C.S. Lewis was one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th Century and remains so today.  Many are familiar with his Narnia stories, but he was also a populariser of Christian apologetics, and continues to be the first place that many encounter the key arguments for Christian faith.

60 years on from when they were written, are his arguments for God and Christ still compelling?  We look at Lewis' Natural Law argument for God in "Mere Christianity", his Argument from Reason in "Miracles" and his classic 'Trilemma' - Jesus is either a liar, lunatic, or Lord.

Michael Ward is Chaplain of St. Peter's College, Oxford and a research fellow at the Independent Institute. He is a leading authority on CS Lewis.  His books "Planet Narnia" and "The Narnia Code" unearthed a hidden dimension to the Narnia chronicles.  He also lectures on the apologetics of C.S. Lewis.

Dan Barker is a US atheist and heads up the Freedom From Religion Foundation.   As a Christian he read "Mere Christianity" but on re-reading it as an atheist found it unconvincing.

They debate the faith, philosophy and apologeics of CS Lewis.

For Michael Ward see http://www.planetnarnia.com/ or http://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=1333

For the new book "The Narnia Code" http://www.amazon.com/Narnia-Code-Lewis-Secret-Heavens/dp/1414339658/ref=pd_sim_b_3

For Dan Barker and his book "Godless" see http://www.ffrf.org/

For more Christian/non Christian discussions visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast or via itunes

If you enjoyed this discussion try these:

Unbelievable? 6 Jun 2009  Narnia & CS Lewis - a skeptic and Christian discuss - Michael Ward & Laura Miller

Unbelievable? 5 Dec 2009 - Are we better off free from religion? Atheist Dan Barker vs. Christian Charles Foster

Unbelievable? 10 Oct 2009 - Is the divinity of Jesus at odds with Jewish Monotheism? Richard Bauckham & James Crossley.

Join the discussion at the "Unbelievable?" group of The Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable