Focus Guide for
the Study of
Mere Christianity
by
C. S. Lewis
This Focus Guide
was written by a
Sunday School Teacher at
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church
Emmett, Idaho
1 February Anno Domini 2002
Mere Christianity Focus Guide
An overview
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, the British academic, Christian writer, and
literary critic, is a book that makes the reader think. It purports to be four books
wrapped into one. The work is based on radio talks given by Lewis over the BBC
radio between 1942 and 1944, a dangerous and deadly time for Britain – a time
when, remarkably, the BBC wanted Britons to know what Christians believe. Can
you imagine a similar desire by any secular broadcast media, today?
Moving forward sixty years to our post-9/11 World, U. S. citizens likely
possess some of the same concerns of the Londoners during the Blitz. What is our
enemy up to? Will we suffer more attacks of mass destruction? Will our country
ever be normal again? Can we ever be safe? Why is this happening to us? Is God
punishing our country?
As we think about these things, there is a clear sense of American
determination and resolve, but our anxiety is obvious. Moreover, just like the Brits
of two generations ago, our country is thinking more introspectively. Many of us
are thinking about our relationships with others, especially loved ones. Are we
really treating them the way we should? What if we part for work one morning,
never to see each other again because of another attack? How will we (or they)
remember our last moments together? What about our neighbors? Are our actions
and speech toward them full of grace – or full of disaffection? In times like these,
how in the world should we act?
Mere Christianity is a great book to help with some of these questions. It is
especially suited for high school or adult Sunday School classes.
Book I, entitled by Lewis as “Right And Wrong As a Clue To the Meaning
Of the Universe,” brings to mind Paul’s strong statement in Romans, “The wrath of
God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of
men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about
God is plain to them, because God had made it plain to them. For since the creation
of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have
been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are
without excuse.” (Rom 1: 18-20; NIV).
Interestingly, Lewis summed up the whole of Christianity as the “putting on
of Christ.” But what does that mean? The one doctrine that is foundational and
primary, indeed, the very essence of Christianity, can be simply stated. Sinners are
justified solely by God’s grace, and this gift of grace (to be redundant) can be
obtained only through faith in Christ’s substitutionary atonement. Now while this
doctrine might be simply stated, we ought not to be surprised that it doesn’t make
much sense. After all, there’s nothing particularly rational about it when we think
in terms of human sacrifice. Nevertheless, its unmistakable enunciation is divinely
declared throughout scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Perhaps this doctrine
becomes more palpable if we think of it in terms of a rich friend coming to the aid of
a bankrupt by paying the bankrupt’s debts in full. In any event, this doctrine in
particular, and Christianity as a whole, is hard – and easy – at the same time.
But the doctrine of justification presupposes five other fundamental
doctrines that cannot be denied. That is to say, any religion that does not believe,
teach, and confess these doctrines may be a legitimate religion as far as the notion of
legal status goes, but it is decidedly not Christian. These presupposed doctrines are
as follows:
1.
Sin (and its consequences);
2.
The Person of Jesus the Christ (true man and true God);
3.
The Work of the Incarnate Son of God (the Atonement);
4.
The Resurrection;
5.
The Word of God (faith in and belief that this Gospel is true).
The reader is invited to keep score, to see how Lewis lines up with these doctrines in
Mere Christianity.
This brings us to the purpose of the Focus Guide. It is intended first to assist
those who might be studying Mere Christianity in a group setting. The “focus” is set
out in the form of questions serving as “launch points” for discussion. This is not to
say, however, that a group leader couldn’t craft better “launch points” with
different questions taking a different focus.
A second purpose for the guide is to assist the non-Christian or new believer
who might be exploring the Christian faith by reading secondary sources (the Bible
is still the very best one) in order to flesh out its basic doctrines. Mere Christianity is
not a difficult book. For example, it’s a far easier (and enjoyable) read than, say,
Thoreau’s Walden. But like the 19th century classic, it deserves to be read slowly, to
be pondered and reflected upon.
If, after reading Mere Christianity, you have any questions about the
Christian faith, go back to the www.scholia.net website for more information. Ask
Pastor McCoy. He’d love to hear from you. He’ll do his best to get back to you as
soon as practicable with an answer you can use.
May our LORD bless you in your study.
Mere Christianity Focus Guide
BOOK I:
RIGHT AND WRONG AS A CLUE
TO THE MEANING OF THE UNIVERSE.
I. The Law of Human Nature. Lewis discusses how humans typically appeal to a
standard that everyone seems to know about when disputes arise.

