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Book reviews for "Lewis,_C._S." sorted by average review score:

Shadows of Heaven: Religion and Fantasy in the Writing of C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and J. R. R. Tolkien (Religion and Other Disciplines)
Published in Hardcover by Pilgrim Pr (1971)
Author: Gunnar Urang
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Excellent Book, too bad it's not still in Print
For fans of Tolkien, CS Lewis and Charles Williams, this is a must read. Urang does tremendous work as he relates these excellent writers to theology and religious teaching.

Peter Carey


The Spiritual Legacy of C. S. Lewis
Published in Paperback by Cumberland House (2001)
Author: Terry W. Glaspey
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Presents the life story of this remarkable man
C.S. Lewis was an acclaimed scholar of medieval literature at Oxford University who converted to Catholicism and wrote such masterpieces of Christian literature as The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Problem of Pain, and Mere Christianity. His life was as compelling as his writings. Essential and highly recommended reading for his legions of admirers, The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis presents the life story of this remarkable man, memorable excerpts from his writings, and insightful comments upon the vast impact that Lewis has had on providing the lay reader with a Christian perspective on reason, holiness, and imagination.


Stuart Davis
Published in Hardcover by Bulfinch Press (1998)
Authors: Philip Rylands, Rudi H. Fuchs, Lewis C. Kachur, Stuart Davis, National Museum of American Art (U.S.), and Peggy Guggenheim Collection
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STUART DAVIS RULES!
Right off the bat you should know I keep buying this book because I keep giving my current copy away to people I love. This book brilliantly presents superlative examples of why Stuart Davis is seen by artists & art historians alike as one of the greatest American painters of the 20th Century. A thousand imitators have followed after Davis, trying to match his genius for both capturing and yet leading the American cultural zeitgeist. No one can match him: Davis is the master. Buy this book and see why. Better yet, buy multiples of this book: you will want THAT much to give your favorite people a treasure of a book from one of the few true diamonds amongst 20th century American artists, Stuart Davis. And have fun reveling.


Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Published in Hardcover by G. K. Hall & Company ()
Author: C. S. Lewis
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C.S. Lewis is awesome
I love every book in the Chronicles of Narnia, but this one, along with TLTHATW and The Magicians Nephew, is in my top 3 favorites. I love the things this man's imagination creates. What's so great is you feel like you can go to Narnia. It's so real, but, so sadly, there's no way to get there. At the end, I was sad, but you saw it coming. I love the island of the Dufflepuds. I could feel the crew's frustration with those contrary creatures. I highly recommend this and every book in this series. I will continue to reread these books for my entire life.


The Wisdom of C. S. Lewis
Published in Hardcover by Westminster John Knox Press (2000)
Author: Brian Sibley
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This Book Will Touch Your Soul
C.S. Lewis is one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. Not only gifted in the writing of fiction (as in "The Chronicles of Narnia"), Mr. Lewis is also admired as a Christian writer. This book, a compilation of excerpts from such books as "The Screwtape Letters", "Mere Christianity", and "The Problem of Pain", is an incredible lesson in wisdom, patience and forebearance. Anyone who reads this book will be blessed by the candid honesty of Mr. Lewis and his experiences.


