Posted by Frank Wow, I don't think I've seen the word syllabus since I graduated from college. Unlike our previous selection (G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy which has 9 chapters for 9 weeks of reading), our next one isn't as conveniently organized. Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, is a bit more complicated in structure. But no worries! I think I've come up with a plan to read our new selection in as simple a way as possible over the course of the next 9 weeks. Subject to change, the plan is as follows.
Mere Christianity (MC) consists of four sections or “books” with 5 to 12 chapters in each one.
We will be tackling them as follows:
Week 1 (to be read by 1/21/10) Preface, Forward, Book 1: Chapters 1 & 2 (27 pages)
Week 2 (1/28/10) Book 1: Chapters 3, 4 & 5; Book 2: Chapters 1 & 2 (33 pages)
Week 3 (2/04/10) Book 2: Chapters 3, 4 & 5; Book 3: Chapter 1 (26 pages)
Week 4 (2/11/10) Book 3: Chapters 2, 3, 4, & 5 (28 pages)
Week 5 (2/18/10) Book 3: Chapters 6, 7, 8 (25 pages)
Week 6 (2/25/10) Book 3: Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12; Book 4: Chapter 1 (29 pages)
Week 7 (3/04/10) Book 4: Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, (23 pages)
Week 8 (3/11/10) Book 4: Chapters 6, 7, 8 (23 pages)
Week 9 (3/18/10) Book 4: Chapters 9. 10, 11 (21 pages)
And there you have it. Head to your favorite bookstore, public library, or here to get your copy of the book. It is, in my humble opinion, imperative that you read both the preface and the foreword as a part of the first week's reading. There you will find Mr. Lewis's plan for the book as well as an explanation of what is included, and left out, and why.
This is a high-level look at Christianity, and as such, we won't be answering the question Why I Am Catholic here. I hope, however, that it proves to be an enjoyable exploration of the of the question Why I Am Christian.
The format for our discussions is simple: I'll provide a very brief summary of that week's readings and then offer some personal comments, reflections, and so on. Then you'll use comments to keep the discussion going until the following week. No mid-term exams, and no final exam either. Sound good? Get your copy of Mere Christianity and get cracking!