How does Lewis define quarreling?

Do people in a quarrel need to be in agreement about something?
What? Why?

What did the Rule about Right and Wrong used to be called? Why
was it called that?

According to Lewis, what did ancient Egypt, Babylon, India, China,
Greece, and Rome have in common with our civilization?

What might a totally different morality mean to the West?

According to Lewis, when people assert they don’t believe in a
Real Right or Wrong, what can we expect them to do within a short
time?

On those occasions people (we) do not keep the Moral Law, what
kinds of excuses can we expect to hear from them (us)? What do their
(our) excuses tend to prove?

For Lewis, what two facts comprise the foundation of all clear
thinking about humankind and our universe?
II. Some Objections. Lewis discusses two general objections he received from his
radio listeners about his teaching on the Moral Law (also known as the Law of
Human Nature or the Law of Decent Behavior).

To Lewis, the Moral Law is not simply the result of a “herd” or
human instinct, why?

Using a musical analogy, how does Lewis describe the workings of the
Moral Law?

Are there any impulses or instincts we possess that the Moral Law
brands good or bad?

Is there any instinct we possess which could or should be set up as an
absolute guide? Why or why not?

If the Moral Law is not instinct, isn’t it simply social convention?
According to Lewis, why or why not?

How does Lewis argue against the idea that the Moral Law is simply a
matter of how we are brought up or educated?

If, for example, we say that Christian morality is superior to the
morality of the Taliban, what are we doing?

(Thinking out loud): Do you think that declaring one morality as
superior to another is something we have the authority or right to do?
Where might this authority or right come from?

What does Lewis have to say about differences of morality and
differences in our belief about facts?
III.
The reality of the Law. Lewis asserts that the Moral Law is a real
thing, even if not in an ordinary sense.

According to Lewis, what are two odd things about the human race?
Does Paul make a similar point in Romans 1: 18-32?

What does Lewis see as a key difference between the Law of Human
Nature (Moral Law) and the Laws of Nature (i.e., stones falling when
we throw them)? How does this dichotomy square with Romans 7: 720?

Is decent behavior simply some kind of behavior that is useful to us?

Is the Law of Human Nature real? How so?
IV. What Lies Behind the Law. Lewis briefly outlines the Materialist, Religious,
and Life-Force (or Creative or Emergent Evolution) philosophical views on how the
universe came into being, and, accordingly, what lies behind the Moral Law.

What is the Materialist view of creation?

What is the Religious view of creation?

Can we expect science to ever tell us which view is correct? Why or
why not?

To Lewis, is the “Something Behind” investigation even a scientific
question?

From Lewis’ point of view in the first half of the Twentieth Century,
what was the one thing in the universe that we knew more about than
anything else?

What argument does Lewis make in favor of the concept that there is
something greater operating this universe that science will never be
able to detect?

When Lewis opened the “packet” called Man, what did he discover
about himself?

Why does Lewis call the Life-Force a sort of tame God?
V. We Have Cause to Be Uneasy. Lewis sets forth three arguments about why
Christianity should make sense in view of the demands of the Moral Law.

The first argument set forth by Lewis is because humanity is on the
wrong road. Do you think we are? What would you point to as
evidence of your belief?

Can progress be made while on the wrong road?

If the creation of the universe amounts to our only evidence of God’s
existence, should we expect to find Him to be a great artist or
merciless?

Do we find out anything more about God from the Moral Law? How
so? What does the Moral Law tell us about God’s softness,
indulgence, or sympathetic nature?

Lewis’ second argument is that although we need God, we have made
ourselves enemies of Him. What does Genesis 3 have to say about this
problem?

