Mathwig
Amanda Mathwig
Mr. Neufeld
Biblical Studies 30S
10 May 2012
The Full Circle Life of C.S. Lewis, the Most Influential Christian
Clive Staples Lewis, otherwise known as “Jack” by his friends and family, did not have a childhood that inspired him to become the influential Christian author that he is remembered as. Despite growing up in a Protestant Christian household, he found Sunday services to be uninspiring. Rather than an assurance of faith, he viewed the attendance of Church services as a political statement. These weekly rituals formed a distaste for Christianity that Lewis carried well into adulthood. Nevertheless, after spending years in sorrow and anger, he met the man that would eventually bring him back to God at a writer’s group, J.R.R. Tolkien. This relationship led to his conversion and motivated him to become the influential Christian writer he is remembered as. He pursued his gifts and became the person he was meant to be – meanwhile finding God. Lewis used his gift to glorify and teach others about Christianity. By doing what he loved, Lewis forever changed the lives of countless people, becoming the most influential Christian.
Born November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland, Clive Staples Lewis lived an ordinary life. He attended school and Church regularly and was raised by two loving parents until 1908. “All settled happiness, that was tranquil and reliable, disappeared from my life” (bbc.co.uk). During this year Lewis’ mother passed away and family dynamics took a turn for the worst. While Lewis and his brother, Warren, grew closer, they both grew away from their Father. From September 1908- June 1910 both Lewis and his brothers attended Wynyard Boarding School which Lewis described as a dreadful place. It was during this period of time that Lewis first tried to be Christian, making lists of resolutions and praying every night. After the closing of Wynyard he switched schools and began to surround himself with comrades that influenced him poorly. Not only did Lewis begin to behave poorly, but his brother did as well, eventually being expelled from college and later joining the army academy (bbc.co.uk).
After high school Lewis later attended many different Secondary Schools, beginning with Malvern College. He studied Norse mythology in the pursuit of joy, an aspect he was desperately missing in his life. His time spent at Malvern was miserable, mostly due to people who made up rumors about him being homosexual. During this time he lost his Christian faith, and had major disagreements with his brother. Lewis was alone: away from his father, arguing with his brother, and fallen away from God. In 1916 following one year at Malvern, he left to attend University College, Oxford. At this time World War I was two years in, and Lewis enrolled in the army. After the War he returned to University and received three degrees in Greek and Latin Literature, Classical Philosophy, and English Literature and Language (bbc.co.uk).
During World War I Lewis became acquainted with a man named Edward Moore. After growing close to one another they made a promise to one another; if the other did not come home after war, they would support the other’s family. Moore died in combat, and Lewis returned home to live with Mrs. Moore. During this period of time he worked towards his three degrees at Oxford University, and lived with Mrs. Moore until her death. Not only did he stay true to his promise to Moore, he accepted Mrs. Moore as a motherly figure, filling the hole that was left after his mother’s passing. During this period of time Lewis had fallen away from God, but still acted honorably. Possessing characteristics that could be described as innately Christian (without the motivation of Christianity), Lewis was an honorable and inspiring man even before he returned to God.
Leading up to his conversion, C.S. Lewis continued to pursue his gift of writing. In October of 1925, after receiving his degrees at Oxford, Lewis was awarded a fellowship position to teach English at Oxford Magdalen College. It was during this period of time that he began to meet with the “Inklings”. This group’s purpose was to hear and criticize member’s writings and stories. It was at these meetings that Lewis met J.R.R. Tolkien, the man who would eventually lead him to Christianity. Tolkien’s series, “Lord of the Rings” were first aired at an Inkling meeting (bbc.co.uk).
Lewis’ conversion transformation was not sudden in any sense, rather a long and thoughtful process. The faith that pushed him to pursue this journey was inspired by reading. He eventually accepted the idea of Theism, coming to believe in a universal spirit without specifically calling it “God”. At Oxford, his Christian friends and fellow Inkling members, Hugo Dyson and J.R.R. Tolkien, frequently argued philosophy and religion. After reading the Gospels, he got the impression that they did not sound like fiction; they seemed rather unimaginative to have been made up, and read like reports rather than stories. In 1929 his father passed away and he was left without either parents. During this time both Lewis and his brother Warren were considering becoming Christian. To Lewis, the appeal to attend church was absent, and he did not accept many aspects of Christian theology. The concept that “Christianity was the completion of all the mythology before it” greatly impacted Lewis and was first introduced to Lewis by Tolkien (Richie, 38). He believed the resurrection stories throughout history were precursors to Jesus’ true resurrection. Tolkien was the one who broke down Lewis’ arguments, explaining how Christianity helped the believer be better, and freed them from their sins. Three days later, the final stages of his conversion transpired rather unconventionally, on a motorcycle ride with his brother Warren. In his novel “Surprised by Joy”, he related his conversion process to being hunted down by God. In another novel that he wrote, “The Pilgrim’s Recess”, Lewis told the story of his conversion in an allegorical form. Reflecting on his former life without God, Lewis realized that his past encounters with joy were pointers showing him that he was meant for another world. Immediately following his conversion he began to write Christian apologetics.
