Mere Christianity Book Review

Mere Christianity is a book by Clive Staples Lewis that was originally published as a radio broadcast during World War II. Lewis was a well-known Christian apologist and thinker, and in Mere Christianity he set out to explain and defend the core tenets of the Christian faith.

In this book, Lewis expresses his Christian belief in a unique way that is unlike many books around this time. It deals with Christian morality and challenges believers to look at the Christian doctrine through a new light. It expresses the stories of Jesus Christ and his disciples from the point of a humble servant.

Mere Christianity is not written from an authoritative position but rather returns to the level at which nonbelievers will question their position on the Christian God.

While he doesn’t water down the details in which Christians believe, Mere Christianity speaks to issues such as the moral law in a way that wrestles all human beings about Christian behavior.

Christian Apologetic Position

As one of the leading writers for both fiction and nonfiction books, CS Lewis is a one of a kind Christian apologist. The debate he has with the reader is as relevant today as it was then. Lewis was truly one of the greatest thinkers of his time.

The book is divided into four main sections: an objective case for Christianity, an objective case against it, a personal testimony from Lewis himself, and finally some brief reflections on living the Christian life.

Section 1

The first section, the objective case for Christianity, begins with an examination of natural law and the existence of God. Lewis argues that there must be some sort of supreme being who created and oversees the universe, as evidenced by the fact that there are certain moral truths that seem to be universally recognized. He then goes on to discuss the nature of sin and redemption, and how Christianity is the only religion that offers a satisfying explanation for both.

Section 2

In the second section, Lewis looks at some of the common objections to Christianity. He tackles the issue of whether or not God is good, given all the suffering in the world, and he also addresses the problem of evil. He argues that Christianity is actually the only worldview that can make sense of both good and evil, and that its teachings about human nature offer the best hope for dealing with our dark side.

Section 3

The third section is Lewis’s personal testimony, in which he describes his own journey to faith. He recounts how he initially resisted Christianity because he saw it as a stifling and restrictive set of beliefs, but eventually came to see it as the only worldview that could truly make sense of life. He describes how his faith has helped him to live a more purposeful and fulfilling life, and challenged him to love others in a way he never thought possible.

Section 4

In the final section, Lewis reflects on some of the implications of living a Christian life. He discusses how Christianity is not simply a set of ideas to be believed, but a way of life to be lived out in community with others. He challenges Christians to love their enemies and forgive those who have wronged them, and he encourages them to persevere in their faith even when it is difficult.

What Can You Learn From Mere Christianity

Mere Christianity teaches us that Christianity is not a set of ideas to be believed, but a way of life to be lived out in community with others. It challenges Christians to love their enemies and forgive those who have wronged them, and it encourages them to persevere in their faith even when it is difficult. It also teaches us that Christianity is the only worldview that can make sense of both good and evil, and that its teachings about human nature offer the best hope for dealing with our dark side. Finally, it reminds us that God is good even when the world seems bad, and that our ultimate hope is in Christ’s victory over death.

Who Should Read Mere Christianity

Not everybody is ready for a book like Mere Christianity. It’s important to have some basic knowledge of Christianity before reading this book, as Lewis assumes that his readers already have a general understanding of the faith. However, if you are interested in learning more about Christianity, or if you are struggling with your faith, this book is definitely worth a read.

Mere Christianity is a classic work of Christian apologetics by C.S. Lewis. Lewis was a well-known Christian thinker and apologist, and in Mere Christianity he set out to explain and defend the core tenets of the Christian faith. The book is divided into four main sections: an objective case for Christianity, an objective case against it, a personal testimony from Lewis himself, and finally some brief reflections on living the Christian life. If you are interested in learning more about Christianity, or if you are struggling with your faith, this book is definitely worth a read.

Additional C.S. Lewis Resources

There are a number of great books by C.S. Lewis including The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Great Divorce. If you enjoyed Mere Christianity, be sure to check out some of his other works.

In addition to books, there are also a number of excellent resources available online about the life and work of C.S. Lewis. The C.S. Lewis Foundation is a great place to start, as they offer a variety of resources including articles, audio recordings, and even video lectures by Lewis himself.

