When I first heard of the title, Mere Christianity, I wasn't quite sure what was meant by that. The word "mere" brought several possible interpretations too mind which were in fact quite conflicting. At first it seemed to me as if it were saying it was just Christianity, as if it were nothing special, something rather basic to be looked down upon by those of superior knowledge. That of course is ridiculous as Lewis would be the first to proclaim that Christianity is not only important it is the thing by which we "see everything else."
The next concept of "mere" that came to me was that of simple and basic, as if Lewis were laying out a simplified, toned down version of Christianity. A Christianity for dummies if you will. It had this condescending connotation to it, as if this book was for those who couldn't quite keep up with the full blown Christianity. That is not correct either because Lewis, while he does desire to make Christianity understandable to all, he is not selling a dumbed down version that is somewhat inferior to the fully fledged one. No, the beauty of Christianity is that it is itself both delightfully simple, so much so that it is to little children to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs, and wonderfully complex such that we can never solve all of its mysteries.
Lewis says rather, that in saying "mere" Christianity, he is referring to the central essence of Christianity, as he says, "the agreed, or common, or central, or 'mere' Christianity." Lewis is trying to remove the points of contention and get to the heart of what Christianity is. It is the core if you will of Christianity, the essentials which he is interesting himself with, those parts which if absent would render the belief no longer Christianity at all. In doing so Lewis removes those pieces which are contentious among various denomination and very clearly avoids lending support to one or the other regardless of his own membership in the Church of England.
This is part of what Lewis so appealing, even to those outside of the church. By removing all the confusing and non-essential quarrels between denominations over, infant baptism, the role of the Virgin Mary, the transformation of the sacrament, and so on, Lewis is able to present a much more inviting and understandable picture of Christianity without removing from it any of it's marvelous mystery. If only we as the church could see that and be willing to lay down our quarrels over petty insignificant aspects and merely accept the others opinions as long as they did not affect the central nature of Christianity. How much more like Christ could the church then become? After all quarreling and complaining are the two things that prevent the church from being a light as it should.
Phil 2:14-16
Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
NIV
So many people in the Christian church has read this book and are still fighting over petty things. I was even taught in my "Christian Ethics" class in high school that we need to determine the things that are essential to our faith and not let the little things get in the way of God's Kingdom work. That just gives more proof for Lewis' explanations of us knowing what is right but not doing it (I think Paul talks about that somewhere in the Bible as well.)
ReplyDeleteNate, you raise some good points. I enjoy reading peoples blogs where they state with sincerity what they are feeling. It is hard because as we grow up, we are seeing more and more division of the church. I think it is so cool that Lewis can start explaining Christianity so well without using Scripture. In thought to your question above, it is like his metaphor in the preface. Many people choose different rooms to go in because of different beliefs. As Lewis says, "When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall."
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