If there is simply an impersonal force behind the creation of the
universe and the Moral Law, is there any point in asking it to let us
off when we foul up?

If simply an impersonal absolute goodness exists, how would it view
what we do?

Lewis’ third argument is that when we finally come to the realization
that there is a real Moral Law and a Power behind it, and then come
to the further realization that we are at odds with both that law and
Power, at that point Christianity starts to communicate. Will
Christianity typically make any sense to the non-believer before that
point?

What Good News can knowledgeable Christians give the person who
has a sudden need of forgiveness?

Do you agree or disagree with this statement: The Christian religion is
a religion of comfort?

What are your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing?
Mere Christianity Focus Guide
BOOK II:
WHAT CHRISTIANS BELIEVE
As you read through Book II, answer the following questions.
I.
The Rival Conceptions of God. In this chapter, Lewis discusses how
humanity is divided into its various beliefs – or disbelief – about God.

What information does Lewis give us at the beginning of the chapter
about what Christians don’t need to believe?

How does Lewis divide humanity in its belief about God?

What division does Lewis name as the majority?

Do you think Lewis would be correct if he made the same division
today?

Do you agree with Lewis that even the “queerest” religions contain
some hint of truth? (If you answered in the affirmative, defend your
answer.)

What must atheists believe about all religions?

How does Lewis further divide those who believe in God?

What does Pantheism espouse in relation to goodness and God?

What do Christianity, Judaism, and Mohammedanism (Islam) have in
common?

What does Pantheism espouse about the universe and God?

To Pantheists, what is the tie between God and the universe?

How do Christians view God and the universe?

Why do you think Lewis calls Christianity a “fighting” religion?

What did Lewis come to realize about his pre-conversion argument
that God did not exist because the “universe seemed so cruel and
unjust”?
II.
The Invasion. In this chapter, Lewis discusses how Christianity is not as
simple as some would have us believe.

What does Lewis call the view that holds we have a good God in
heaven and all is right?

For Lewis, what is wrong with such a view of Christianity?

According to Lewis, who props up a kind of Christianity suitable for
six year olds, then attacks it?

What is characteristic about those who argue that if God existed, He
would have made religion simple?

How does Lewis view reality?

How does Lewis describe the Christian view of the universe and the
operation of good and evil?

What is the term Lewis gives us that explains the other view of good
and evil?

What does this non-Christian view hold about the universe?

How does Lewis destroy the non-Christian notion that the Good
Power and the Bad Power are the ultimate powers?

How does Lewis define wickedness?

How does Lewis come to the conclusion that the Bad Power is a part
of the Good Power’s world?

According to Lewis, what enables evil to carry on?

How might this apply to the men who hijacked the airliners and
crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?

What surprised Lewis when he first seriously read the New
Testament?

How do Christianity and Dualism agree, in Lewis’ view?

How do they differ?

What are the “Christian soldiers” called to do?
III.
The Shocking Alternative. In this chapter, Lewis discusses his view
of free will, how Satan came to be Satan, and why Jesus is not a great moral teacher.

According to Lewis, how do Christians currently view the evil power
in this world?

What concept does Lewis have of free will?

In Lewis’ view, what makes evil possible? What else does it make
possible?

What is Lewis’ theory of why God gave humans free will?

How does Lewis describe the happiness God has designed for His
“higher creatures”?

In the Chief Articles of Faith (from the Latin version) of The
Augsburg Confession, contained in The Book of Concord, it states in
Article XVIII (Free Will), “Our churches teach that man’s will has
some liberty for the attainment of civil righteousness and for the
choice of things subject to reason. However, it does not have the
power, without the Holy Spirit, to attain the righteousness of God –
that is, spiritual righteousness – because natural man does not
perceive the gifts of the Spirit of God (I Cor. 2:14); but this
righteousness is wrought in the heart when the Holy Spirit is received
through the Word.” Do you read Lewis as making the same
distinction? Why or why not?

What did Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors?

In Lewis’ view, what did God design humankind to run on?

What does Lewis see as the “key” to history?

What did God do to counter Satan?

