Summary Of C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity

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Mere Christianity cemented its author's reputation as the preeminent, modern Christian writer. C. S. Lewis's opus originated as a series of radio broadcasts during World War II. Therefore, Lewis tailors his message to the layman. He strives to present Christanity more approachably and understandably. Toward that goal, he speaks conversationally, retaining all the “contractions and colloquialisms” of ordinary speech. He adorns his writing with brilliant and diverse imagery. In hindsight, he succeeds beyond his wildest imagination. Even so, counterapologists dispute his polemics. In opening Mere Christianity, Lewis realizes that he must first establish the existence of something apart from the material universe. Only then can he defend…show more content…
Lewis defies relativism as an unlivable philosophy. However stridently their assertion of relativism, relativists live inconsistently: “Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real right and wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later.” Most relativists, despite their protests, believe that rape, murder, or genocide are really, objectively wrong. Likewise, when a relativist is a victim of wrongdoing, he will very quickly cry “unfair,” despite having no objective basis to do so. Everyone, including the relativist, views wrongs done against themselves as really…show more content…
New Atheist Christopher Hitchens, for example, derided Lewis' trilemma as “so pathetic as to defy description.” Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins also describes the argument as “pathetic.” “Pathetic” arguments must warrant “pathetic” refutations because Dawkin's rebuttal is none too persuasive: “a fourth possibility, almost too obvious to need mentioning, is that Jesus was honestly mistaken.” In fact, this is merely a restatement of the trilemma's third horn. No one gently chides a messiah claimant as “honestly mistaken.” Even bad arguments cannot be refuted by the handwaving, though Dawkins tries. Other counterapologists “rebut” the argument by mischaracterizing Lewis' intention: that the argument purports to prove Jesus' divinity but does not succeed. In fact, Lewis did not necessarily mean to logically demonstrate Christ's divinity. After all, one can opt for another horn, Jesus as a lunatic or liar. Only, he wanted to silence the misguided notion of Jesus as merely a great human
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