Mere Christianity

Mere Christianity is a great piece of literature that really does a good job of laying out the position of mankind and Christianity. C.S. Lewis uses a brief series of proofs to show his point that if there is indeed a series of Natural Laws, then humans are bound to break these laws, and that this must mean that there is some form of higher being whom dictated this law. C.S. Lewis at least in the piece that we read for class does not go as far as to show that this high Deity is indeed the God that Christians worship and believe in, but nonetheless, the evidence he gives is still compelling.

There are several interesting aspects that C.S. Lewis puts in this book. The first of which is Lewis' avoidance of denominational differences. I completely agree that if Mere Christianity is meant to help nonbelievers come to the Lord, then showing the many differences and disagreements that Christians have. One of the greatest points for Christianity is the fact that it is a loving religion, where you are taught that God is loving and compassionate. This brings up the question then of why there are even different denominations and why they are necessary. It should be noted that up until the Protestant Reformation there were not the many different denominations that we now know today. However, both Catholics and Protestants agree that changes need to be made, as witnessed by both the Catholic and Protestant Reformation. In addition, I think that while having one Catholic church, (Catholic in this sense being used as universal), this puts far to much power in the hands of a select few, and it is obvious that power corrupts. To relate to Lewis, we have a natural law with which we must con scribe, however we are prone and doubtlessly going to break this law. Moving back to denominational differences however. I was born CRC, then moved to a form of Presbyterianism, before going back to the CRC. Therefore I consider myself able to talk a bit about the differences in denominations. The Bible, which I think is infallible, is definitely open to different interpretations. While I may not agree with some interpretations, as long as there is a central belief in Jesus, with an active faith life, are we not believing in one and the same thing, with only several minor differences? I would say yes. However, these differences are great enough that I do not want to be subjected to them, and I feel comfortable saying that these differences can be necessary to a healthy relationship with God. I would get nothing out of a Sunday morning if what I heard week in and week out was frustrating and in my mind, untrue. Therefore, I think denominations are necessary and needed. However, they can not be mentioned to a new believer. Imagine going to a restaurant and receiving a phone book sized menu. Certainly you would be overwhelmed. You would need time to pick through the options before you could pick the items which you thought would most satisfy your hunger. So it is for the new convert also. They must have time to read the Bible, and understand God's word as they feel is correct. Overwhelming and showing differences is not the way to win over converts. So, it is certainly a good thing that Lewis did not produce "Extreme Christianity," as Mere Christianity worked much better for believer and nonbelievers alike.