Mere Christianity

(cont'd, C. S. Lewis)

The British people must have felt lonely after most of Europe had either allied with Nazi Germany or been defeated by them.  America didn't enter the war until December 1941,  so most of that year the British stood by themselves.  The radio voice they most recognized was that of Winston Churchill, and the radio voice who became second most recognized came on for the first time in August:  C. S. Lewis.

BBC radio wanted him as a non-clergyman to give several series of talks on the basic Christian faith.  A gifted Oxford scholar, he chose not to speak like a professor but rather to speak to all Britons in a tone of "common sense" (as The Guardian put it).  The book, Mere Christianity, puts all the talks together.

"Right and Wrong:  A Clue to the Meaning of the Universe" was the first series because,  sensibly, Lewis did not assume that all his listeners were on board with Biblical principles. He built the case that natural moral law is pretty much the same in different human cultures, as if that law is built into human hearts by our Creator.

Only one of his broadcast talks survived WWII that I'm aware of, and here it is.  In this talk he answers the question, "how can God listen to all people's prayers at the same time?"