A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis: Curriculum Unit
Published in Spiral-bound by Center for Learning (1993)
Authors: Center for Learning Network and Myrna Jean Warren
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A Wrinkle in Time by Grace
Have you ever wanted to go to Mars, another galaxy, or even another dimension? Then set your imagination free with A Wrinkle in Time. The protagonist, Meg Murry, and the antagonist, IT, know nothing of each other in the exposition, but they meet in the rising action. The conflict between them is that Meg is trying to find her father, but IT has him imprisoned. At one point while she is going to find him, something terrifying happens.
'The trees were lashed into a violent frenzy. Meg screamed and clutched at Calvin, and Mrs. Which's authoritative voice called out, "Qquiett chilldd."
Did a shadow fall across the moon, or did the moon simply go out, extinguished as abruptly and completely as a candle? There was still the sound of leaves, a terrified, terrifying rushing. All light was gone. Darkness was complete. Suddenly the wind was gone, and all sound. Meg felt that Calvin was being torn from her. When she reached for him, her fingers touched nothing.
She screamed out, "Charles!" and whether it was to help him or for him to help her, she did not know. The word was flung back down her throat and she choked on it.
She was completely alone.'
To find out what happens to Meg, you will have to read this book. First, you can get a brief preview of its exciting, unforgettable climax.
'With an immense effort she tried to breathe against the rhythm of IT. But IT's power was too strong. Each time she managed to take a breath out of rhythm an iron hand seemed to squeeze her heart and lungs.
Then she remembered that when they had been standing before the man with the red eyes, and the man with the red eyes had been intoning the multiplication table at them, Charles Wallace had fought against his power by shouting out nursery rhymes, and Calvin by the Gettysburg Address.
"Georgie, porgie, pudding and pie," she yelled. "Kissed the girls and made them cry."
That was no good. It was too easy for nursery rhymes to fall into the rhythm of IT.
She didn't know the Gettysburg Address. How did the Declaration of Independence begin? She had memorized it only that winter, not because she was required to at school, but simply because she liked it.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident!" she shouted, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
As she cried out the words she felt a mind moving in on her own, felt IT seizing, squeezing her brain. Then she realized that Charles Wallace was speaking, or being spoken through by IT.
"But that's exactly what we have on Camazotz. Complete equality. Everybody exactly alike."'
To find out what happens to Meg and her friends in the exciting resolution, I recommend that you read this imaginative novel, A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle.


Great Divorce
Published in Paperback by MacMillan Publishing Company (1978)
Author: C. S. Lewis
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Heaven is more real than Earth
A friend told me that this book opened his eyes to the fact that some people don't want answers, only debate and politics. He couldn't believe people would think that way, but then he went to college and experienced them for himself.

Lewis has written a fun, memorable story about going to hell in a dream (or vision) and taking a bus tour of heaven. The ghostly figures that file timidly off the bus are barely visible in the bright light of heaven, and the grass is so much more real (or true) than they are it hurts their feet. One man tried to steal a golden apple, and he may as well have been trying to hiest a boulder. Lewis himself, writing in first person, feared a coming rain may pummel them into the ground.

But after the initial shock of a world more real than he could imagine, he watched the other tourist interact with heavenly friends who had come to greet them. Some of them were friends from earth, some just kind-hearted people. Again and again the hellions (if I may call them that) choose to hold on to their worthless pride or foolhearty beliefs rather than humble themselves to the truth. Pride manifests itself in a hundred subtle ways as these pitiful souls whine about perceived injustices or irrational motives. Thankfully, a few tourists do humble themselves, become transformed into marvelously real beings, and remain in heaven. But most don't, about which the great Scottish author George MacDonald, Lewis' heavenly guide, says, "They may not be rejecting the truth of heaven now. They may be reenacting the rejection they made while on earth."

This book has curious insight into our human hearts and teaches a few Biblical ideas in very memorable ways. I enjoyed reading it myself and again aloud to my wife. Lewis has a nice, readable style. 4 stars, only because a guy can't give everything good five stars.

What is Heaven and Hell, anyway?
The brilliance of "The Great Divorce" is Lewis' focus on the spiritual aspects of Heaven and Hell and not just the literal aspects. The very day I became a Christian, the thought entered my mind that the very worst things about Hell had to be the absence of love and the absence of Christ. That was as far as my thinking went. Lewis took me much further with this book-- The lustful man lives in a kind of Hell already. The woman with a forgiving and humble heart lives in a kind of Heaven already. In the Bible, believers are described as already seated with Christ in Heavenly places-- spiritually, they have already arrived at their eternal destination. The converse is true of unbelievers. They dwell in the dark shadows of the underworld-- willingly without love and without Christ, burning in the flames of their own selfishness. An excellent read!! Lewis mentions his predecessor, George MacDonald, in "The Great Divorce." I have read that Lewis derived much of his theology from MacDonald's interpretations. I recommend MacDonald's book "Phantastes," the very book which Lewis partly credits for his conversion. I also recommend highly, and I do mean highly "Castle of Wisdom" by Rhett Ellis.

Surface fantasy is framework for peak into human heart.
Lewis' "The Great Divorce" is a book that I have owned for years but only recently read. I don't know why it took me so long, but now that I have read it I want to read it again all the more. I guess that is a sign of a good book. Many of you reading this review are no doubt familiar with Lewis the philosopher, theologian, writer, and speaker. Suffice to say he remains one of the most esteemed and brilliant thinkers and writers of the last century.

