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Lecture
Topics and Discussion Questions Below
you will find the list of chapters from Mere
Christianity that we read and discussed, followed by the group
discussion questions that went along with each lesson.
If we read or discussed any passages from Scripture during
a particular lesson, those texts are also referenced below. Book
I: Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe The Law of Human Nature, Chapter 1 What Lies Behind the Law, Chapter 4 Book
II: What Christians Believe The Rival Conceptions of God, Chapter 1 The Shocking Alternative, Chapter 3 The Perfect Penitent, Chapter 4 The Practical Conclusion, Chapter 5 Book
III: Christian Behavior The Three Parts of Morality, Chapter 1 Book
IV: Beyond Personality, or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity The Three-Personal God Is Christianity Hard or Easy, Chapter 8 “The Law of Human Nature” Book I, Chapter 1 Lecture Topics: biography of Lewis and introduction to book; establishing
the reality of a standard of behavior and the fact that we all break
it; summary of explanations of the Moral Law from Ch. 2, “Some Objections,”
and Ch. 3, “The Reality of the Law.” 1. Define the Law of Human Nature. 2. Who does Lewis say breaks the Law of Human Nature? How does the fact that we make excuses for our behavior tell us what we believe about the presence of such a Law? 3. What does Lewis say about the idea that different civilizations have had completely different moralities? 4. What are some things he says all civilizations have agreed on? 5. From the lecture, what are three ways of understanding what Lewis calls the “Moral Law.” Explain each way in your own words. “What Lies Behind the Law” Book I, Chapter 4Lecture Topics: Moral Law not just a matter of convenience of inconvenience;
more than one kind of reality; overview of materialist and religious
views; what we can know about the Power behind the universe; Christianity
has something to say when we know there’s a law and we know that we
break it 1. Can you think of a situation in your own life when either: something someone did was inconvenient for you , but you did not think they had done wrong OR something someone did was helpful for you, but you did think what they had done was wrong. 2. What does Lewis say this idea of actions being convenient but not right or tells us about the Moral Law? 3. Lewis says that there are two ways of looking at the universe: the materialist view and the religious view. What are his reasons for taking the religious view? (That is, the view that there is a Power behind the universe.) 4. Do you agree or disagree with his reasons? Why? 5. Let’s pretend that we do agree with Lewis when he says there is a Power behind the universe. Describe in your own words the predicament he says we are in. “The Rival Conceptions of God” Book II, Chapter 1Lecture Topics: Christianity’s place in the world’s thought
systems about God; the Judeo-Christian creation story: the world was
once perfect; “The Fall of Man,” Genesis 3; Christianity’s claim to
exclusive truth 1. Summarize or explain
in your own words the ways Lewis divides the world’s thought systems
about religion. (As in: atheism, dualism, Judeo-Christian-Muslim monotheism. Maybe have one person explain each system so
that several people can talk.)
2. What does the story we read about the creation of the universe tell us about what Christians think the world should be like? 3. How does the story of the first sin or “the fall of man” help to explain the way things are in the world we live in every day? 4. How does what Lewis thinks about the Moral Law help him to decide that dualism is not true? 5. Lewis writes: “Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning” (p. 39). Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. “The Invasion” Book II, Chapter 2Lecture Topics: Guest lecture on structure, composition and history
of the Bible; brief overview of Lewis’s main points against dualism
and his assertion that Christianity could not be simple because it
is the answer to a complicated problem. 1. What are three reasons that Lewis gives for not believing in “dualism”? 2. Why does Lewis say the universe is involved in a civil war? 3. Lewis wrote: “It is no good asking for a simple religion. After all, real things are not simple” (40) AND “Besides being complicated, reality, in my experience, is usually odd” (41). Do you think that these are good points for him to make? Why or why not? “The
Shocking Alternative”
Book II, Chapter 3
Lecture Topics: Lewis’s explanation of how
God’s will can be disobeyed; the idea that the ‘human machine’ is
meant to run on God’s fuel; some things Jesus said about himself:
the “’I Am” sayings’ from John’s gospel. 1.
How does Lewis explain the possibility that people can go against
the will of God? 2. Have you ever known someone to do something that was “against your will,” or something you did not want them to do? 3.
What does Lewis say is made possible by free will? (disobedience,
love) 4. Lewis writes: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish tings that people often say about Him (Jesus): ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic…or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.” Do you think Lewis presents his readers with a valid choice? Why or why not? 5. What are some of the things that Jesus said about himself? (Workers should be prepared to answer questions of context.) 6. If you had heard Jesus saying these things about himself, what would you have thought of him? “The Perfect Penitent” Book II, Chapter 4Lecture Topics: Lewis believed that
Jesus was God; the central Christian teaching is that Jesus’ death
fixes what’s wrong with the world; Lewis’s description of repentance;
various ways of understanding atonement.
1. What does Lewis say is the basic teaching of Christianity? 2. How have the chapters we read
so far help us understand the statement he makes in this chapter about
“mere Christianity”? (the chapters on
the moral law helped us understand the need for atonement, remembering
“the invasion” helps us understand the idea of civil war and the need
to ‘lay down our arms,’ etc. ) 3.
