C. S. Lewis’ take on healing the Christian divide

David Houston
Special to Spur Ottawa

Christians all say they want unity in the Church. We all lament that the body of Christ is so fractured. The problem is, after all the pious headshaking and heavy sighing, nothing changes. The Church is still deeply divided. So, what do we do about it?

For an answer, I turn to C. S. Lewis. There are three reasons: Firstly, in the words of one of my seminary professors, “Lewis is so popular you could write something on, ‘Lewis and the Theology of Root Canals,’ and people would still read it.” Secondly, Lewis has ecumenical appeal from Quakers to Roman Catholics, and Pentecostals to Baptists. Thirdly, he is widely known for popularizing the notion of “mere Christianity”.

Warring housemates

Lewis described the Church like a house filled with warring housemates. In response, he popularized the concept of “mere Christianity,” which he described as “the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times.”

Following Richard Baxter, the puritan pastor who first coined the term, Lewis compares Christianity to a house and mere Christianity to “a hall out of which doors extend into several rooms” or denominations. He explained that we all belong to the same house, even if we don’t all belong to the same room.

Hallway campers

Sadly, the notion of mere Christianity has also been abused. Some housemates, disgusted by all the infighting, denounce all the rooms as divisive—often invoking “mere Christianity” as their justification. So what do they do? They camp in the hallway.

The hallway, in this case, refers to accepting “mere Christianity”, but without taking a stance on anything beyond it. These “campers” are not people in the process of choosing a room—such people are on route and even if they’ve been lost for quite some time, they are still muddling along as best they can.

The people I am calling “campers” are those who settle in the hallway. They have pitched their tents and have no intention of moving. They have decided they do not much like the rooms, or their inhabitants. They take pride in not being like those proud people in the rooms who believe they have found the truth. You see, they believe themselves to be humble because they realize you can’t know the truth about anything beyond mere Christianity. They “know” there’s no sense arguing over this or that doctrine. They “know” arguments and debate are inherently divisive and unloving. They emphasise, “No creed but Christ!”

What campers support is not “mere Christianity”, but “mere, mere Christianity”—which, clearly, is one too many “meres”.

Lewis, however, opposes this attitude: “I hope no reader will suppose that ‘mere’ Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions—as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else…. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in.”

What campers support is not “mere Christianity”, but “mere, mere Christianity”—which, clearly, is one too many “meres”. They do not seem to realize when you forego the rooms in favour of the hallway, the hallway becomes just another room—one without the benefits of being designed for living in.

Ironically, “No Creed but Christ” becomes their creed, presented without the warmth of a supporting argument.

The doctrine of “mere, mere Christianity” is just one more doctrine to disagree over. But if it isn’t the solution, what is?

The greatest house rule is this: “Love your housemates as yourself.”

We turn once more to Lewis’s sage advice: “When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more…. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.”

We make progress towards the goal of unity in the Church not when we ignored our theological differences, but when we openly acknowledge them, even debate them, and yet come before the throne of grace united in love for each other and our Lord Jesus Christ. As Ephesians 4 says, it is by speaking the truth in love that the Church will grow into maturity in Christ.

Living as mere Christians

So, here are some practical ways to live as a “mere Christian”:

Acknowledge the strengths of other rooms. For example, I am not Roman Catholic, but I commend them for their stalwart defense of Christian ethics in the public square when my fellow evangelicals were nowhere to be seen.

Have the courage to listen to opposing views. Our inability to even hear opposing views is one of the most pressing issues facing our society. It is a vital practice. Not only are people more likely to hear your views when they feel listened to but, who knows, you might even learn something!

If someone misrepresents another’s view, take the time to graciously correct them. We love our neighbour when we persuade them out of false beliefs.

Offer criticism graciously, with the utmost concern for the well-being of your fellow believer.

In the words of John Wesley, “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences.”