This book easily compares to the best of his work. The idea of using a fantasy-land constructed around a bus trip to try to give us some look into the unknown is pure Lewis. A dark, desolate, rainy bus stop gives us a mental picture of hell that reminds me of the films "Blade Runner" and "Dark City". The descriptions of a heaven-like place given in the book remind me of the house of Elrond and the elvish city in the recent "Lord of the Rings". The book essentially follows the author as he tours both of these worlds-seemingly seperated by a million miles. With George MacDonald as his guide, the author witnesses many interactions between those in the 'heavenly' world and those arriving from hell on a bus. The heavenly beings-who are solid-attempt to convince the spirits aboard the tour to remain with them and allow themselves to be made whole by the overseer of the heavenly realm.

Unfortunately, most of the spirits prefer to deal with their various troubles 'some other time' or not at all. Wishing to remain as they are, they refuse the help of the heavenly beings. We witness spirits literally and figuratively in chains of pity, anger, pride, arrogance, and fear. The answer to all of these maladies is offered to them with outstretched arms, they need only accept the gift.

The most powerful exchange in the book comes between a spirit who arrives with a little red lizard on his shoulder. (Readers of Lewis will recognize this from his earlier essay 'Horrid Red Things' in "God in the Dock"). The lizard embodies the spirit's struggles with lust; it continuously goads him on. As the spirit comes into contact with one of the heavenly angels, the angel states that if the man will only ask him to, he will kill the lizard. The lizard immediately warns the spirit that the angel is capable of this and reminds the spirit that if this is allowed, he-the spirit-will never enjoy the pleasures of lust and sin again. The spirit hems and haws, asking the angel many questions. Each time the angel responds "...MAY I KILL IT?"

It is heartbreaking to read as the spirit decides to allow the angel-hands hovering just around the neck of the lizard-to kill it, only to relent when he realizes that he himself will be hurt in the process of obtaining freedom. The angel responds: "I never said it would not hurt you, only that it would not kill you." This seems eerily similar to so many of us in the 'real' world who, when offered freedom thru Christ and the solutions to our myriad of social, emotional, spiritual, and physical struggles, raise an angry hand to God and reject His offer. How many of us want our problems to be fixed, our wounds healed and our pain dealt with-without any pain!? How many of us prefer to hold onto the very things that are destroying us? Keeping us from God?

A brilliant treatise on the ability of the human-in this case the spirit of departed humans-to rationalize and justify our behavior, whether it be an overbearing, controlling mother, a frightened woman, a man diseased with lust, those consumed by career, or any of the other characters in the book. Look deeper because there is a message for everyone in this book. A powerful allegory of the struggle to make the Gospel known to others.

Recommended.


Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Published in Hardcover by MacMillan Publishing Company (1951)
Author: C. S. Lewis
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Book 1 in The Chronicles of Narnia
When four English siblings (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) are sent to the country to avoid the air raids in London, they find a secret passageway in a wardrobe that leads them to an imaginary land called Narnia. Here the four young children meet a few interesting characters: Tumnus the Faun, a half-goat/half-man that befriends Lucy when she's lost; the Beaver family who help the children elude the White Witch and her dangerous allies; and, lastly, the White Witch herself, who has laid claim over Narnia with her year-round winter spell and her self-proclaimed title: "Queen of Narnia". She is also the one who lures Edmund to her side with endless supplies of Turkish Delight and subtle hints of him becoming King.

During their adventures, the four children ultimately meet Aslan, the rightful king of Narnia who has returned, at last, to reclaim his land from the evil queen. Together they--along with the help of several other mystical beings--aim to defeat the White Witch and return Narnia to its original state and ownership.

After reading "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", you'll definitely want to read the following books in this series: "Prince Caspian" (#2), "The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader'" (#3), "The Silver Chair" (#4), "The Horse and His Boy" (#5), "The Magician's Nephew" (#6), and "The Last Battle" (#7). Although "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is geared for children age 8 to 12, I consider it appropriate for all ages and encourage everyone to read it.

