The book has also been cited by a number of public figures as their influence to their conversion, or re-conversion, to Christianity as well as other Christian denominations. The American geneticist Francis Collins related his story of conversion from atheism in his book, The Language of God (2006), and described Mere Christianity as having influenced him to embrace Christianity. The American attorney Charles Colson's conversion happened after him reading a copy of the book given by his friend, Thomas L. Phillips (the chairman of the board of the Raytheon Company). His story became popular, enhanced by the release of his autobiography in 1976, which was consequently declared the "Year of the Evangelicals" by the Newsweek magazine. Catholic converts include the British philanthropist Leonard Cheshire, the German economist E. F. Schumacher, the American author Sheldon Vanauken, the American columnist Ross Douthat, the American theologian Peter Kreeft, and the American philosopher Francis J. Beckwith.Mere Christianity has been featured in several lists. It was included in the 2000 book, 100 Christian Books That Changed the Century, by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. In 2000 and 2006, the evangelical magazine Christianity Today editorial board included Mere Christianity in its "Books of the Century" and "The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals", respectively. In a 2013 article to Christianity Today, McGrath ranked it the first among the five books by Lewis he liked the most. In the same year's "The Best Christian Book of All Time Tournament", run by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Mere Christianity was voted as the all-time, best Christian book, only after Augustine's autobiography Confessions. In 2018, Christianity Today Greg Cootsona, a writer of the relationship between religion and science, featured it in his "5 Books That Bring Science and Christianity Together" listing.Mere Christianity has influenced other Christian publications, with the scholar Gary L. Tandy noting that it remains the standard for assessing them, mainly the apologetic ones. Subsequent publications with allusion to the book in their titles include N. T. Wright's Simply Christian (2006) and McGrath's Mere Apologetics (2012). The American pastor Tim Keller referred to his apologetic The Reason for God (2012) as "Mere Christianity for dummies". The bimonthly ecumenical Christian magazine Touchstone, which started publication in 1986, is subtitled A Journal of Mere Christianity. Paul McCusker's C. S. Lewis & Mere Christianity, which provides insights to the work in its historical context, was published in 2014; it was praised for being well-researched but was criticised for its factual errors. Another "biography" of the book, C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity'', written by Marsden, was released in 2016, and received a positive reception from critics, with some criticism to its conclusion.
The book has also been cited by a number of public figures as their influence to their conversion, or re-conversion, to Christianity as well as other Christian denominations. The American geneticist Francis Collins related his story of conversion from atheism in his book, The Language of God (2006), and described Mere Christianity as having influenced him to embrace Christianity. The American attorney Charles Colson's conversion happened after him reading a copy of the book given by his friend, Thomas L. Phillips (the chairman of the board of the Raytheon Company). His story became popular, enhanced by the release of his autobiography in 1976 which was consequently declared the "Year of the Evangelicals" by the Newsweek magazine. Catholic converts include the British philanthropist Leonard Cheshire, the German economist E. F. Schumacher, the American author Sheldon Vanauken, the American columnist Ross Douthat, the American theologian Peter Kreeft, and the American philosopher Francis J. Beckwith.Mere Christianity has been featured in several lists. It was included in the 2000 book, 100 Christian Books That Changed the Century, by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. In 2000 and 2006, the evangelical magazine Christianity Today editorial board included Mere Christianity in its "Books of the Century" and "The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals", respectively. In a 2013 article to Christianity Today, McGrath ranked it the first among the five books by Lewis he liked the most. In the same year's "The Best Christian Book of All Time Tournament", run by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Mere Christianity was voted as the all-time, best Christian book, only after Augustine's autobiography Confessions. In 2018, Christianity Today Greg Cootsona, a writer of the relationship between religion and science, featured it in his "5 Books That Bring Science and Christianity Together" listing.Mere Christianity has influenced other Christian publications, with the scholar Gary L. Tandy noting that it remains the standard for assessing them, mainly the apologetic ones. Subsequent publications with allusion to the book in their titles include N. T. Wright's Simply Christian (2006) and McGrath's Mere Apologetics (2012). The American pastor Tim Keller referred to his apologetic The Reason for God (2012) as "Mere Christianity for dummies". The bimonthly ecumenical Christian magazine Touchstone, which started publication in 1986, is subtitled A Journal of Mere Christianity Paul McCusker's C. S. Lewis & Mere Christianity, which provides insights to the work in its historical context, was published in 2014; it was praised for being well-researched but was criticised for its factual errors. Another "biography" of the book, C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity'', written by Marsden, was released in 2016, and received a positive reception from critics, with some criticism to its conclusion.