Zach's Analysis of "What Christians Believe"

Zachary Ellis

Professor Kerry Spencer
Writing 150H
October 10th, 2011
Logic of Christianity

Sharing one’s beliefs with someone else can be hard, especially if they don’t know how much they trust them. Often this can be most easily overcome by saying what makes most sense to say and not worrying too much if they take offense; these are their own beliefs, not someone else’s! This is exactly what C.S. Lewis does in his work What Christians Believe. He attempts to convince people some views that are necessary about Christianity through appeal to Logos and effective speech.

Throughout the work C.S. Lewis juxtaposes one idea to Christianity and proves it cannot coexist through an appeal to Logos. The first example he provides is with Atheism. “If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake.” (175). To C.S. Lewis atheism made him single minded that there was no God. C.S. Lewis could not hold this belief for long because it did not stand, “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust?” (176). To him, he had to have gotten his sense of justice from something more just. This did however leave the possibility of denial based on the idea the universe was senseless. But it did not make sense to him because, “...my idea of justice--was full of sense.” (177). To him existence had meaning, and that meant there had to be something to compare it to. “[J]ust as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creature with eyes, we should never know it was dark.” (177). He gives the example of knowing light from dark, which would only be possible with eyes. Eyesight gives meaning to all that can be seen; so if he had no eyes, or sense of justice, he thinks there would be no meaning. To C.S. Lewis there was sense in his idea of justice and atheism did not have sense.

His appeal to Logos is also seen when he establishes evident truth. Beginning with, “atheism is too simple.” and so is “the view I call Christianity-and-water" (177). Atheism and ‘I believe’ Christians do not have the sense C.S. Lewis seeks. He thinks that since the world is incredibly complicated religion cannot be simple. People may argue against saying God would have make religion simple but C.S. Lewis states simply,”as if ‘religion’ were something God invented.” (177). He makes it clear that Christianity is not what you would expect, just like so many of the things in this world. To him, people are not inherently evil. No one, “... likes badness for its own sake.” (178). People are sometimes cruel, but they do so to seek things that are not bad of themselves. People torture, kill, and rob, seeking for things like safety, food, and money, which of themselves are not bad things. This reinforces his argument that there was a right way, and we fell from God. We are in, “[e]nemy-occupied territory--that is what this world is.” (179). This would explain why he feels both a sense of justice and why it is hard for people to feel that sense. Some people willingly cut themselves off, he argues, because of, “...conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery.” (179). This makes sense to people, if they think they are above something they will not bother to hear it. So C.S. Lewis starts with small truths that people can accept and works up to his final declaration, “I am trying to prevent anyone saying ... ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’” (182). To him only 3 options are avaliable. He is who he claimed to be, he’s a crazy who spoke good words, or he was the Devil of Hell. This is the culmination of all his appeals; he now requires the reader to make a choice regarding the nature and divinity of Jesus Christ.

C.S. Lewis’ argument is well constructed. Beginning with the simple introduction about how he was a former atheist and slowing working his way up. He hooks his reader from the start with, “I have been asked to tell you what Christians believe, and I am going to begin by telling you one thing that Christians do not need to believe.” (175). He outlines what he is going to do and provides an anecdote to catch attention. At the next paragraph he makes the focus a little larger by bringing up, “...the majority, who believe in some kind of God or gods, and the minority who do not.” (175). This allows the reader to easily follow the argument he presents. The next few paragraphs deal with the type of God people believe in. Whether it is that God is, “...beyond good or evil.” or, “...that God is definitely ‘good’ or ‘righteous’.”(175-6). He continues to develop his argument after this manner and creates an effective and well communicated work.

All in all What Christians Believe is an effective work. This is easily demonstrated by the multiple times that C.S. Lewis presents his argument and shows the logical response. From his sense of justice to the divinity of Jesus Christ he appeals to Logos. His argument was definitely written for people to read, not just for him to read to himself. The work is well presented in writing by linking arguments and taking one step at a time. This also appeals to Logos because it creates a sense of order and construction in his argument. There is definitely applaud due to him because of how he presented this; with both appeal to Logos, and effective, well communicated speech.