I received the entire Narnia collection from one of my aunts when I was a kid, either for my birthday or some other holiday--I don't remember. Anyway, this book/series has been one of my all-time favorites ever since. It's a wonderful fantasy meant for children, but will inspire adults as well. Highly recommended. It also makes a wonderful gift. ;)

There are some Christian undertones in this book, such as the terms "Daughter of Eve" and "Son of Adam" for humans in Narnia, as well as Aslan's sacrifice for Edmund; however, I don't really regard The Chronicles of Narnia as a religious series. You can expect a wholesome story, but not to worry--it isn't preachy or overly self-righteous.

Several years after it was published, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was made into a TV series in the late 60s, which I never saw because I wasn't born yet. Plus it only aired in the UK. About ten years later, in 1979 (the year I was born), a cartoon movie was made, but I didn't see that one either. The only movie I vaguely recall watching was the 1988 movie starring Richard Dempsey, Sophie Cook, Jonathan R. Scott, and Sophie Wilcox. I remember that even then I wasn't too impressed with it, not as much as I was with the book.

So, for those who love children's fantasies, or are just C. S. Lewis fans, then I highly recommend this book and series. It's well worth your time.

Chronicals of Narnia Radio Theater
Wow! I just listened to a copy of the radio theater version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and was VERY impressed with the quality of the production. It's very different from just a "book on tape." It takes your imagination away with it. I felt as though I was there crunching through the snow in the wood on the other side of the wardrobe and there through the tea in the beaver's house, etc., etc. I was listening in my car and sat in the driveway for 15 minutes to hear the end of the first tape!

I wanted to hear the production before I sent it to my neices for Christmas. I've read the books several times and was concerned with whether or not the radio theatre would accurately represent the books. I was not disappointed. I got them for my neices and will most likely end up purchasing copies for myself of the whole series once they are available.

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this radio theater series to lovers of Lewis's books and especially to parents(even if they don't know Lewis's writings all that well). It's an adventure! Oh, it also would be great on long car trips for both children and adults.

Enter the magical realm of Narnia
CS Lewis is perhaps best-known for his Chronicles of Narnia series of children's books, of which this was the first written. In fact, the book is second in chronological order, but this was the first book Lewis wrote and published, and I consider it to be the first of the series. This is a story about four children who are staying at an enormous house in the country with an old Professor. One day, Lucy (the youngest) finds a door (inside a wardrobe) to the magical world of Narnia. This leads to a whole series of adventures, in which they join forces with a magical lion named Aslan to combat a wicked witch.

This is a wonderful fairy-tale type story for children, but there is a lot of religious symbolism here as well. Above all, Lewis was a master Christian apologist, and many Christian symbols and values appear in this book. Aslan is a Christ figure, a selfless being who sacrifices himself for another, and who rises again and brings about a sort of "resurrection" of other animals when he restores to life various creatures who have been turned to stone. Edmund, the youngest brother, is a symbol of a lost and selfish soul who goes seeking for evil, finds it, is enthralled by it, and finally redeems himself by practicing virtue. Throughout the book there are numerous Christian references, no doubt an attempt by Lewis to make these stories teach children the right kind of values.

I am certain that one of Lewis's aims in writing this story was to inspire good moral living among children, to show what sort of behavior is acceptable, and what is not. Note also his many jabs against the school system, especially those made by the Professor. In fact, it is the new school Edmund attended which was the cause of his nastiness and selfish attitude. There are many hints of Lewis's philosophy and theology here, and readers of his other works (for example, his books Miracles and the Abolition of Man) will find the values he advocates in those books put into practice here.

These books serve a dual purpose. They are very entertaining for children, and they also provide some very essential lessons. This is what has made the Chronicles of Narnia constantly popular, both among children and among adults.


The Magician's Nephew
Published in Paperback by Harpercollins Juvenile Books (1994)
Authors: C. S. Lewis and Pauline Baynes
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Excellent Read!!
The first book in the series of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Magician's Nephew is an excellent fantasy that pulls the reader in from the first word! Lewis weaves a fantastic tale that weaves fantasy and reality splendidly. The reader is drawn into Lewis' world of fiction with an amazing ease. Part of the seven book series, The Magician's Nephew is an excellent beginning to what will certainly become a fascinating, enthralling series.

