Rating: 
Summary: Thorough introduction to what Christianity is about
Review: I enjoyed the logic of this book, the wonderful metaphors C.S. Lewis used to describe his points about the divinity of Christ, the relationship between Father and Son, of God to man, and people to each other. Pithy but not witty, this book includes several quotes that will forever be a part of my reperatoire: "Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moarlities: it is quacks and cranks who do that" (p. 82); "A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right" (p. 93); and "The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ: trusts that Christ will somehow share with him the perfect human obedience which he carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself, and in a sense, make good his deficiencies" (p. 147). This will definitely be a staple on my religious book shelf. I'm glad my friend bought it for me for Christmas, and I am sorry it took me this long to get around to it!
Rating: 
Summary: A 'Readers Digest' Apologetic
Review: If you're looking for an in depth apologetic for the Christian faith, this is not it. If you are looking for a book which will finally convince you that there is a God, I doubt this book will do it either. Do not look for an iron-clad argument for Christ, for this was not the intent of the book, i.e. the title MERE Christianity. It is an introduction, and towards that goal, it surpasses all others.It achieves this through the clarity and power of the prose, the elegance of the analogy, and the refreshing angles on suppositional questions. For these reasons, this book is a must read for those exploring faith, and especially those looking for a framework on which to hang their Christian faith. As an agnostic undergratuate twenty years ago, this book served to rock my world view. Two decades later, a re-read emphasizes the elegant answers Christiantiy offers to the major questions of life.
Rating:
Summary: Something for Everyone
Review: I would recommend Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis to anyone, regardless of their beliefs. I believe every reader will find some part of the book that will prove to be useful. For those readers thinking or wandering about Christianity, Lewis provides them with the motivation and tools needed to get them headed in the right direction. Atheists reading the book may find Lewis's ideas and experiences interesting since he too was once an aheist, and he knows the doubts, questions and oppositions they may have. For Christians, Lewis prepares those who are faced with the need to explain and defend their beliefs while witnessing to others, which in turn builds their confidence to do so. Lewis's views are non-denominational and he does not attempt to define those boundaries, nor does he try to solicit their beliefs. In many ways, Lewis aids his readers through the reading process. The book is divided into four smaller books containing short chapters. Once a section is read, the reader is then allowed time to reflect and absorb the information provided before moving on. At the end of each chapter, Lewis attempts to summarize his purpose for that chapter and its intended message. Each new chapter brings up questions that may arise from reading the previous one, and provides more of an explanation to address those issues. Lewis is very careful not to prematurely turn a reader away or scare them off by forcing Christianity upon them. Lewis heightens the reader's awareness, and then slowly works in logical reasoning, so as not to overwhelm them. Instead of padding the book with teachings that will further confuse the reader, Lewis uses examples the reader can relate to, and then connects those examples to the point he is trying to make. Clearly, not every reader will find every chapter or section in the book helpful. Lewis advises the reader to take what they can from each chapter, and then move on to the next. He never claims to be an expert, but instead states his only authority is that of experience, as a layman, a Christian, and a former atheist. He even asks in his book for "instructed Christians" to advise him when he goes wrong. The opinions stated in Mere Christianity were originally voiced to people at war during World War II. Considering what is going on in our world today, this book might come at an appropriate time to offer hope, for those fighting for our country, and for those of us at home. It was meant to give comfort then, and it will give comfort to those who need it now. Lewis explains that God created a perfect world, not the bad things in it, and God's will is for those things that have gone wrong to be made right again. What I appreciate most is the wide range of an audience Lewis seeks to reach. For those who feel they don't understand Christianity, Lewis advises that they cannot begin to know how it works until they accept it. For those who have the fear of failing in their search, Lewis points out that failures are expected, and what matters most is the honest intent and the will to overcome. Lewis helps the reader to depend on God and strengthens their desires to turn things over to him. He offers some insight of Theology, aiding those searching to understand their faith, which in turn will allow their faith to grow. Lewis discusses hope and heightens Christian believers' desire for heaven. Readers will come away thankful for the earthly pleasures, but also knowing
the best is yet to come.