What new predicament does Lewis talk about when he is giving his explanation
of atonement? 4. How does Lewis
resolve this predicament? 5. Lewis says that one of the objections people raise about Jesus’ is that it must have been easy for him to choose, since he was God. He says this is a very silly objection. Why does he say it is silly? 6. Share your own concept of atonement/redemption and maybe a little of your conversion story. Ask any readers who are comfortable to share as well. “The Practical Conclusion” Book II, Chapter 5Lecture Topics: Lewis’s thoughts
on acquiring spiritual life; the conjunction of life and death in
the Christian faith: passing through death into life; distribution
of 3 passages of scripture: Galatians 2:20, Romans 6: 1-11; II Corinthians
5: 14-17. 1. Explain in your own words the paradox at the center of the Christian faith. 2. Choose one of the three passages to read with your group, then answer the following questions about the passage you chose. 1. What are the kinds of death discussed in this passage? 2. What kind of life is discussed? 3. Where does the kind of life talked about in the passage come from? 4. How does this passage help us understand the paradox at the center of the Christian faith? 5. What do you think about this idea of dying and living with Christ? “The Three Parts of Morality” Book III, Chapter 1Lecture Topics (This was a guest
lecture conducted by a local missionary): Review of Lewis’s discussion
on the 3 types of morality; the purpose of God’s rules; morality vs.
belief in God; following God starts in the center of a person. “God makes laws that stop us from having a good time.” 1. Do you remember a time when you felt your parents or teachers had made rules just to stop you from having fun? 2. What do you understand now about those rules? 3. How does understanding our parents’ and teachers’ purpose for those rules affect our willingness to obey the rules? How could understanding God’s purposes affect our willingness to obey his rules? “I know that God says not to do this, but it isn’t hurting anyone.” 4. In what situations have you felt this way? 5. How would Lewis respond to this statement? 6. Discuss the idea that following God is based on issues that originate in the center of a person. Read Matthew 5: 21-48 with your group to get the discussion started. “The Great Sin” Book III, Chapter 8Lecture Topics: How/why pride is
the core of so many other sins; pride is essentially competitive;
humility is the opposite of pride and is an act of faith; read Luke
18:9-14. 1. What are some of the characteristics
of Pride, as Lewis lists them or as you have noticed in your own life? 2. Why does Lewis call Pride “The Great Sin”? 3. What is the opposite of Pride? What is Humility like/what are its characteristics? 4. When have you seen someone who was full of pride? When have you been prideful yourself? 5. What would have been the advantages of humility in these situations? “Faith” Book III, Chapter 11Lecture Topics: Faith begins in
humility when a person realizes his or her spiritual poverty; how
faith can be considered a virtue; faith is more a decision than a
feeling. 1. When have you had a hard time remembering to believe something you had once accepted? 2. In what way is faith more a decision than a feeling? 3. Describe in your own words what Lewis says is the relationship between faith and humility. 4. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? “The Three-Personal God” Book IV, Chapter 2Lecture Topics: Summary and explanation
of Ch. 1, “Making and Begetting;” various ways to think about the
trinity, including Lewis’s. 1. What does Lewis say is the difference
between making and begetting? 2. Why is it important to understand the difference between making and begetting? 3. Which illustration (from book OR lecture) helps you understand how God can be 3 persons in 1? 4. Explain the illustration in your own words and tell why/how it helps you understand. “Let’s Pretend” Book III, Chapter 7Lecture Topics: Two types of pretending to be something
we’re not; how we can see God’s grace when other people help us; “putting
on Christ” is a real event as God calls us his children; read II Corinthians
3:18. 1. Can you remember a time when someone helped you with something or did something nice for you? 2. What do you think was this person’s motivation? 3. If this person was a Christian,
how could part of his/her motivation have been a desire to “imitate
Christ”? How can people know when they are imitating
Christ? 4. Read Ephesians
4a. What does the passage say a person is to do with his/her
“old self”? ( 4b. What is to be made new? What is the person to put on instead? (4:23, 24)
4c. What is the new self created to be like?
( 4d. Tell some examples that Paul gives about traits that belong to the old self and traits that belong to the new self. 4e. How does Paul say imitators of God are to live? (5:1—a life of love) 5. Read Romans 8:10-17 with your group. What does this passage tell us about what happens when God also plays “let’s pretend”? What promise is there for people who believe in him? “Is Christianity Hard or Easy?” Book III, Chapter 8Lecture Topics: Review of Christian
thought system as taught in previous lectures; Lewis says Christianity requires all of a person;
it is hard because it requires constant effort and humility; Christianity
is easy because it means discovering the actual purpose of life. 1. What is the most interesting or challenging thing for you that we have talked about in this program? 2. What does Lewis say Christ wants from a person? 3. How can Christianity be hard? 4. How could Christianity be considered easy? 5. What does Lewis say is the purpose of people? What does he say is the purpose of the church? |