Digory is a young boy who is upset because his mother is dying. When he meets Polly (his next door neighbor), he tells her about his mother and that he is staying next door with his spinster aunt and his bachelor Uncle Andrew so that they can take care of his mother. Polly and Digory soon become good friends and they discover a secret passageway that connects all of the attics in the houses on their row (in London). They stumble into the attic of Digory's Uncle Andrew and he tricks Polly into becoming part of an experiment for him. She puts on a yellow ring and travels to another world. Digory has no choice but to follow her when his Uncle Andrew tells him the secret of how to come back. Digory and Polly end up in the "Wood Between the Worlds," a type of portal to other places and times. Although Polly immediately wants to turn back, Digory convinces her to visit one of the other places first. They choose a pool of water that takes them to the deserted city of Charn, where they awaken Queen Jadis, an evil queen that is bent on leaving her own dead kingdom and conquering London. She attaches herself to Digory while they are trying to escape and they accidentally bring her back to London. Once there, she wreaks havoc on everyone and everything even though her magic powers are not as strong in this new world. Polly and Digory decide that they must return her to her world, so they travel back to the "Woods between the Worlds." Thinking that they have chosen the pool that leads to the city of Charn, they jump in only to find that they are in a new land and they experience the birth of the Land of Narnia. They experience everything to the birth of the sun and stars to the blessing of the first king and queen of Narnia. Digory is sent on a mission to retrieve the fruit of a special tree so that it may be planted in the center of Narnia to protect it from the Witch of Charn, who has hidden herself in the recesses of this new land. After being tempted to eat or [take] the fruit for himself, Digory brings the fruit to Aslan, the creator of Narnia, and he casts out the fruit so that it can grow into a tree. Aslan thanks Digory and tells him to take an apple from the tree and give it to his sick mother so that she might be saved. Polly and Andrew leave Narnia and Digory gives the fruit to his mother, who is healed. ...

A wonderful beginning
A lot of people argue about whether The Magician's Nephew is book one or book six in the Narnia series. Either way, (I read it second-after The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and have now reread it after finishing the series) it is an excellent book. It is the genesis of all the adventures in Narnia; and is a masterpiece! A little boy named Digory and his friend Polly are sent to a place between the worlds by Digory's mad-scientist/magician uncle Andrew. From there they awaken an ancient evil, witness the death of one world and the birth of another. In telling the story, C.S. Lewis writes with both wit and skill. His grasp on human nature is both insightful and entertaining. This book serves as a parable for our own creation and fall. It is a book I recommend to people of all ages.

The best in children's literature
The Magician's Nephew is a fun and exciting tale. It depicts the adventures of two ordinary schoolchildren who are unwillingly thrown into an extraordinary situation. The story is a prequel to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and explains a number of things found in the other Narnia tales. The two protagonists are Polly, a nice and sensible girl, and Digory, an impulsive and adventuresome boy. I can't be certain but I have the feeling that Digory was patterned after Douglas Gresham, Lewis' step-son. Digory's mother is extremely ill and dying, just as Gresham's mother was. However, the parallel breaks down as the book nears the end. Every great story has a villain; this one has two. The first is Digory's Uncle Andrew, a self-styled magician. He symbolizes all that's wrong with our world; he's self-centered and very materialistic. It's his greed that initiates the whole adventure and, unwittingly, the chronicles of Narnia. The other villain is Queen Jadis, the ruler of a dying world. Her own rapacity for power thrusts her into the new and perfect land of Narnia with the intent of dominating it. There are moments of hilarity, mostly involving Uncle Andrew's encounter with a group of newly created animals. There are also moments of awe and wonder. Lewis renders a literary recapitulation of the creation event in the founding of Narnia that is both subtle and sublime. There is also a wonderful exchange between Digory and the witch expounding right and wrong, truth and falsehood. I highly recommend this book and encourage all parents to buy it and read it together with their children.


C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity (Shepherd's Notes Christian Classics 2)
Published in Paperback by Broadman & Holman Publishers (2000)
Authors: Terry L. Miethe and C. S. Lewis
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A Tale of Two Reviews
Judging from earlier reviews, you'll either love this one or you'll hate it. A quick scan of the ratings reveals that Christians love it while agnostics and atheists pan it. From 129 ratings out there, only four readers provided on-the-fence "3 star" reviews. By joining this lonely (objective?) crowd, I'm hoping to convince myself that writing review number 130 is not purely an exercise in conceit but can provide a different perspective on the work.

