Thread by @RelevantQuest

“I hope no reader will suppose that ‘mere’ Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of existing communions. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted.” #Lewis

“But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. For that purpose the worst of the rooms (whichever it may be) is, I think, preferable.” #Lewis

“Some ppl may find they have to wait in the hall for a considerable time, while others feel certain almost at once which door they must knock at. I do not know why there is this difference, but I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless he sees it is good for him to wait.” #Lewis

“When you do get into your room, you will find that the long wait has done you some kind of good which you would not have had otherwise. But you must regard it as waiting, not camping. You must keep on praying for light.” #CSLewis

“And of course, even in the hall, you must begin trying to obey the rules which are common to the whole house. Above all, you must be asking which door is the true one; not which one pleases you best by its paint & panelling.” #CSLewis

“In plain language, the question shld never be: ‘Do I like that kind of service?’ but ‘Are these doctrines true: Is holiness here? Does my conscience move towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my dislike of this door-keeper?’”

“When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors & to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; & if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them.” #CSLewis #MereChristianity