What is the most shocking thing uttered by human lips, and who said
it?

In Lewis’ view, what is the one thing we must not say about Jesus?
Why?
IV. The Perfect Penitent. In this chapter, Lewis discusses his theory on the
Atonement of Christ.

In reading the New Testament, what seems to be the chief mission of
Christ in coming to earth in human form?

If the central Christian belief is that Christ’s death has somehow
made us right with God, in Lewis’ view, is there a single or unifying
theory on how this works?

What distinction, if any, does Lewis make between theory and belief
when it comes to the death and resurrection of our Lord?

What does Lewis see as the “formula” of Christianity?

If the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior is a divine
concept, can we really grasp it as human beings?

Is it rational to have an innocent person take the blame for the guilty?

What is the conundrum set up by Lewis over good people and bad
people when it comes to repentance?

In the Chief Articles of Faith found in the Augsburg Confession
contained within the Book of Concord, we find in Article XII
(Repentance) among other things, “… Properly speaking, repentance
consists of these two parts: one is contrition, that is, terror smiting the
conscience with a knowledge of sin, and the other is faith, which is
born of the Gospel, or of absolution, believes [sic] that sins are
forgiven for Christ’s sake, comforts the conscience, and delivers it
from terror. Then good works, which are the fruit of repentance, are
bound to follow. …” Is this how Lewis sees repentance?

How do humans repent, in Lewis’ view, since we are unable to do it on
our own?

To Lewis’ way of thinking, why did God need to become a man?

Do you think it was easy or hard for Jesus to suffer and die? What
scriptural support can you find on this subject?
V.
The Practical Conclusion. In this chapter, Lewis discusses the Christ-life.

In order to share in Christ’s conquest of death and to find a new life,
what must we do?

A new kind of what has appeared, thanks to Christ?

What are the three things that spread the Christ-life to us?

Why does Lewis accept so readily these three things?

How does Lewis define believing things on authority?

Where does our natural life come from?

Why do non-Christians try to be good?

How is it that Christians are good?

According to Lewis, why does God use material things like bread and
wine to put the Christ-life in us?

What does Lewis have to say about those outside the Body of Christ
with regard to their salvation?

What does Lewis have to say about God’s “invasion”?
Mere Christianity Focus Guide
BOOK III:
CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR
[American spelling is used throughout this guide.]
As you read through Book III, answer the following questions.
I.
THE THREE PARTS OF MORALITY. Lewis puts forth three areas
morality is concerned with.

To many people, what does “morality” mean?

How does Lewis see moral rules?

Why is it dangerous, for society’s sake, to describe a man who tries
hard to keep the moral law as a “man of high ideals”?

What are the two ways the “human machine” goes wrong?

With what three things is morality concerned?

Does Law make people good?

What does it take to create a “good society”? (Thinking out loud):
Can Law make a good society?

Among the three departments of morality as designated by Lewis,
which department highlights the main differences between Christian
and non-Christian brands of morality?
II.
THE “CARDINAL VIRTUES”. Lewis discusses four pivotal quailties that all people should have for a good society.

What are the four cardinal virtues?

How are the cardinal virtues differentiated from the three theological
virtues?

What virtue deals with practical common sense?

What virtue deals with going only the right length and no further
when it comes to pleasurable things?

What virtue deals with fairness, honesty, give and take, truthfulness,
and keeping promises?

What virtue deals with “guts”?

Do the virtues encompass particular actions or particular qualities?

What three wrong ideas can be encouraged if we miss the actions
versus qualities distinction?
III.
SOCIAL MORALITY. Lewis gives his view of what a Christian society
might look like.

When it comes to Christian morality in the “man to man” arena, did
Christ come to preach a brand new morality?

How might one tell the difference between a great moral teacher and a
quack or a crank?

According to Lewis, what is the real job of every moral teacher?

Why doesn’t Christianity have a detailed “political program” for
applying the Golden Rule?

What might a fully Christian society look like?

What does Lewis think about lending money at interest? What do
you think about it?

Why must we work?

What is Lewis’ rule for giving to charity?

What are two common obstacles to our charitable giving?

