Questions for quiz on March 8th
MERE CHRISTIANITY
BOOK II: WHAT CHRISTIANS BELIEVE
CHAPTER 3: THE SHOCKING ALTERNATIVE (PAGES 47-52)
1.) LEWIS OPENS THIS CHAPTER BY DELVING A BIT INTO THEODICY: HOW TO RECONCILE THE
EXISTENCE OF AN INFINITELY BENEVOLENT GOD WITH THE EVIL THAT IS SO APPARENT IN
OUR WORLD. “FREE WILL, THOUGH IT MAKES EVIL POSSIBLE, IS ALSO THE ONLY THING THAT
MAKES POSSIBLE ANY LOVE OR GOODNESS OR JOY WORTH HAVING” (48). CAN THERE BE
TRUE LOVE WITHOUT FREEDOM? EXPLAIN.
2.) IN YOUR LIFE YOU MAY, IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, ENCOUNTERED PEOPLE WHO ARE
ANGRY OR DISAGREE WITH GOD ON HOW HE CREATED THE WORLD, HUMANS, ETC. TO WHAT
DOES LEWIS COMPARE THIS AND WHY DOES HE SAY THIS?
3.) “GOD DESIGNED THE MACHINE TO RUN ON HIMSELF” (50). TIME AND TIME AGAIN
HUMANKIND HAS CHOSEN TO USE OTHER FUELS, ONLY TO FIND THAT, IN THE END, “THE
MACHINE CONKS” (50). WHAT THREE THINGS DOES LEWIS SAY GOD HAS LEFT?
4.) EVERY STUDENT IN THE CLASS SHOULD UNDERLINE OR HIGHLIGHT THE FINAL
PARAGRAPH IN THIS CHAPTER BEGINNING WITH “I AM TRYING HERE TO PREVENT
ANYONE FROM SAYING...” THIS IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY QUOTED
PASSAGES OF THIS BOOK, AND AN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY THING FOR EACH STUDENT TO
REMEMBER ABOUT JESUS. DISCUSS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STATEMENT AND WHAT IT
MEANS FOR THOSE WHO PREFER A “DOMESTICATED JESUS”.
CHAPTER 4: THE PERFECT PENITENT (PAGES 53-59)
1.) EXPLAIN WHY/HOW LEWIS CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE PRIMARY REASON FOR
GOD COMING TO EARTH WAS TO DIE.
2.) EXPLAIN WHY THEORIES ABOUT CHRIST’S DEATH ARE NOT CHRISTIANITY, BUT
EXPLANATION ABOUT HOW IT WORKS.
3.) WHAT IS THE FORMULA LEWIS PROPOSES FOR CHRISTIANITY? WHAT DOES LEWIS WANT
TO AVOID WHEN OFFERING A DEFINITION?
4.) IT SEEMS A BIT ODD, DOESN’T IT, THAT IN ORDER TO GET OUT OF THE “HOLE” (56) WE
FIND OURSELVES IN IS TO LAY DOWN OUR ARMS. WHAT DOES LEWIS INTEND BY SAYING
THIS?
5.) “ONLY A BAD PERSON NEEDS TO REPENT: ONLY A GOOD PERSON CAN REPENT PERFECTLY.
THE WORSE YOU ARE THE MORE YOU NEED IT AND THE LESS YOU CAN DO IT. THE ONLY
PERFECT PERSON WHO COULD DO IT PERFECTLY WOULD BE A PERFECT PERSON- AND HE
WOULD NOT NEED IT” (57).
6.) HOW DOES LEWIS DESCRIBE RETURNING BACK TO GOD?
Questions for quiz on March 8th
7.) HOW DOES LEWIS ARRIVE AT THE CONCLUSION THAT “OUR ATTEMPTS AT [THIS] DYING
WILL SUCCEED ONLY IF WE MEN SHARE IN GOD’S DYING” (58)?
8.) WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SAYS, “IT MUST HAVE BEEN SO EASY FOR GOD
TO SUFFER AND DIE FOR US BECAUSE HE WAS GOD”? DOES GOD HAVE AN UNFAIR
ADVANTAGE?
CHAPTER 5: THE PRACTICAL CONCLUSION (PAGES 60-65)
1.) WHY DOES FOLLOWING CHRIST MEAN MORE THAN SIMPLY FOLLOWING HIS TEACHINGS?
2.) HOW DOES LEWIS RELATE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE TO EVOLUTION? WHAT DIFFERENCE
DOES HE MAKE?
3.) LEWIS SPEAKS OF EACH OF US DERIVING OUR LIVES WITHOUT OUR CONSENT. EACH OF US
ARE HERE TODAY, NOT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT FROM A THOUGHT, AN ODD
PROCESS WE COULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF ON OUR OWN. HOW DOES LEWIS RELATE THIS
TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?
4.) “AUTHORITY” IS A VERY UNPOPULAR WORD NOWADAYS. WHAT DOES LEWIS SAY ABOUT
BELIEF EVEN AMONG THOSE WHO PROFESS NOT TO “BELIEVE” IN GOD?
5.) RELATE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE TO THE NATURAL LIFE RECEIVED FROM PARENTS.
6.) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHRISTIAN AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING
TO BE GOOD? WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SAYS TO YOU, “IT DOESN’T MATTER
WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE, AS LONG AS YOU’RE A GOOD PERSON”?
7.) IF CHRIST IS, IN FACT, OPERATING IN AND THROUGH EACH OF US, WHAT DOES THIS TELL
US ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH CHRIST COMMUNICATES HIMSELF? TO WHAT DOES LEWIS
COMPARE IT, AND WHY?
8.) EACH OF YOU WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE ASKED THE QUESTION, “IF CHRIST WAS REALLY
GOD, WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD OF
CHRIST? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM?” HOW WOULD LEWIS RESPOND? IF WE ARE REALLY
WORRIED ABOUT THESE PEOPLE OUTSIDE, WHAT IS THE MOST UNREASONABLE THING WE CAN
DO?
9.) WHY DOES LEWIS BELIEVE CHRIST IS DELAYING HIS RETURN? TO WHAT DOES LEWIS
RELATE THE COMING OF CHRIST? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HIS PROPOSAL?
10.) WE WILL EXPERIENCE ONE OF TWO REALITIES WHEN GOD COMES. WHAT ARE THESE
TWO REALITIES, AND WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD TODAY?
WHY DOES IT MATTER?