C. S. LEWIS: The Life and Works of a ‘Mere Christian’
A study of the 20th century’s preeminent Christian thinker and writer with a special emphasis on Lewis’s modern classic, “Mere Christianity”

Instructor: Dr. Jefrey Breshears.

Time and Location:
• Tuesdays, January 9 – April 17, 7:00PM
Perimeter Church, Ministry Center
• Wednesdays, January 10 – April 18, 7:00PM
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Room 108

Recommended Readings:
C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (Harcourt, 1995)
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (HarperSanFrancisco, 1952, 1980)

Study Guide and Supplemental Readings:
Jefrey D. Breshears, “C. S. Lewis: The Life and Works of a ‘Mere Christian’.” A study guide with notes and additional course readings ($10).

Registration Fee: $60 or $100 per couple. (Participates register and pay on the first night of class.)

Course synopsis: C. S. Lewis was one of the most influential Christians of the 20th century and a prolific author whose writings have impacted Christians across all denominational lines and traditions. In a poll taken by Christianity Today in 2000, Lewis was voted the most popular Christian author of the century, and Mere Christianity was chosen the greatest Christian book of the last hundred years. Furthermore, Lewis lived a fascinating life.
This course covers the major influences and events in Lewis’ life, including…
• His lonely and turbulent childhood and military service in World War I;
• His early career as an atheist scholar and professor;
• His conversion to Christianity;
• His major works in Christian apologetics, science fiction, and children’s literature;
• His involvement in “The Inklings” with J.R.R. Tolkien and others;
• His relationship with Joy Davidman Gresham; and
• A substantive study of Lewis’s apologetics classic, “Mere Christianity”.

C. S. Lewis was no average Christian, but he was, to use his own term, a “mere Christian” – one whose life was devoted to the basic core beliefs and practices of the historic Christian faith. In that respect, he serves as a model for us all. As John R. W. Stott once noted, “C. S. Lewis was a Christ-centered, great-tradition mainstream Christian whose stature a generation after his death seems greater than anyone ever thought while he was alive, and whose Christian writings are now seen as having classic status.”

The Instructor: Dr. Jefrey Breshears is an historian, an author, a former university professor, and the founder and president of The Areopagus, an Atlanta-based Christian education ministry that specializes in Christian history, apologetics, contemporary cultural issues, and literature and the arts.