According to Lewis, what needs to happen before a Christian society
arrives?
IV.
MORALITY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS. Lewis’s view of what the
Christian idea of a good man is.

In what subject did Lewis find Freud to be ignorant?

According to Lewis, what two things are involved in making a moral
choice?

In Lewis’ view, what does psychoanalysis undertake to do with regard
to the “raw material” of choices?

What is the “raw material” of choices?

According to Lewis, how do God and humans differ in the way they
judge? Does this square with Mt. 5: 21-48?

When it comes to “raw material” issues, should we be judging at all?
Compare Mt. 7:1,2 with 1 Cor. 5: 12,13.

What is Lewis’ view of Christians judging?

What does Lewis see happening to our psychological makeup when
our bodies die?

What does Lewis see happening to our “central part” over a lifetime
of innumerable choices?

If good people know about both good and evil, what do bad people
know about?
V.
SEXUAL MORALITY. Lewis discusses the virtue of chastity.

With what social rule is chastity often confused?

How do these two rules differ?

If we commit indecent acts in a defiant way, for example, to shock or
embarrass others, how would Lewis describe our conduct?

How does Lewis describe the Christian virtue of chastity?

Do our instincts agree with the rule?

When modern people (so-called) say, “Sex is nothing to be ashamed
of,” what two things are they saying? Are they right or are they
wrong?

What three reasons does Lewis give for the difficulty in achieving
complete chastity – or even desiring it?

What does Lewis claim the worst pleasures to be?
VI.
CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE. Lewis expounds on the significance of males and
females becoming one flesh within a Christian context.

Why didn’t Lewis want to deal with the topic of Christian marriage?

What is the idea of Christian marriage based upon?

Christianity teaches that marriage is for how long?

If modernity says that divorce is okay, indeed desired, when married
partners “fall out of love” or when one or both “fall in love” with
another, what do the Christian virtues of chastity and justice have to
say in response?

How does Lewis differentiate between being “in love” in a new
marriage or relationship with possessing the “love” of a long-term
marriage?

Do you agree with Lewis that there should be two distinct kinds of
marriages: one governed by the state, with its rules applied to all
citizens, and the other governed by the church, with its peculiar rules
applied only to its members? Why?

Read I Cor 7; 11: 3-16; Eph 5:22-33; Col 3: 18,19; I Pet 3:1-7. Is there
any confusion over who serves as the “tie breaker,” when a husband
and wife cannot agree? Is there any confusion over how the husband
is to treat his wife? Does the post-modern world understand this
ingeniously simple plan?

What does Lewis say about the “headship” of the man in a marriage?

(Thinking out loud) John and Jane are married and have three minor
children. John is self-indulgent with his earnings, while Jane, a “stay
at home” mom, could have been the model for the wife in Proverbs 31.
John wants to buy a new fishing boat, but Jane wants to make an
extra and substantial contribution to the church building fund for a
seriously needed new roof. Unfortunately, their finances won’t allow
them to do both. After weeks of discussing the issue, John and Jane
conclude there is no way they can agree. Who should win? Why?
VII. FORGIVENESS. Lewis discusses the “terrible” duties of forgiving and
loving our enemies.

By Lewis’ reckoning, what virtue may be even more unpopular than
chastity?

If the Divine standard holds that we are forgiven in the same manner
we forgive (thus eliminating any double standard), doesn’t that make
Christianity a hard religion?

What does Lewis suggest to make the forgiveness formula easier to
accept.

What is the best example we have for how to “hate the sin, but not the
sinner”?

Is it ever appropriate for Christians to hate? Under what
circumstances?

What does Lewis think about pacifism? Semi-pacifism?

In Lewis’ view, if Christians are permitted to punish or kill an enemy,
how are they supposed to feel about it?

How does Lewis explain the dynamic of learning to love people who
have nothing lovable about them?
VIII. THE GREAT SIN. Lewis describes the sin each of us is guilty of and one
that each of us loathes when we see it in someone else.

What is the great sin named by Lewis? What is the virtue opposite it?

What makes the great sin so great?