For those looking for a more in-depth study of Lewis’s thought, the C.S. Lewis Institute offers a variety of courses and programs designed to help people understand and apply his ideas to their own lives.

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Further Reading

Mere Christianity is a classic work of Christian apologetics by C.S. Lewis. Lewis was a well-known Christian thinker and apologist, and in Mere Christianity he sets out to explain and defend the core tenets of the Christian faith. The book is divided into four main sections: an objective case for Christianity, an objective case against it, a personal testimony from Lewis himself, and finally some brief reflections on living the Christian life. If you are interested in learning more about Christianity, or if you are struggling with your faith, this book is definitely worth a read.

In addition to books, there are also a number of excellent resources available online about the life and work of C.S. Lewis. The C.S. Lewis Foundation is a great place to start, as they offer a variety of resources including articles, audio recordings, and even video lectures by Lewis himself.

For those looking for a more in-depth study of Lewis’s thought, the C.S. Lewis Institute offers a variety of courses and programs designed to help people understand and apply his ideas to their own lives.

Called to Create Book Review

Author Jordan Raynor is a serial entrepreneur with a heart for God. His book is for the creative person who feels that there is a disconnect between their creative work and their eternal value. We hope you enjoy this Called to Create Book Review.

This is an energizing book with compelling stories from 40 Christian entrepreneurs. You hear about everything from startup stories to unsuspecting Christian artists such as Johann Sebastian Bach.

This book helps creatives find unity between their passion and their faith. This book is not only for business owners but for anyone who has a spirit of creativity inside of them.

References to known authors such as CS Lewis to nontraditional entrepreneurs like investor David Blanchard make this book a joy to read.

The authors argument is that our creativity is an eternal pursuit and it will be carried with us in the future. You will find that this book sparks initiative yet causes you to sit in reflection. There is a balance of go and stop throughout this flowing text.

If you are a creative, we definitely recommend you put this on your reading list.

Chapter 4: Why We Create

What I thought would be another story about the “success of Disney” ended up being an interesting look at how the creation of Disney World ended up being a “look at me” moment for Walt where his creation was to put the focus on himself. Looking eternally at our calling we can see the Biblical friction in this vs. God’s intention.

The story of Hannah Brencher makes us look at what happens when the world encourages us to magnify ourselves. She was in the depths of despair during the height of her popularity. The inability to push the fame back to God created such a deep depression that she was hospitalized. Praise God that she made it through this difficult situation.

What looked like another “it’s a shame they didn’t live to see their success” story, We see how Bach had no intentions or desires of being elevated above the status of God’s servant. It makes us think about what he thinks now that he sits in Heaven. He probably looks at those people who say “it’s a shame” and prays for them to have a Holy intervention where they see that our status here on earth is irrelevant and in opposition of God’s purpose/calling for our life. 

On the surface our Founders look like heroes but when you dig into the lives of those such as Alexander Hamilton, we find faults that are hard to look at. His desire to glorify himself led to a life that may be hidden from the public school stories but is unavoidable in the kingdom of God.

The point of these stories is to not let our entrepreneurial spirit become a spirit of the devil. He is a trickster and will encourage us to use what God created for Good and show us how we can benefit in the here and now if we use it for earthly gains. But this is not our home…

Chapter 5: What We Create

The chapter begins with David Blanchard from Praxis who is taking a different approach to investing in Entrepeneurs. Yes, focusing on faith-based businesses and non-profits is at the forefront of David’s investment strategy but it is the type of ideas they look for that is different. They are looking for “impact market fit” which is not about product viability but more about what is on God’s heart at this time.

At this point in the chapter we could be led to believe that we must look for ideas that are apart from this world but Jordan quickly clarifies those who are confused with a story about C.S. Lewis. 

The objective with this story is to help us understand that even one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century let creativity happen organically. The stories were not written to walk in a straight line with his new found faith but there was a natural relevancy and identity that occurred in the Chronicles of Narnia. 

Your products can reveal God’s character without having the title “the book that reveals God’s character.”

