C. S. Lewis (born 1898, “Jack”) was an amazing storyteller. I loved reading the Chronicles of Narnia when I was growing up. He shared the Gospel through Aslan, the lion in his Chronicles who became the sacrificial lamb for the Pevensie children. Lewis made literal the words in the Bible through creative storytelling. The movie depicts the Gospel story in a visual way as well. The Gospel: Jesus, represented by Aslan, was sinless and died for sinners. Jesus rose again three days after being crucified and we can be in relationships with Him when we believe John 3:16 and commit to following him.
The life of this man is quite the story as well. Lewis lost his mom as a child and created a fantasy world with his older brother Warnie when they were young. Shadow boxes with animals and forests were imagined and made. A hurting child poured into boxes hopes and dreams of a world of talking animals that he could control.
As he grew though, he grew away from God and his imaginary world. Raised in Ireland, he was moved to England for his health when he was 13 and there, he became an atheist. With passions in philosophy and literature, he later went to a college in Oxford and then taught there for years followed by Cambridge. As a young man, he also served in WWI which was a backdrop (and influenced as well by WWII, and good vs. evil) for the Chronicles of Narnia. His experiences shaped him and the stories he shared.
At around age 33, Lewis became a Christian probably in part due to a conversation with J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings author. Tolkien’s books also give us a glimpse of God (good versus evil). These deep men provided generations a way to understand and “see” God through literature. Powerful messages.
Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia from 1950-1956 (finished the final one at age 58). That’s how old I am this year, and it astounds me his creativity and wisdom. He inspires me. I’m tired in my 50s but he found a renewed and ever deepening passion. Thank you, God. I pray for an ever-deepening passion for you as well.
With a renewed passion, I am currently working my way through his book The Screwtape Letters (1942). The devil is Screwtape who is writing and coaching his nephew Wormwood how to get humans to sin. It is chilling in that it reminds me of our world and the temptations today. Sinner beware and be wary….from 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Lewis knew much loss through his lifetime. He did marry at age 58 to another writer but she died four years later. Lewis died at age 64 of kidney failure (1963). He reminds me of Job in some ways (i.e. loss). From his great love and great losses, he shared God with so many through his literature.
Lewis was a great defender of the faith presumably because he walked away from God and back to God. For an atheist to come to believe in God again, must take some deep and analytical thinking. For Lewis, one famous statement about Christianity that distinguishes it from other faiths is that it is the only religion that provides forgiveness. “To be Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” Thank you, God, again, for grace.
I’m so thankful for the life and stories of Lewis. My daughter, in preparation for a scholars’ weekend, is reading part of The Weight of Glory which was originally a 1941 sermon later turned into a book of essays in 1949. Lewis would have been a Christian for about 10 years when he wrote it. She is reading of his wartime and the focus on learning during these events. Some might say there is frivolity in focusing on learning during a war. The world seems to always be at war though. But, what is our true purpose? To glorify God in all that we do (job, learning, caregiving, etc), to share the Gospel, to feel joy in relationship with Him and others, and to truly save others…..that, to me, is our weight.
History from: The Life of C.S. Lewis Timeline – C.S. Lewis Foundation and C.S. Lewis Books In Order – Books In Order
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