Read Ps 10:4; Pr 8:13; 29:23. Now compare Mt. 5:3. Lewis says that
the great sin leads to something. What? Do you think he is right or
do you think he is exaggerating? Now compare 1 Cor 8:1,2 with Gen
2:15-17. If you thought he was exaggerating, do you still?

If the great sin gets no pleasure out of having something, how does it
get its pleasure? What does the great sin really enjoy?

As long as we are operating in the great sin, we will not know …?

As far as Lewis is concerned, what do the people worship who are
eaten up by this great sin, though professing to be believers and
religious? Compare Mt. 7:21-23.

What test does Lewis suggest for being in the real presence of God?

In Lewis’ view, how does the great sin differ from the other vices?

Lewis brilliantly exposes how Satan can use the great sin to beat down
the other vices. How does he put it?

What are the four possible misunderstandings about the great sin that
Lewis seeks to clarify?

What is the first step to overcoming the great sin and acquiring
humility?
IX.
CHARITY. Lewis expounds upon one of the Theological virtues, calling it
love in a Christian sense.

If love in a Christian sense is not an emotion, what is it?

How concerned should we be about liking some people, but not
others?

How can our liking people conflict with our charity towards them?
Do you find this ironic?

Should we be concerned if we have a “cold” temperament?

If we behave as though we love someone, what should we discover?

Why are the little decisions we make each day of such infinite
importance?

Why is God’s love for us a safer subject to ponder than our love for
Him?
X.
HOPE.
Lewis expounds upon a second Theological virtue, which
Christians are meant to do.

Have you ever heard this: “He’s so heavenly minded, he’s no earthly
good”? Lewis seems to think the opposite. Why is that?

Why does Lewis think most people find it difficult to want heaven?

What are the three ways, recognized by Lewis, of dealing with the
desires that cannot be had in this world?

Which is the only right way of dealing with this?

XI.
What does Lewis have to say about those facetious people who try to
make the Christian hope of heaven some ridiculous side show?
FAITH.
Lewis treats Faith on two levels, first as a noun, then as a verb.

How does Lewis define Faith in the first sense? Why was Lewis
puzzled that Christians think of Faith as a virtue in this sense?

Why did Lewis take the position that one must train the habit of
Faith?

How do moods get involved with one’s Faith?

Luther held that the Ten Commandments, the Apostle’s Creed, and
the Lord’s Prayer were the most necessary parts of Christian
instruction, and should be recited every day, especially by children.
To Luther, these recitations contained the main doctrines of
Christianity. What does Lewis have to say about main doctrines of
Christianity being held before Christians’ minds every day?

Why should Christians be reminded every day of what they believe?
Isn’t it obvious?

Turning to Faith in the second or higher sense, what does Lewis claim
we must practice every day? What do we learn?

What idea does real Christianity blow to bits?
XII. FAITH.
sense.
Lewis continues his discussion of Faith in the second or higher

How does “walking the Christian walk”, that is, making a best effort
at practicing its virtues, make us discover our bankruptcy?

According to Lewis, does God care about our actions? If not exactly,
what does He care about?

Trying harder and harder to keep God’s Law leads only to failure
after failure. At some point we reach a vital moment. What is that
moment?

What does “leave it to God,” mean for Lewis?

Lutherans, since Luther, have condemned the notion that good works
are necessary for salvation. Does Lewis have a similar view? How
does he explain it?

Concomitant with the condemnation of salvation by good works,
Lutherans, since Luther, have also taught that there can be no
genuine saving faith without contrition and repentance. What
concern does Lewis express about the perversion of the “faith alone”
doctrine?
Mere Christianity Focus Guide
BOOK IV:
BEYOND PERSONALITY:
OR FIRST STEPS IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
As you read Book IV, answer the following questions.
I.
Making and Begetting.
imperfectly.
Lewis discusses how life reflects God, however

What does “theology” mean?

What position did Lewis take about theology and his readers?

From Lewis’ point of view, how is theology like a map?

From a practical standpoint, how did Lewis regard theology?

What did Lewis understand the popular idea of Christianity to be in
his day?