The chapter then navigates back to a personal story of Jordan’s. His community focused CitizenInvestor shows how a business can be woven into the fabric of our faith while inviting everyone into this for good business. 

No matter your spiritual beliefs, you can get into a service that crowd funds projects to improve your local community. But just because this business invites unbelievers, it does not mean that it violates the principles of Christianity. 

Moving towards the chapter we hear more about Scott Harrison and Charity: Water. What an amazing transition Scott made from being a club promoter to running one of the most impactful non-profits of the 21st century. When you look into the story you can see how Scott used the skills he developed in his less spiritually involved profession and leveraged them to capture a new socially conscious audience through social media. 

At the end we return to the story of Guinnesses. While I have never been a dark beer fan, I have much more respect for this product. It is hard to believe that beer could be made for the benefit of the community and serve a need, but Guineseses did just that. I’d love to hear some of the bible studies that happened while they sat around the table drinking Guinesses.

The takeaway from this chapter is that there is no one set path to your calling in life. All you need to do is to match calling with effort and you will be on your way to doing good works for the glory of God.

Chapter 6: How We Create

This chapter was a little tougher for me. Mostly because I could see some of the flaws of my initial attempts at synchronizing my faith with entrepreneurship. 

This chapter begins with a story about Forever 21. When Jordan mentions how the founders of this company were deep rooted Christians, I immediately took a stance of skepticism. Having been in more Forever 21’s than I’d like to admit, I didn’t understand how this company could be operated by people of strong faith. 

Good for Jordan to not celebrate this type of business model just because it is owned by Christians and I love how this story sets the tone for the chapter. It is a chapter that weaves back and forth from good to bad ways of expressing our faith. 

Traveling back to the good side, we move to in-n-out burger which us Californian’s understand to be long lines but great food. In high school, many of my friends earned the higher than average wages that in-n-out pays but it wasn’t until later that I understood how this business was built on Christian principles. The little Bible verse is met with a big visual representation of Christ in action.

Jordan then weaves in a personal story about his father’s food distribution business. I am familiar with this type of industry having owned a convenience store. There is typically no relationship formed and high turnover. Jordan’s dad decided to go against the grain and decided to take a boring business and give it life. 

You can’t have a Christian business book without talking about Chic-Fil-A. I’m familiar with many of the stories but Truett Cathy slamming his hand on the table and saying we need to do better so that our customers demand more, really hit home. As a creative, I have a natural inclination to choose innovation over competition. But when I do fall into the competitive trap, I fall hard. Seeing the steadfastness of Chic-Fil-A’s founder has renewed my spirit of creativity. In the future, if I start moving in the wrong direction, I’ll simply slam my hand on the table and say “I need to do better”!

The chapter ends with a story about Bob Collins. A former Goldman Schacks executive, Bob left his high position to pursue God’s calling. One such calling was to turn the laundromat business on its head. I do not know if it is a calling, but I’ve always had a desire to open a laundromat that is focused on experience, so this story really grabbed my attention.

Bob and his wife created an inviting business that drives entrepreneurship. The wash,dry,fold concept they created is pure genius and is a personnel developmental strategy that I wish I would have thought of in my previous businesses. I employed many recovering addicts and people from tough situations. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I feel as though I let them down by not pouring more into them and inspiring them to do greater things. This will change for me in the future. 

Chapter 7: Trust, Hustle, and Rest

I had an Aha moment in how my work, skills, and resources can benefit the kingdom of God. As usual with faith, it isn’t always so black and white. There are ways to use our unique talents for the kingdom but I was trying to hurry up that process. I felt that if I wasn’t working for God in the literal sense, I was wasting my time. The idea God gave me about Active Christian is proof that both his timing and my humbling is required for faith in action.

I’ve seen this chapter’s topic work out in my life as of recently. I quit my job and committed to long periods of rest between work sprints. My trust is not yet at the level of my rest but it will get there. 

The chapter begins with Ai Ching Go and PiktoChart. 

The chapter leads to the story in the book of Joshua (which is fitting since that is where a future faith filled female takes her family on a sabbatical) and how the Isrealites walked around Jericho before God called the walls to fall. 

