Discipleship with C.S. Lewis: A Guide to Mere Christianity for Small Groups and Mentoring Relationships

Discipleship with C.S. Lewis is the result of an inspired idea: use C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, a series of radio talks delivered to the British nation during the Second World War, as the basis for disciple-making today. The ongoing war in heaven continues to spill over onto earth as various forces, including social media, compete for the hearts and minds of men and women, young or old. The first task is to identify the enemy, and this is what Woodruff ably does – with a little help from Lewis. The larger task is to train people to live out their faith in the God of the gospel, and this involves conforming one’s beliefs and behavior to the reality of Jesus Christ, the revelation of God and the exemplar of humanity. Discipleship with C.S. Lewis is not only a Christian call to arms, but a training manual for preparing Christians to be battle-ready.

-Dr. Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Most people perceive C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity to be an apologetics book. But Joel Woodruff demonstrates that this most influential work is fundamentally about discipleship, touching heart and mind. He has put together an invaluable training manual to accompany Lewis’s book, utilizing biblical texts, summaries, key questions to ponder, and action steps to incorporate into one’s life. An ideal tool for both personal discipleship and group settings.

-Dr. Dennis P. Hollinger, President Emeritus & Senior Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics,

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Jesus Christ commissioned His church to make disciples. Dr. Joel Woodruff’s splendid book reveals how C.S. Lewis’s classic Mere Christianity can be employed as a training manual for Christian spiritual formation and fulfilling the Great Commission.

-Dr. Lyle Dorsett, C.S. Lewis Scholar,

Former Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism

at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School

As a pastor, I am always looking for tools to help foster discipling relationships for spiritual formation. Used in conjunction with the Bible, Lewis’s Mere Christianity offers a stimulating resource for Christian belief, character, and practice. Joel’s book, Discipleship with C.S. Lewis, provides a user-friendly guide, and I look forward to using it in our church to get people pursuing Christian growth together.

-Dr. Bill Kynes, Pastor,

Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church, Annandale, VA

Joel’s excellent user-friendly book not only enables one to grasp and apply the essential truths of Lewis’s Mere Christianity, it provides a pathway for ongoing healthy discipleship. His multifaceted approach of foundational biblical passages, insight-provoking questions, specific action steps, Scripture memory and perceptive conclusions will help build a community of loving and discerning disciples.

-Steve King, Senior Pastor Emeritus,

Cherrydale Baptist Church, Arlington VA

Countless readers have been brought to faith in Christ through the brilliance of Mere Christianity and still today, skeptics are seeing Lewis’s own spiritual journey lead them on a similar pathway toward Jesus. Discipleship with C.S. Lewis takes this process and helps believers engage both the heart and the mind in discipleship, building up their spiritual senses and strengthening their theological commitments. I heartily recommend this book written and presented beautifully by Joel Woodruff. If you are serious about discipleship, you will want to have this book as a resource for personal or group study.

-Daniel Darling, Vice-President of Communications,

The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

In his excellent book, Dr. Joel Woodruff leads the reader through a robust and practical engagement with the content of C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity. But he also goes one step further – he opens the path for the reader to grapple with the very Scriptures which so deeply shaped and infused Lewis’s thought. The result is material that I would heartily recommend to any desiring a deeper discipleship.

-Connally Gilliam, Author of Revelations of a Single Woman,

U.S. Navigators Staff

Many of us love C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity. We recommend it, give away copies of it, and occasionally quote it. But we may have never employed it as a discipleship tool. Joel Woodruff’s keen eye as an educator, equips us do just that. He helps us explore Lewis’s masterpiece reflectively, ponder it theologically, and apply it penetratingly. I highly recommend this work.

-Dr. Randy Newman,

Senior Teaching Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism,

The C. S. Lewis Institute

Mere Christianity remains essential reading for any who want to engage in a robust grasp of the faith. Since the perennial questions are asked generation after generation, Lewis, for his clarity and precision remains as relevant today as he was 75 years ago when these presentations were given on the BBC Radio in England during World War II. Furthermore, in an age so polarized, Lewis models intellectual rigor without rancor. His charity comes through in all he writes. Joel Woodruff’s Discipleship with C.S. Lewis is a must for any desiring to study Mere Christianity or lead groups through its invigorating topics. I recommend it with enthusiasm.