First, let's recognize that this book is really a combination of three prior, separate essays comprising two distinct topics. These topics are an apologetic of the Christian faith and a high-level review of fundamental Christian beliefs held across denominations. Those who offer blanket criticism appear to miss this distinction and view the entire work as an apologetic. In my view, these distinct components differ sharply in intent and quality and therefore deserve separate reviews.

As to the common threads throughout the work, they are largely positive. Readers of other Lewis works will be familiar with his wonderful ability to write in clear, concise, conversational prose and these gifts are on display throughout the book. His capacity for using metaphors and analogies if rightfully renowned and is particularly helpful in explaining complex beliefs and doctrine.

Unfortunately, the pure apologetic section of the work falls far short of it's target of providing a rational justification for the faith. Lewis attempts to structure logical deductive and inductive reasoning arguments to support his conclusion that there is a single God and that Jesus was his only Son. Surprisingly for one of Lewis' obvious intellect, his logic if rife with serious flaws. Two quick examples are symptomatic. First, Lewis states that "Reality is something you could not have guessed. This is one of the reason's I believe in Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed." What he means is that the world is complex and therefore a religion that accurately explains the world must be complex. Thus, because Christianity is complex, it accurately explains the world. This logic leaves seekers of religion free to accept any "complicated" belief system (in fact, the more complicated the better). Second, Lewis argues that Jesus must be the Son of God because the Bible makes it clear that he was "neither a lunatic nor a fiend" and that he must be either a lunatic/fiend or the Son of God. In addition to several deductive logic holes, the argument faces an obvious circularity problem (i.e. one believes what the New Testament says because Jesus is the Son of God and one believes He is the Son of God because of the Bible's description of his life). These and other similar examples of poor logic lead me to give a "2 star" rating to this section of the work.

For all the issues with Lewis' apologetic efforts, his attempt to provide an easily understandable, concise summary of the major cross-denominational Christian beliefs is outstanding. One can take issue with the lack of depth and breadth of coverage, but only if one does not clearly understand Lewis' objectives. His discussion of the cardinal virtues, the sin of pride and the trinity are among the most clearly articulated explanations I have seen. While the passage of time has exposed several of his points (e.g. the Christian wife's obligation to "obey" her husband) as no longer falling within the common Christian belief set, on the whole he clearly succeeds in his goals. Thus, I give a "4 star" rating to this section of the work.

The 2 and 4 stars equate to an overall 3 star rating. C.S. Lewis fans should read the book for an interesting perspective on his personal beliefs. Those looking for a clear explanation of those common beliefs that Christians hold dear would get great value from the work. Those looking for a compelling, rational defense of the faith would be better served looking elsewhere.

A Great Simplistic View of A Complex Subject
After reading several books on a similar topic that did nothing but confuse me, I was glad that I came upon C.S. Lewis's work. All of the other books about the existence of God are way off in their own world, and discourage anyone who feels lost in their ideas about God. This book really explained the reasons that God must exist, and then moved on to easily describe the major beliefs of Christians, without leaving anyone out in the cold on what the key issues actually are. This book is perfect for the agnostic, the atheist, and even the Christian that wants to know the logical and simple reasons that C.S. Lewis came to be a Christian. Over and over, his words made me see even the simplest concepts of religion in a completely new light. I was greatly impressed and have already read this book multiple times.

The most solid apologetic overview that I've ever read.
Having read Mere Christianity several times and then having read the BAD reviews on it I found the "one star crowd" to be a particularly bitter bunch, ignoring the weightier concepts and ignoring the whole scope of the book. Mr Lewis's life and work was a singular effort in defense of the faith (after his conversion) and anyone who sees a 200 odd page compilation of many of these insights as superficial is correct in only the most superficial way. It would take a book that was a decade in the making and more than an armful to exhaustively compile all the arguments and counter-arguments for and against the christian faith and Lewis gives a lively and accurate synopsis of the whole of apologetics. This is very readable stuff in a progressive manner that basically takes you from the starting point of believing that we exist, through the existance of moral law, a moral law-giver, a self revealing moral lawgiver, and finally arriving at a wise immortal man on a cross. The final sections of the book basically saw what we can think and know about reality basd on this situation and how we should then live. A wonderful book that a christian's heart will take as spiritual steak and potatoes and unbelivers will reel at as they begin to see the reasonableness of the God.


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