In June, Forbes, Grande Prairie, Alta., had a dedication service for their church expansion. Rev. G. Malcolm, Elder Ruth Boyd, Elder Brian Gilliland, Brenda Wood, […]

"Ever since I became a Christian I have thought that the best, perhaps the only service, I could do for my unbelieving neighbours was to […]

All of these books about CS Lewis, and many many others, are available through the Presbyterian Church in Canada Book Room. To order call 1-800-619-7301,

Having converted to Christianity from atheism, Lewis writes as an apologist, as one with a special passion for persuading the non-believer about the believability of Christianity. But in order to do this, Lewis has to argue several things, themselves, perhaps, debatable. First, Lewis argues that the things that divide Christians have to do with the fine points of doctrine. If one strips doctrine down to the bare essentials, there is a common core, a (mere) Christianity that binds the Christian tradition together. But is this true? And if it is true, can we trust that Lewis has got this (mere) Christianity down pat, without introducing some of his own theological bias? Secondly, Lewis suggests that doctrine is not necessarily essential to faith, that one can leave it to the specialists, so to speak, and develop a sufficient Christianity without it. Again, is this true?

The historic church of St. Andrew's, Toronto, was born of a congregation that came together in the blustery March of 1830 when Queen Victoria was about to be crowned, so beginning her great era.

Mere Christianity is a tough concept. I was never sure whether or not we really were the same religion under all of the layers of doctrines and rules and theologies, until C. S. Lewis helped to peel away all of those layers. Sure enough, as the doctrines and denominations fell away, something beautiful and pure was revealed. It was Christianity at its most innocent level, existing solely as the manifestation of forgiveness, love and faith.

C. S. Lewis depicts Christianity as a hallway with doorways going into various rooms. You can't live in the hallway-you have to pick a room. Hence the different denominations. He urges us to be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. This makes the point that he is talking about Christianity, not any particular denomination. This is useful in our thinking about the different denominations today. It is necessary for us each to find a place where we feel at home and can express our faith.

Written more than 50 years ago, Lewis's words lay before us the most important choice we will ever be asked to make: "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 on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." It was a choice I consciously made for the first time nearly 30 years ago. The clear, winning logic of Mere Christianity continues to remind me what an obvious choice it ought to be.

It is almost impossible to read Lewis without cribbing his material. Among the phrases that caught my attention on this reading of Mere Christianity: "Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man." In his section on sexual morality, Lewis compares the animal self with the much more serious diabolical self and comments: "That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer hell than a prostitute." And then he adds, with a twinkle in his eye: "But, of course, it is better to be neither!" Lewis's ability to express a matter in a fresh way also serves to promote deeper thought. He says that "bad people" lead sheltered lives since they, always giving in to evil, have never entered into the struggle of resistance against it. "No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good." Finally, Lewis offers the sobering and realistic saying: "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."

The writings of C.S. Lewis have spawned a lengthy list of websites devoted to the author and his Christian musings. Below is by no means an exhaustive list, but a sampling of the better sites the Record has come across during its online travels.

The civil war has been more active than ever this year, with 12,000 killed since the beginning of the war. Some very good recent news is that the Maoists have just called a three month ceasefire, which could translate to safer access in remote areas and no road closures. However, the army has not reciprocated, which may force the Maoists to cancel it. The political parties seem ready to fill the void in fighting by increasing agitation; they may start calling general strikes as they have in the past. They seem to be heading for a showdown with the king, as they are demanding a republic, that is, no monarchy at all, and a very radical call in today's situation.

Although I have been reasonably active in church work for most of my life, after listening to (I used audio tapes, it was a radio broadcast first, after all) and reading Mere Christianity I realized that my understanding of Christian doctrine was very shallow and immature. For example, I did not know the differences between pantheism and dualism. I did not know that earning interest on investments was unchristian. Lewis's lengthy description of Christ as the "perfect penitent" helped me understand the great significance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross from a different perspective. Some of his ideas clarified some misunderstandings I had. For example, I have always had trouble accepting the notion that heaven is only accessible if people take Jesus as their personal saviour. What about all those people who have not had the opportunity to learn and accept Christ? I found comfort in Lewis's explanation that "we know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know him can be saved through Him." God has not revealed what happens to the others, according to Lewis.