-Dr. Jerry Root, C. S. Lewis Scholar, Professor of Evangelism, Wheaton College

The Author

Joel Woodruff is the President of the C.S. Lewis Institute, a discipleship ministry of heart and mind with locations throughout the United States, Canada and Great Britain. He is passionate about seeing people grow in their love for Jesus Christ and become faithful disciple-makers. He has worked in higher education, nonprofit administration, and pastoral ministries in Alaska, Israel, Hungary, France, and Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of Wheaton College, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and holds a doctorate from Nova Southeastern University. He and his wife Dolly and their children live in Northern Virginia.

Discipleship with C.S. Lewis: A Guide to Mere Christianity for Small Groups and Mentoring Relationships

Published by CSLI Press

8001 Braddock Road, Suite 301

Springfield, VA 22151

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

©2020 by Joel S. Woodruff. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author. ISBN 978-1-54399-523-7 eBook 978-1-54399-524-4

Acknowledgements

I thank God for placing godly men and women in my life to disciple me over the years to help me grow in my faith in and love for Jesus Christ. Some of these saints have since entered glory including my parents Steve and Joanne Woodruff, my grandparents Al and Data May Woodruff, my grandmother Esther Spicher, my father- and mother-in-law Paul and Mimi Riegert, tennis coach Kiah Evans, the athletic director of Wheaton College Jack Swartz, and a praying seminary professor Christy Wilson.

Although he died the year that I was born, I thank God for C.S. Lewis as this book would not have been possible without his life, faith, and writings.

I’m blessed to have living disciple-makers in my life including the pastor of my youth Jerry Hilton, my former boss Bob McIntyre, my aunt Margaret King, and the past and current leaders of the C.S. Lewis Institute including Jim Hiskey, Jim Houston, Art Lindsley, Tom Tarrants, Kerry Knott and Tom Simmons. My prayer is that this book reflects the wisdom and love that all of these disciples of Jesus Christ have passed on to me.

I’m also grateful to God for my brothers, Jon and Jeremy Woodruff, and cousin, Kevin King, who have been examples to me and encouraged me to stand for Jesus daily.

A special note of thanks goes to Ed Glancy and Evelyn Bence for their editorial skills, Crystal Sarno for her design ideas and Semy Godo and Jake Fritzke at the C.S. Lewis Institute.

Dedications

This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Dolly, who by God’s grace, has served alongside me in seeking to follow Jesus Christ, and to my children, Noah, Idan, Gloria and Esther in the hope that as passionate disciples of our Lord they will articulate, defend, share and live their faith in personal and public life.

Contents

Introduction: Why Mere Christianity as a Discipleship

Training Manual?

How Best to Use: Discipleship with C.S. Lewis: A Guide to

Mere Christianity for Small Groups and Mentoring Relationships

Part 1: Christian Beliefs

Session 1-1: Rival Understandings of God

Session 1-2: The Problems of Sin, Satan, and Evil

Session 1-3: God’s Response to Sin, Satan, and Evil

Session 1-4: God’s Rescue Plan for Humankind

Session 1-5: Finding New Life in Christ

Session 1-6: Finding Your Place in the Church

Part 2: Christian Behavior

Session 2-1: Morality and the Greatest Commandment

Session 2-2: Wisdom and the Cardinal Virtues

Session 2-3: Social Morality and the Golden Rule

Session 2-4: Sexual Morality and the Virtue of Chastity

Session 2-5: The Virtue of Charity—Part 1:

Forgiveness and Loving Our Enemies

Session 2-6: The Virtue of Humility and the Vice of Pride

Session 2-7: The Virtue of Charity—Part 2

Session 2-8: The Virtue of Christian Hope

Session 2-9: The Virtue and Gift of Faith

Part 3: An Introduction

to Christian Theology and