Joyful Christian (Paperback)

by C.S. Lewis (Author) "EVERYONE HAS HEARD people quarreling..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Testament, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Jewish (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Christianity Today The most welcome general book in the field of theology. Excellent for both those who have long appreciated Lewis and those who need an introduction. -- Review

Review
AmericaThe Joyful Christian gives as good an introduction to the breadth and depth of Lewis's religious reflections as you are likely to find between two covers.

Christianity TodayThe most welcome general book in the field of theology. Excellent for both those who have long appreciated Lewis and those who need an introduction.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; Touchstone ed edition (June 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684823772
• ISBN-13: 978-0684823775
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #282,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Lewis Compilation, May 31, 2000

By	Jonathan Bennett (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joyful Christian (Paperback)

This book could properly be called "The C.S. Lewis Reader," because it is a collection of Lewis' essays, sermons, and excerpts from his books. The writings are arranged by topic. On the plus side, this format allows the reader to find out Lewis' thoughts about various topics. His brilliant mind tackles such issues as life on other planets, atheism, the Trinity, and over 120 other engaging topics. The negative is that many of the excerpts are usually only two or three paragraphs long and this does not allow a person access to Lewis' whole opinion on that particular subject. Still, the book includes an index that shows which books the essays were taken from. This allows the reader to explore Lewis' views more in depth. Overall, I highly recommend this book. It acts as an excellent introduction to the thought of C.S. Lewis for a new reader or a handy topical reference for those already familiar with him.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good compendium of Lewis' works, June 18, 2000

By	Rosemary Thornton "The Houses That Sears Built" (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Joyful Christian (Paperback)

This collection of Lewis' essays is a good read. It's well-categorized and as such, makes for a good "bathroom book". You can open it randomly, read a bit on a given topic and set it aside.

And it contains some of Lewis' best work and pithy sayings and profound wisdom. Lots of quotable quotes and also includes ideas that can be life changing if you let them hang around in your consciousness long enough.

I love "Jack's" writings anyway and this book is just a good collection of his best ideas.

However, my #1 favorite Lewis book is "The Screwtape Letters" which should be read in it's entirety.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lewis' compelling theology:, January 21, 2003

By	Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

C.S. Lewis' works, insofar as I have read them, are philosophically and theologically well considered. Of course, that is an understatement. He shies away from no serious question or "problem". He was the most important apologist of the twentieth century.
The Joyful Christian is a collection of 127 readings drawn from his extensive body of work, varying in length from a few sentences to several pages. This reader found only a few discussions in which (I believe) Lewis errs. Most of this collection is very sound (again an understatement). At the same time I was reading this volume, I was reading the thoughts of another well-known 20th century theologian, who was in search of the "historical Jesus." Lewis' thoughts on the subject were much closer to being correct: "In the last generation we promoted the construction of such a 'historical Jesus' on liberal and humanitarian lines; we are now putting forward a new 'historical Jesus' on Marxian, catastrophic, and revolutionary lines. The advantages of these constructions, which we intend to change every thirty years or so, are manifold. ...for each 'historical Jesus' is unhistorical. The documents say what they say ...each new 'historical Jesus' therefore has to be got out of them by suppression at one point and exaggeration at another ...religion of this kind is false to history..."
Lewis on 'Prudence': "Christ said we could only get into His world by being like children... as St. Paul points out, Christ never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence: on the contrary, He told us to be not only 'as harmless as doves' but also 'as wise as serpents.' He wants a child's heart, but a grown-up's head. He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but he also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job... He wants everyone to use what sense they have."
Lewis on 'Hope': "The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth 'thrown in': aim at Earth and you will get neither."
Lewis on 'Apologetics': "The great difficulty is to get modern audiences to realize that you are preaching Christianity solely and simply because you happen to think it is true; they always suppose you are preaching it because you like it or think it good for society or something of that sort..."
'The Joyful Christian' is one of the best collections of theological thought and Christian apologetics you are likely to find.