This is one of Lewis's most famous chapters — and the argument he makes about Jesus is one of the most important and most disputed in all of popular apologetics.

Discussion Questions

6 questions

1.Lewis presents the famous 'Liar, Lunatic, or Lord' trilemma. What is the argument, and what is it designed to rule out? In your own words, why does Lewis think the 'just a great moral teacher' option is not available?

2.He says that a man who said the things Jesus said would either be God, or a lunatic on the level of someone who claimed to be a poached egg. This is deliberately extreme language. Why does Lewis use such extreme language — is it fair or is it overstated?

a.Have you ever tried to hold the 'great teacher' view without committing to his divinity? What made that position feel safe — and what does Lewis say is wrong with it?

b.What specific claims of Jesus does Lewis have in mind when he says no 'mere man' could have said them?

3.Lewis also addresses the 'shocking alternative' of Satan — the possibility that Jesus was a great power gone bad. Why does he dismiss this option, and how does the character of Jesus's actual teaching bear on that dismissal?

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