Was that view necessarily wrong? Does that view tell us all we need to
know about Christianity? Explain.

What kind of a difference in the world should we expect the
popularized notion of Christianity to make? Why?

What difficult doctrines did Lewis find in real Christian writings?

What Christian doctrine seems to be the most shocking, at least to
Lewis?

What is the distinction between begetting and making?

How does this distinction relate to Christ and God? Therefore, if the
Nicene Creed tells us that Christ is “begotten, not made, of one
substance with the Father,” what does that mean?

But if Christ is the only begotten Son of God, how can we become sons
of God?

What are Bios and Zoe? How do we go from Bios to Zoe? Do you
think Lewis had Pinocchio in mind when he wrote this chapter?
II.
The Three-Personal God.
Lewis discusses as best as any human can,
how God operates in our lives and how difficult it is to describe Him.
III.
IV.

What does Lewis see as the whole purpose for which we exist?

In laying the foundation for the life-of-God dynamic, Lewis uses the
analogy of one, two, and three dimensions. How did Lewis put it?

How does Lewis use a cube as an analogy for three Persons in One?

Is there any good in simply talking about a three-personal Being?
What does matter with regard to this Being?

What is the dynamic explained by Lewis when a Christian kneels
down beside her bed to pray?

How did Christians arrive at the definition of a three-personal God?

When it comes to knowing God, where is the initiative?

What is the only adequate instrument for learning about God? How
so?
Time and Beyond Time. Lewis discusses God in relation to Time.

What is a common objection encountered by Lewis about the idea of
several million humans praying to God at the same moment in time?

How does Lewis describe every moment from the beginning of the
world in relation to God?

How does Lewis describe God’s attention towards each of us?

How did Lewis overcome his difficulty in conceptualizing God
becoming a man (baby) and still being able to run the universe?

(Thinking out loud) Does Lewis’ explanation show insight or a lack of
understanding about the true nature of our Triune God?
Good Infection.

Lewis discusses the Persons of God.
When Lewis earlier used the cube as an example of how the Persons
of God are interconnected, he acknowledged that certain words make
the analogy fail. What are those words? Where does the analogy
break down?

How does Lewis describe the relationship of the Father and the Son in
relation to our Time-series universe?

Where can we get the most accurate description of the relationship
between the Father and the Son?

How is it that “God is love” has no real meaning unless God contains
at least two Persons?

What does Lewis describe as perhaps the most important difference
between Christianity and all other religions?

How does Lewis account for the Third Person of God?

Lutherans, since Luther, have taught, confessed, and believed that the
Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Triune God, and true God with
the Father and the Son. Does Lewis agree? Is there anything about
Lewis’ description of the Holy Spirit that makes you uncomfortable?

What is the “good infection” described by Lewis?
V.
The Obstinate Toy Soldiers. Through a loose analogy of a tin soldier coming
to life, Lewis describes how God became a man so that men can become sons of God.

How does Lewis describe the present state of things in regards to the
two kinds of life (Zoe, Bios)?

Obviously, Jesus was not Everyman, but how did He satisfy what all
men were intended to be?

What did Jesus’ earthly “career” entail?

How does Lewis describe humanity spread out in time as God sees it?

How does a tin soldier coming alive differ from God becoming a man,
then dying, and then resurrecting?
VI.
Two Notes. Lewis clarifies two points about his tin soldier analogy. He
answers a critic who wanted to know why God didn’t simply beget sons if He wanted
sons, instead of making toy soldiers who are then left to become sons the hard way.
His second point of clarification deals with the notion that our differences do,
indeed, matter.

What is the easy part of the two-part answer to the critic of the tin
soldier analogy?

What is the hard part of the answer?

What does Lewis have to say about “the Father begetting many sons
from all eternity”?

How does Lewis describe Christianity’s way of thinking about human
individuals?

Our differences and our likenesses seem to cause problems in how we
approach each other. If we forget that those around us belong to the
same organism as we do, what should we expect to become?

But if we want to make all people alike, what should we expect to
become?

Should we be either one? Why or why not?
VI. Let’s Pretend. Lewis discusses how Christians must “pretend” to be like
Christ.

