reflection for anyone who wants to share the Christian faith in a graceful, sensitive, meaningful way.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Did not disappoint, May 27, 2011

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Maggie Jarpey - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C. S. Lewis (Paperback)

Anyone considering this book is probably going to react the way I did. It was everything I hoped it might be. The individual reactions to C.S. were extremely interesting and profitable to read--very enjoyable for someone who enjoys C.S. Lewis. The writers were varied in their personalities, occupations, and thoughts. I didn't find a dull page in the book, and I look forward to reading it again at some later point.