Rating: 
Summary: A Classic That Is Becoming Out-Dated
Review: I read this book twice, about four years apart. While I did enjoy many points that C.S. Lewis makes, and I understand that he is a highly respected author, but I have to disagree with some of the reviewers. I feel that Mere Christianity is becoming out-dated. Since many people may already know what the book is about, I want to focus on some areas where I feel that C. S. Lewis is becoming out-dated. I feel that Mere Christianity may have been a revolutionary book for its time and helped spark some discussion about Christianity. But as apologists have to update their arguments when new responses have been made, this book has to keep up with new developments in the discussion about Christianity. C. S. Lewis' argument against Duality seems to fail. He writes, "Then good would not deserve to be called good." (p. 43) Lewis tries to see the eastern philosophy through a western standpoint. But people who hold the eastern viewpoint do not see any dividing line between good and evil. They would state that reality is completely "beyond" good and evil, and thus there only appears to be a distinction to our culturally conditioned minds, but in actuality, there is no distinction between good and evil, and therefore one cannot even use the words "good" and "evil." I disagree with Lewis on the idea that everybody lives forever, on a theological basis. Even though he never uses the Bible to support his claims, he writes, "Again, Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live for ever, and this must be either true or false." (p. 74) The Bible states that God "alone has immortality." (1 Timothy 6:16) and that the wicked will be completely wiped out of existence in the last days. Also, C. S. Lewis' watered-down approach to charity, "If our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little," (p. 86) would be an understatement for the wealthy. I also disagree with Lewis' definition of temperance. He writes, "Temperance referred not specially to drink, but to all pleasures; and it meant not abstaining, but going the right length and no further." (p. 78) Temperance actually does mean abstaining from anything that is bad-alcohol, drugs, and smoking are all bad. It also means moderation in anything that is good-Yes, you can get too much of a good thing-but the Bible does not tell us to be "moderate" in our destructive behavior. The Bible calls us to abstain, to separate from evil, and to be pure. Where is Lewis' scriptural support? None, because he does not have scriptural support. But then again, maybe this is because C. S. Lewis likes drinking alcohol. He admits, "At least I know I should be very angry if the Mohammedans tried to prevent the rest of us from drinking wine." (p. 112) Lewis also states that Christians "may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons-marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has then the wrong turning." (p. 79) I disagree because beer and marriage are not on the same level. Alcohol really is bad. It is not the same as eating meat. Discouraging others from refraining from alcohol does not necessarily mean looking down one's nose at others. I personally feel that C. S. Lewis puts too much emphasis on social morality, and I will explain. On page 84, Lewis writes about Christian literature, Christian novelists, Christian dramatists, Christian society, Christian economists, Christian this, and Christian that. Next thing you know, we might be deciding between Christian toothpaste and non-Christian toothpaste when we shop at the grocery store. Is the point of Christianity to make society Christian or to make Christian products? Personal life-changing seems to be second priority to social change, but Christ's priority was personal life-changing. I don't think the Good News was meant to be a "social gospel." Next, C. S. Lewis does not use any Scripture to support why the man should be the head of the household, besides just saying that it is the "Christian" way. He describes decision-making in marriage as "voting" and saying that somebody has to have the final say. What about both submitting to each other, which is actually what the Bible calls for, rather than fighting against each other? But rather, Lewis writes, "There must be something unnatural about the rule of wives over husbands, because the wives themselves are half-ashamed of it and despise the husbands of whom they rule." (p. 113) This is a culturally determined generalization, and since it is not based in logic, cannot serve as the basis of a theological reasoning. Finally, the biggest contradiction is that C. S. Lewis is a Christian that believes in evolution. He writes, "Everyone now knows about Evolution... everyone has been told that man has evolved from lower types of life." (p. 218)
And this statement is bizarre: "There was a time before sex had appeared; development used to go on by different methods." (p. 220) This seems like it would be hard to believe for an evolutionist, but this man supposedly believes in a supernatural God. Nevertheless, I do believe that there are some fundamental questions that can be answered in this book, such as "Why does evil exist?" or "Are there absolute truths?" Lewis nails these questions. There were some points that he brought out that affected me spiritually. One statement about pride hit home with me: "The more pride one had, the more one disliked pride in others." (p. 122) But, in my humble opinion, I felt that C. S. Lewis rambled a lot, and failed to use good logic or good illustrations for most of his book.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but tough
Review: If you're not really good on tough reading, than this big may prove a challenge for you. I've tried to sit down and read it twice, and I keep bogging down. I'll have to go back and read it again. Tough reading not withstanding, this book is filled with excellent Christian beliefs and principles, a good take on the Christian life. For new Christians, this is a great book. For everybody else...this is still a great book!
