Mere Christianity Boxed Set

by C.S. Lewis, Geoffrey Howard (Narrated by), Robert Whitefield (Narrated by)

Mere Christianity is C. S. Lewis' forceful and accessible doctrine on Christian belief. First heard as informal radio broadcasts and then published as three separate books--The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality--Mere Christianity brings together what Lewis sees as the fundamental truths of his religion.

Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity's many denominations, C. S. Lewis finds a common ground on which all those who have Christian faith can stand together, proving that "at the center of each there is something, or a Someone, who against all divergences of belief, all differences of temperament, all memories of mutual persecution, speaks with the same voice."

This recording also includes Lewis' erudite essay "The Abolition of Man," in which he eloquently argues for a better standard of public education that would include reading and writing lessons grounded in moral reasoning.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

6 pages, Audio CD

Published May 1, 2006

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

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Mere Christianity. It is excellent, and worthy of five stars on its own. I say this despite my tepid reaction to section one, which is necessary toward making Mere Christianity what it is, but which I found much slower going. It is in this section that Lewis outlines what Christianity is not, and does so in comparison to other religions and philosophies. This was a rather essential starting point in my opinion, as it really laid the groundwork for a persuasive defense of Christianity, but I didn't enjoy slogging through it.

The reason this version gets four is due entirely to the narrator, whose voice I could hardly stand. I listen to audiobooks constantly, and this was one of my least favorite audio experiences, despite the fact that the content is stellar. I am hoping other audio versions are available, because while I will read it again at some point, I would like to hear it again as well (perhaps in conjunction with reading), and I can't sit through this narrator again.

What is interesting to me is that this recording is bundled with Lewis's Abolition of Man, which has an excellent narrator, and I would have enjoyed Mere Christianity much more had he recorded it.

[Laura]

I enjoyed listening to this book. The greatest insight I gained from reading this was how much all of us truly need Christ. One of my favorite quotes from the book is “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.” From listening to the book it sounded like Lewis was actually quoting someone else, but I would have to look at a hard copy of the book to verify that.

[Leermatthis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on a very difficult topic for people to grasp. Lewis captures, in very clear language, Christianity. The inclusion of 'mere' in the title should not strip anything away from the book. It is not a dumbing down, rather an all-inclusive, yet approachable topic.
I'll read this one again, and again.
LRM

[Elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking book, that speaks for there to be a God, and for it to be a personal God. I need to think about it more, to give a full review. And I probably need to listen to it again in a while.

One thing is certain: the book is not outdated.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

CS Lewis has a gift for explaining simple and complex doctrines. It is clear that he has a deep understanding of Christianity, and his book makes you ponder your own purpose here on earth. Makes you want to study the life of Christ more fervently.