C.S Lewis and Mere Christianity

As I read Mere Christianity, I am struck by C.S. Lewis’ writing style. It’s not only because he was an extraordinarily good writer (which he was), but because he writes his books—whether religion, fantasy, or other—in such a personable style that makes you feel as if you know him. One section from Mere Christianity in particular struck me .

“Theories about Christ’s death are not Christianity: they are explanations about how it works. Christians would not all agree as to how important those theories are. My own church—the Church of England—does not lay don any one as the right one. The Church of Rome goes a bit further. But I think they will all agree that the thing itself is infinitely more important than any explanations that theologians have produced. I think they would probably admit that no explanation will ever be quite adequate to the reality. But as I said in the preface in this book, I am only a layman, and at this point we are getting into deep water. I can only tell you, for what it is worth, how I, personally, look at the matter.”

This passage, especially the end, made me realize how true humility looks. He doesn’t put on a pretense of humility, prefacing an argument meant to sway your opinion with a “with all humility.” One of the most influential Christian writers puts himself on your level, and I don’t think that he was condescending. I believe that he truly understood that he was a person just like us and didn’t give it another thought. It is so hard to be humble enough that you don't know you're humble. He is. He merely presents his opinion, which you can take or leave. He tells you his views, but does not force them on you. But he is not afraid to push out of shadows the hard truths of life, not hiding anything. He doesn’t preach doom and gloom. He infuses a dry humor that truly makes it an interesting thing to read. That is a huge breath of fresh air. I haven’t even finished the book, but I am very impressed by it.