Rating:
Summary: The core beliefs of Christianity explained with clarity.
Review: Mere Christianity is, more less, the Mount Everest of 20th century Christian apologetics, and its exclaimed stature is completely justified. I find it hard to believe that any who read it would come away with a poor view of Christians and their beliefs. Lewis cuts past all the minor differences that divide the various denominations and explains what the utmost core beliefs and stances are and, yes, it is very hard to argue his logic in regards to a Higher Authority or an Absolute Truth. Whether or not the book serves well as a conversion tool, well I will leave to an individual reader's personal reaction to it. But taken as an explanation of and argument for my religious beliefs, then I give Mere Christianity my highest of high recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: charming, but flawed
Review: Lewis's prose is always easy on the brain. This is not to say that it's language for simpletons; it's simply easy to read. He handles complex subjects deftly through well-crafted example and analogy. Mere Christianity is, very roughly, his explanation of what Christians believe and why they believe it. While I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and came away with some new and helpful ways of thinking about old ideas, Lewis's arguments lack robustness. Often, I think they have enough to do the job of simple explanation, but when it comes to the most important doctrine, that of Incarnation, he accepts it with a handwave that had me scribbling in the margins and knitting my brow. I can't imagine reading this book and being converted. Despite that, I'm happy for having read it, and would recommend it to those who aren't seeking a robust proof or a converting experience.
Rating:
Summary: Insight into the Basics of Christianity
Review: Mere Christianity was originally a series of radio broadcasts that Lewis began in England during the Second World War. He later made some revisions and collected these broadcasts into four books: Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe, What Christians Believe, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality: or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity. These four books were compiled into what is collectively Mere Christianity. What Lewis attempted to do is give a summary of the basic tenets and spiritual understandings of Christianity. This book, because of its basicness, crossed over the lines of Catholic, Protestant, and the subdivisions thereof. As stated in the foreword of the text, the impetus for this series of talks put on by the BBC was in reaction to the despondency with which many Britons were confronted in the course of beginning another World War. Lewis used wartime analogies in many places in his work. When reading Mere Christianity one cannot help but notice how it is placed in this interesting historical context. The title of this work serves it well. Mere Christianity touches on the basis of much of Christian thought. It shows Lewis's intimate understanding of his faith and his ability to articulately communicate this to his readers/listeners. While, as with any other work, I did not find myself in one hundred percent agreement with every single statement, far more often than not, I could not help but sense a growing enlightenment of God and the principles of Christianity as I read. After reading some of his other works, Lewis has again not disappointed me in the least with Mere Christianity. The book is easy to read and filled with wisdom.
Rating:
Summary: Conversion Experience
Review: I was an atheist who wanted to know how intelligent people (like Lewis) could believe. Lewis' Mere Christianity is at once elegant and simple, a foundation for a rational belief in God that does not require acceptance of any particular religion -- thus, one can progress in any direction from its premises. It has the additional advantage of being divided into short, highly readable chapters so that the reader can spend fifteen minutes before bedtime digesting the ideas in each chapter at an unhurried pace. Lewis' ability to capture absolutely stunning concepts through everyday analogies really helps someone not trained in reading philosophy to follow his arguments.
Rating:
Summary: Random firing of the author's synoptic nerves.
Review: "Humans have a sense of right and wrong." Lewis expends the first five chapters of this book to expound that core principle. It doesn't get much better. While this book is routinely touted as an excercise of intellectual prowess, it appears to me to be nothing more than the droning codification of the random firing of the author's synoptic nerves. Like the emperors new clothes, this book is "seen" to be intellectual because that's what we are told to see. Rather, I suggest you get the meatier "The Case for Christ." So why the five stars? The book is a classic and, as such, it is worth reading if, for no other reason, than to speak intellegently about the book if not from the book. Just buy it. You'll see what I mean.
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