Mere Christianity; C. S. Lewis's eloquent and winsome defense of the Christian faith; originated as a series of BBC radio talks broadcast during the dark days of World War Two. Here is the story of the extraordinary life and afterlife of this influential and much-beloved book.George Marsden describes how Lewis gradually went from being an atheist to a committed Anglican―famously converting to Christianity in 1931 after conversing into the night with his friends J. R. R. Tolkien and Hugh Dyson―and how Lewis delivered his wartime talks to a traumatized British nation in the midst of an all-out war for survival. Marsden recounts how versions of those talks were collected together in 1952 under the title Mere Christianity; and how the book went on to become one of the most widely read presentations of essential Christianity ever published; particularly among American evangelicals. He examines its role in the conversion experiences of such figures as Charles Colson; who read the book while facing arrest for his role in the Watergate scandal. Marsden explores its relationship with Lewis's Narnia books and other writings; and explains why Lewis's plainspoken case for Christianity continues to have its critics and ardent admirers to this day.With uncommon clarity and grace; Marsden provides invaluable new insights into this modern spiritual classic.
#192917 in Books imusti 2015-09-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 1.30 x 6.50l; .0 #File Name: 0691145334384 pagesUniversity Press Group Ltd
Review
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. It reads like a novelBy Paratrim1 CustomerSheila Fitzpatrick has written a book whose time has come. While many others are writing bios of Stalin; she has taken another tack. She has written a well written study of Stalin's relationship to his team. Stalin was a dictator; but he gave the day to day decision making to his team. They were trusted; up to a point; until the end of his life and it was the team who eased the transition to the post-Stalin era. With a complete knowledge of the archives; memoirs and academic monographs; she has built the commanding study of the era. It reads like a novel; with broadly drawn portraits of all of the leading personalities. and organizations. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to as wide a reading public as possible. It provides a comprehensive history of this much disputed era of Soviet history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting sociological insightsBy Douglas BenderGives some very good insights into how Stalin and his team operated. Reflects lots and lots of research through the archives. And this is also the drawback...this book is written from a sociological viewpoint and is a bit tedious in points...every chapter has a summary of who had access to Stalin during the period of interest as reflected in Stalin's daily schedule. I found myself starting to skip those parts. But I satisfied a lot of my curiosity about how things worked from the inside and how Stalin was able to get away with what he did.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Three StarsBy reneta e. nunndid not read; it was a gift