Lewis claimed that his conversion was based on rational thinking. The key to him becoming Christian was that it made sense; aspects were justified, and logic reinforced many principles. By incorporating this rationality and thought process into his writing, Lewis became a Christian Apologist (cslewis.com). An apologist is known as a writer who defended their faith using logic. Because he converted he was aware of many of the aspects of Christianity that many did not feel comfortable with. Many thought that Lewis presented many revolutionary ideas after the publication of one of his early apologist papers. Meanwhile, Lewis felt that he was trying to bring more people to God with open yet deep thinking. “It (Christianity) is like a hall of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted.” (bbc.co.uk).
The impression that Lewis left on the earth was a lasting one. Although he died in 1963, his ideas involving Christians and their relations to people of other religions are still being reviewed in the Twenty First Century. The adaptation of his ideas show the brilliance and insight that Lewis truly did possess. In specific, his question, “Does God give hints (in history)? And if he does, can we take the hint?” The belief that Christians can learn from other religions, and that the probability of one specific religion being absolute truth is a revolutionary idea that adheres to a more contemporary view on religion. He believed and “preached” that pre- and non Christian religions sometimes has hints of divine presence and truth. In a sense, other religions “set the stage” for Christianity. These hints were designed to help people hear the gospel faith when it appeared clearer. Even after the creation of the gospel, he believed that hearing ‘hints from heaven’ in other religions could help Christians better understand and appreciate religious others. In doing so, Lewis felt it could help others to more clearly hear God’s voice in their own religion. One of his strongest theological statements on the acceptance of other faiths vs. atheism was as follows: “If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong through and through. If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake. If you are a Christian you are free to think that all these religions, even the queerest ones contain at least some hint of truth.” This idea specifically refuted the belief that Christians traditionally held about the bible being the only truth. Lewis’ reference is that one can learn and see God in the other world religions, because he is present (Richie, 38). In addition to these ideas, he also presented ideas on Grace, and different types of love. He had said that Eros, (which Lewis described as need love) and agape (gift love), could exist on either a natural or supernatural plane. He believed that with God’s help our need love rises to the point that we recognize total dependence on God’s love for us. When gift love is so graced that it goes out to include all people, it deserves to be called charity. Grace can arouse in us a higher kind of love than either eros or agape could. Lewis said God, “can awake in a man, towards himself, a supernatural appreciative love. This of all gifts the most to be desired. Here, not in our natural loves, nor even in ethics, lies the true center of all humans and angelic life.” (Dulles, 21).
Although his revolutionary ideas on Christianity were well accepted and embraced by the public, Lewis’ longest lasting impact on society were his fiction books. Many of his novels possessed a Christian sub text, but his most well known novels did not aim to teach Christianity. Rather, Lewis tried to introduce similar ideas that would make it easier for children to wrap their minds around the idea of Christianity (cslewis.drzeus.net). Inspiration for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” came during World War II when his house hosted a group of children who had been evacuated from London and other cities (bbc.co.uk). While they were staying at his home, one of the children asked to play in a wardrobe, and so began the series. The writing of these series allowed him to indulge in his love of mythological creatures. Tolkien did not like the mixture of mythological creatures or the quality of the writing. Lewis’ publisher also doubted that the books would sell. After being released, the reviews on the books were critical as many of the ideas went against the current trend of realism. The lasting impact that Lewis had on people of all religions remains in present day society largely because of the reproduction of his books into movies. The continuing demand to transform his stories into film is a testament to the timelessness of his novels. Lewis was ahead of his generation in thinking as he presented themes and ideas both in fiction and in religious thinking that led the way to a new era of thinking (bbc.co.uk).
Lewis’ transformation, moving from a life where God was non-existent, to a place where God was the center of “all humans and angelic life,” was one that greatly influenced others. Whether the impact was from his brilliantly written novels, or his revolutionary ideas on Christianity, Lewis spoke to people of all ages and faiths. Breaking down the walls of separation between faiths, he used both logic and rationality to teach people about Christianity through different and thoughtful ways of writing. He used his God-given gift to impact society in a way only he could have, following divine will to spread the good news to all. C.S. Lewis; author, apologist, revolutionary, friend and measuring block for followers of God today, is the most influential Christian.
Works Cited
“About C.S. Lewis.” C.S. Lewis Classics. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <>.
C.S. Lewis. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. <>.
Dulles, Avery Cardinal. “Love, the Pope, and C.S. Lewis.” First Things: A Monthly Journal of
Religion & Public Life 169 (2007): 20-24. Print.
“Religions: C.S. Lewis.” BBC News. BBC. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.
<>.
Richie, Tony. “Hints from Heaven: Can C.S. Lewis Help Evangelicals Hear God in Other
Religions?” Evangelical Review of Theology 32.1 (2008): 38-55. Print.
Wellman, Sam. C.S. Lewis: Author of Mere Christianity. United States of America:
Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. Print.
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