Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) was a British writer and professor at Oxford and Cambridge who spent most of his early life as a convinced atheist. His conversion to Christianity in his early thirties came reluctantly — he later called himself "the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England." That honest resistance to faith became the hallmark of his writing. In books like Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Problem of Pain, Lewis made the case for Christian belief with clarity, wit, and a refusal to dodge hard questions. He's equally beloved for The Chronicles of Narnia, which brought the same ideas to life through story. What makes Lewis endure is his voice: warm but rigorous, imaginative but grounded, and always written for ordinary people rather than academics. He remains one of the most widely read Christian thinkers of the last century.

Mere Christianity is Lewis’ presentation of the core beliefs that Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians have held in common for two thousand years. He deliberately avoided denominational controversies, focusing instead on the deeper questions: How do I know what is right and wrong? What does my conscience point? How can God exist and there still be evil in the world? Who was Jesus? His writing is direct, elegant and witty all at the same time. It remains one of the best introductions to Christian faith for skeptics and believers alike. It seemed like a great book for who is currently gathered at City On A Hill and our friends.

Mere Christianity was originally delivered as a series of BBC radio addresses from August 1941 to April 1944, in the middle of the Second World War. Britain was being bombed at the time. The BBC invited him not as a clergyman but as a layman — a professor who had once been an atheist and could speak to doubt honestly. The talks were heard by millions and published in three separate pamphlets before Lewis revised and combined them into Mere Christianity in 1952. The wartime origin matters: Lewis was writing for people who needed real answers under real pressure, and that urgency still comes through on every page.

When you register you will receive a PDF with weekly readings, links for zoom registrations, and links to RSVP to two optional Sunday Lunch Discussions after worship on May 4 and June 7. Pastor Harvey will send a short email each Monday to introduce the reading for that week.