Sometimes we get to a point with our work where we say “what is the point” or “what are we doing here” but because there isn’t a practical point doesn’t mean there isn’t a spiritual point to our effort. 

What is the point of walking around a city? Because God called them to…nothing further. What is the point of writing book reviews on my personal website? Because God called me to…nothing further. At some point I’ll look back and see why God called me to pursue this instead of taking on additional client work. 

Jordan addresses the obvious in that hustle comes easy to entrepreneurs. It could be considered a blessing and a curse but really it is only a curse when it consumes us. Hustle must be met with trust and rest for the work to yield eternal fruits. 

The story of Angela Popplewell begins our journey down the road of trust. She uses her nonprofit 100Cameras as an example that when you hustle without trust, you are essentially making yourself the savior…ouch! Oh, so you are trying to be all high and mighty now right? What do you think bled on the Cross or something? Not exactly how I want to feel about my work.

100Cameras does

Nicole Baker Fulgham and her non-profit tugs at my heartstrings. The intersection of Christianity and education is where I feel pulled to help. What I didn’t have in school was a spiritual and educational mentor to follow and as a result, I failed both literally and figuratively. 

She has set out to taken on an audacious task that without God, simply isn’t possible. We already know that the Christian community does not do enough in areas such as adoption but now we can through education into the mix. Interestingly, it is Christians that created the higher education emphasis but we have let that fall in recent years. Nicole’s vision requires surrendering to God and his will for the walls to fall.

Returning to Hannah brencher, she walked around the walls of book writing for many months before surrendering her work to God. The result was a freedom from the burdensome weight she carried and the ink flowed (or fingers typed) away at a rapid pace.

Sarah Lin: Elliefunday – 

Her story is similar to mine but she is a bit further along in the process with her ability to take a yearly sabbatical vacation that is focused on rest. Her story teaches us that we cannot take everything on ourselves and that hustle must be met with rest. 

Chapter 8: Responding to Failure

Start up funeral – 

Brad field: entrepreneur blogging about depression

Chris Tsai: y-combinator

Why christians (especially entrepreneurs lack vulnerability: my story about BBS or exhalting myself with endeavers that I quit

Be hopeful – story about Spafford, it is well with my soul, having such faith after losing his 4 girls. 

Be transparent – Jordan not speaking the “whole truth” about why he needed to step away from Citizenvestor

Be bold – Sajan jorge – walking away from his consulting job during the height of the recession to start a non profit called Matchbook Learning. Being bold with the understanding that success isn’t guaranteed. 

Chapter 9: Renewing Our Mind

This chapter begins with a popular Christian reference point which is the 1999 hit movie, The Matrix (which may surprise you to know that I have never seen). Supported by other popular movies where the character has a choice, Jordan helps us see that our call to create is more like augmented reality than virtual reality.

The difference between virtual reality and augmented reality is that in an augmented world, our choices are real, but there is a spiritual component that can only exist when our vision includes God. I’ve always said (but not necessarily followed) the idea that I wear glasses that force me to include God in my vision. When we create for God we are living in an augmented reality

Communing With God – Jonathan Cordeau struggling to succeed at his new payment processing venture. Getting beat up by companies like Square and First data, he feels like the world is against him. But through communing with God by reading Psalm 7 he recognizes that David felt the same way. He no longer envied the arrogant but saw his work with an eternal perspective. Even Jesus needed communing with God asking for the cup to be removed

Communing With Partners: Jesus has his core disciples which he leaned on for communing. Tim Taylor (not from home improvement) and his wife started pinwheel pictures. Through this partnership, Tim could not be left in isolation to make sinful choices such as pirating software. This is where I disagree with Dave Ramsey in how he says the ship that sinks the fastest is a partnership. 

Communing with Other Believers: J r r tolkien and the Inklings. Grounded him to the point where he did not see Lord of the Rings as a requirement for a successful life. His short story about “leaf by niggle.” Without their support, J r r might have been stuck with writers block because he feared that the war would cause his death and the loss of his work. They helped him see that he was called to create rather than called to finish.

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