The Grand Miracle

by C.S. Lewis

“Captivating reading that builds the faith while it fills the mind with greatness.”—Sherwood Wirt, former editor,  DECISION Magazine

One of this century's greatest writers of fact, fiction, and fantasy explores, in utterly beautiful terms, questions of faith in the modern

• On the experience of miracles
• On silence and religious belief
• On the assumed conflict between work and prayer
• On the error of trying to lead “a good life” without Christ
• On the necessity of dogma to religion
• On the dangers of national repentance
• On the commercialization of Christmas . . . and more

“The searching mind and the poetic spirit of C.S. Lewis are readily evident in this collection of essays edited by his one-time secretary, Walter Hopper. Here the reader finds the tough-mind polemicist relishing the debate; here too the kindly teacher explaining a complex abstraction by means of clarifying analogies; here the public speaker addressing his varied audience with all the humility and grace of a man who knows how much more remains to be unknown.”— The New York Times Book Review

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Religion, Theology, Philosophy, Christianity, Spirituality

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]

Reviews

[Lizzy Tonkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this. This book is a compilation of speeches, essays and short commentaries and, in my opinion, this is where Lewis does his best work.

You also see lots of essays that spawned full books later on (such as the thoughts that inspired Miracles in multiple essays).

Excellent read of Lewis' shorter subjects.

[Dianne Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, surprising and interesting. "On the reading of old books" is dear. This book also contains some interesting Q&A's. Whether one agrees or not, he always offers something new to consider.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a year reading bits and pieces of this treasure just because my eBook copy was crappy but great content nonetheless. :)

[Andy Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

In case you've ever wondered whether C. S. Lewis would have had the best blog on the internet if he was alive today, this collection of short essays will put that one to rest.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really great and well put points especially for Christians. I say especily for christians as I think many of subjects might be too nuanced for those either ambivelanh or antagonistic to this religion. I did not always agree or find all subjects compelling but each essay is short enough that this was not a problem. and all essays were well reasoned and provided great in sight into one man's brief and quest for rational answers to delemas of his day. some of these delemas are dated in terms of their specifics (e.g vivicection, factory work raffles) but it was never too hard to extrapolate how these question related to problems of today. In the end I had a better sense for this author as a person which is why I found so enjoyable. I have admired his other works but felt the variety of topics covered really opened him up to me as a relatable character.

[Pedro Trujillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Articles on faith and life, intersting and revealing as usual by Lewis. Food for my soul.

[Katie R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad I finally finished this. Some of the essays really resonated with me.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. It's a pretty random collection of essays and speeches, but I enjoyed the variety. Topics include: old books, miracles, Christmas shopping, etc.

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of it is above my head, so it’s hard to truly rate it. Still, it’s good to have with my almost complete CS Lewis collection.

[Cara Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to get to know Mr. Lewis, my favorite “essay” of his being the conversation with the man from the Billy Graham society. He’s so sassy!

[Dwayne Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essay on the Christian perspective on animals stands out in my memory. Quintessentially Lewis - engaging, thought-provoking, undeniably appealing despite theological differences.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too dry. Lewis wrote much better than is found in this collection of lectures.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isn't life interesting. Until this month and year, I have never been able to start a C.S. Lewis book and finish it or like it.

I picked this book up to read in public while my wife was at the dr.'s etc. After reading "What Christmas means to me," I could not stop reading. I finished the book that day but have not stopped thinking about the various topics. Particularly thought provoking are the two chapters "The Laws of Nature" and "On the Reading of Old Books."

A good thought providing read.

[Paul Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was another excellent example of Lewis' ability to make very clean, logical arguments in defense of a faith that he came to late in life and on his own. It helped me form some defense against those who argue that science has eliminated the possibility of a God, in the Christian sense.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoy the "light touch" (as the author himself describes his style) Lewis employs to discuss some very deep truths indeed. If you've read no Lewis, this would be as good a place to start as any, although if you are not a Christian, I suggest you begin with Mere Christianity.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Grand Miracle is a collection of Lewis' speeches, radio interviews, and other short responses to theological questions. This is great reading for anyone who loves bite-sized bits of spiritual insight from one of the greatest Christian thinkers of the last century.

[RE de Leon]

Lower-cost anthology containing selected essays from a more extensive anthology, "God in the Dock"

[Ben Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

C.S. Lewis is my favorite author. I always enjoy reading his books and essays.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book frustrated me. I agree that he is a wonderful writer, just... Perhaps I should revisit it at a later time...kind of a skeptic at the moment. I actually had to put it down because...ugh.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one of the books I read in college while taking a class on C.S. Lewis. He has a fantastic way of viewing things, but I like his fiction better.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

He addresses succinctly many of the hangups people still have with Christianity.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A keeper.