How does Lewis answer his own question about the value of
pretending what we are not?

Is Lewis suggesting that Christians are required to be phony?

How would you respond to a Christian who said he had never had the
sense of being helped by an invisible Christ, but had often been helped
by other people?

As we continue to pretend to be sons of God, and as Christ continues
to kill the old Adam in us, replacing him with the kind of self He
possesses, what two discoveries should we be making?

Does God “pretend” when He sees us? How?
VIII. Is Christianity Hard or Easy? In answering the question, Lewis discusses
how the whole of Christianity is “putting on Christ” so that we might become true
children of God. Lewis also makes it clear he is not simply talking about common
notions of “morality” or “being good.”

Describe the non-Christian (and, perhaps, the immature Christian)
view of morality.

What two likely results can be expected from this view?

How is the Christian way different?

What is Christ’s intent with a Christian’s natural self?

What is an almost impossible thing for a Christian to give Christ?

What does Christ have to say about keeping personal happiness as
our aim in life while remaining “good”?

According to Lewis, when does the real problem of the Christian life
come each day?

Luther’s solution to shoving the “natural self’s” wishes and desires
back in order to let what Lewis calls the “other, stronger, quieter life”
to come flowing in, was to recite a heart-felt morning prayer upon
awakening that looked something like this:
I thank You, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear
Son, for keeping me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray
that You also keep me this day from sin and every evil, that all my
doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend my
body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that
the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.
What value, if any, do you see in reciting such a prayer immediately
upon awakening? Explain.

If our secular government exists to promote life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness for the individual (and it does), what is the
function of the Church?

What is the sole reason God invented humans?
IX.
Counting the Cost. Lewis discusses what it means when Christ commands
His followers to “be perfect,” and the cost of getting there.

For Lewis, how is Christ like the dentist he hated to visit as a child?

Should we be discouraged in God’s demand for perfection? Why or
why not?

What does Lewis have to say about Christians being subjected to a
“rough time”?

Explain how Christ’s command to Be ye perfect is not a bunch of
idealistic gas.
X.
Nice People or New Men. Lewis tackles a thorny question. Why, if
Christianity is supposed to be true, aren’t all Christians obviously nicer than nonChristians?

What is Lewis’ concern about Christians behaving badly in full view
of an unbelieving world?

What is the illogic observed by Lewis for unbelievers who demand to
see all Christians being obviously nicer than non-Christians before
they believe in the truth of Christianity?

What value does Lewis see in comparing imaginary Christians with
imaginary non-Christians?

In Lewis’ view, what is the relevance of Christian A being a gossip
when unbeliever B is not?

Nature and nurture produce a certain temperament in each of us.
What does Christianity profess to do with each of our temperaments?

If an unbeliever is a really nice person, what has that cost God?

What did it cost God to convert rebellious wills into obedient ones?

Why does Lewis warn “nice people” to beware?

Why might it be easier for nasty people to believe in the atoning
sacrifice of Christ than nice people?
XI.
The New Men. In his last chapter, Lewis uses an unfortunate analogy to
evolution to describe the Transformation – the Next Step – changing from being
creatures of God to being children of God.

Is the Transformation from creature to child a part of any
naturalistic, evolutionary process? How does it occur?

Explain how God’s family is composed of volunteers as opposed to
conscripts.

For weeks after the 9/11 Attack, print and electronic media attempted
to explain why they [i.e., radical, fundamentalist Muslims] hate us.
According to Lewis, what members or movements in the “outer
world” throughout the history of the Church have hated it? And what
did they think was happening to the Church? What happened each
time?

How might we recognize the so-called “new men”?

What does “becoming a new man” entail?

How does Lewis’ analogy comparing salt to Christ fail in attempting
to describe why all “new men” aren’t the same?

According to Lewis, when is it that we first begin to have a real
personality of our own?

What is the first step in acquiring your “real” self? Why?

If we look to ourselves, what can we expect?

If we look to Christ, what can we expect?

How has reading Mere Christianity changed your view of
Christianity?