Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Week 22: Book III, Chapter 11 — Faith (Part I)
Read Book III, Chapter 11 of Mere Christianity ('Faith').
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Lewis gives one of the most psychologically honest accounts of faith in all of Christian writing — and it starts with a problem many believers are afraid to admit.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Lewis defines Faith (in a first sense) as the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. Why does he say this takes courage, and what does it suggest about the relationship between faith and emotion?
2.He draws an analogy to other areas of life: we know logically that anesthesia is safe, but as the mask comes down we feel fear anyway. We know our reason told us something was true, but feelings tell a different story. How does this validate the experience of doubt without endorsing it as final?
a.Describe a time when your mood or feelings dramatically undercut a conviction you knew to be rationally sound. What did you do?
b.Lewis says the solution is to train the habit of recalling what reason said. What spiritual disciplines help you do this?
3.He says that moods are the enemy of faith — not in the sense that they disprove faith, but in the sense that they feel like they do. Why is it important to distinguish between a mood that says 'God seems absent' and a conclusion that says 'God is absent'?
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