What book collected C.S. Lewis’s wartime BBC talks on Christian belief?

Mere Christianity collected and revised C.S. Lewis’s wartime BBC talks on Christian belief.

Lewis broadcast the talks between 1941 and 1944, when Britain was at war. He addressed a general audience rather than a specialist theological readership, presenting what he called “mere Christianity”: beliefs shared across historic Christian traditions. The talks were later revised and published in book form, with the final section incorporating material from Christian Behaviour and Beyond Personality.

The book is not a denominational catechism and does not attempt to settle every difference among Christian churches. Lewis’s purpose was to discuss a common core of Christian belief before readers considered particular traditions. That broad approach explains the title and the book’s lasting influence.

The broadcast origins are sometimes overlooked because modern readers usually encounter Mere Christianity as a single volume. Its conversational structure and examples preserve the accessible style of radio talks.