Right off the top, I am going to admit that Mere Christianity was a difficult read for me. Besides the war imagery to which I am (thankfully) not able to relate and the extensive use of "men" when discussing the entire human race, some of the discussions were ones I find hard to hear. Christianity has changed in the 53 years since C. S. Lewis wrote the book.

Mere Christianity is remarkably autobiographical in detailing C.S. Lewis's own questions as he moved from atheism to Christianity. Questions he posed, insights he gained and understandings he reached are all shared. He does not assume his reader knows too much and so he deals with basic issues in a clear and concise way. This is one of the great strengths of the book, regardless of whether or not we agree with his particular interpretation of the issue at hand. At the same time this rational description and defence of the faith is being made from within a culture sympathetic to and supportive of Christianity, which, if not the religion of everyone, was still the religion that people were expected to have and one which received considerable support-such as BBC radio broadcasts.

The Ghanaian Presbyterian Church of Toronto is growing so quickly they have had to move from one building to the next, trying to ease their bursting seams. Since a few people first gathered in a living room 11 years ago, their growth hasn't stopped. "These people were homesick for the way they worshipped back home. They missed the dancing and the African touch," said Rev. Enoch Pobee, the Ghanaian church's minister. Word travelled fast and before they knew it, they had moved three times as more parishioners flocked to the church. "They finally thought, 'We can't keep moving. What's stopping us from getting a place of our own?'" said Pobee, who is in his third year of service.

When secular society doesn't give churches their due, it is churches that tend to fight for recognition. This is exactly what the Toronto diocese of the Anglican Church did when it appealed Toronto's official plan for failing to specifically mention places of worship. The appeal (along with 162 others from various organizations) was heard by the Ontario Municipal Board which accepted the diocese's modifications. Because other appeals have yet to be heard, a final decision approving the church settlement could take a year or more, but the contingent order is still a victory for churches.

Growth in the Presbyterian Church is largely handled by Canada Ministries, which oversees and approves new church developments, discusses growth ideas with presbyteries and hands out grants to get new congregations started. It's not an easy endeavour, and can sometimes be a bit of a game of hit-and-miss. Still, success somehow manages to eventually triumph. "It doesn't always happen, but of course we hope all new developments will become flourishing congregations," said Mathew Goslinski, administrator at Canada Ministries.

The oil patch is pumping out more black gold than ever before and the refineries are working over time since the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico as we at Sherwood Park, Alta., look for the ways to proclaim that God is in the midst of all this activity. To be a new church in an area that is facing the most rapid growth in the country in terms of population, wealth and general economic strength has its joys and its challenges. Unlike many new church development projects, we were able to move into our own building amazingly quickly. Thanks to the support of Canada Ministries and money given through the Live the Vision fund we have been given a former funeral home (previously a Roman Catholic Church) in which to conduct our ministry. Most new churches do not start with a sanctuary to hold 300-plus people and we have only had that number in once, for a concert with Steve Bell. We have started to break over the 100 people mark on high Sunday mornings and our low Sundays are equal to our averages four years ago. So we know we still have a long way to go to becoming fully self supporting but it has been good to see God at work in the community.

Experiencing a sunrise Easter service while the ground was covered with snow is not the only thing Rev. Colin English will take back to his New Zealand parish. He'll tell stories about the people he met in Canada, the welcoming arms of his host congregation, and the realization that the Presbyterian churches in Canada and New Zealand wrestle with similar issues. "It was great to be able to observe what's happening in society on a political level, in particular with same-sex marriage. It's similar to the issues at home," said English, speaking from Trinity, Kanata, Ont. "And I read about reparation with First Nations peoples and coming to grips with things that happened in the past."

The tantur ecumenical institute is situated on a hilltop overlooking Bethlehem, the road to Jerusalem, the Arab village Beit Safafa and the Jewish settlement Gilo. From its roof the security barrier being constructed by the Israeli government can be traced winding in and out around Bethlehem. Tantur is an ideal spot for Christians to come to learn about this land that is holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims alike. Tantur sponsors such ecumenical and inter faith studies, and I attended a panel discussion there in June where a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim together discussed current efforts for peace in the Middle East.