Shortly after his conversion in 1929, C. S. Lewis wrote to a friend, When all is said (and truly said) about the divisions of Christendom, there remains, by God's mercy, an enormous common ground. From that time on, Lewis thought that the best service he could do for his unbelieving neighbors was to explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times -- that enormous common ground which he usually referred to as mere Christianity.Lewis's defense of Christianity was colorfully varied -- the subjects he covered ranged widely, including Christianity and literature, Christianity and culture, ethics, futility, church music, modern theology and biblical criticism, the Psalms, and petitionary prayer.Presented in chronological order, some of the fourteen papers included in this collection were written specifically for periodicals, while others, published here for the first time, were read to societies in and around Oxford and Cambridge. Common to them all, however, are the uniquely effective style of C. S. Lewis and the basic presuppositions of his theology -- his mere Christianity."
Clive Staples Lewis was born in Ireland, in Belfast on 29 November 1898. His mother was a devout Christian and made efforts to influence his beliefs. When she died in his early youth her influence waned and Lewis was subject to the musings and mutterings of his friends who were decidedly agnostic and atheistic. It would not be until later, in a moment of clear rationality that he first came to a belief in God and later became a Christian.
C. S. Lewis volunteered for the army in 1917 and was wounded in the trenches in World War I. After the war, he attended university at Oxford. Soon, he found himself on the faculty of Magdalen College where he taught Mediaeval and Renaissance English.
Throughout his academic career he wrote clearly on the topic of religion. His most famous works include the Screwtape Letters and the Chronicles of Narnia. The atmosphere at Oxford and Cambridge tended to skepticism. Lewis used this skepticism as a foil. He intelligently saw Christianity as a necessary fact that could be seen clearly in science.
"Surprised by Joy" is Lewis's autobiography chronicling his reluctant conversion from atheism to Christianity in 1931.
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