C. S. Lewis

“If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world”

Setting the Stage:

Today, C. S. Lewis is considered to be one of the greatest apologetics of his time. His fiction series, The Chronicles of Narnia, is his best known work having sold over 120 million copies in 41 languages. Clive Staples Lewis was born on November 28, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. He never liked his name, so he decided to change his name to “Jacksie” and became known as “Jack” to his friends for the rest of his life. Lewis had a younger brother, Warren, who he became very close to all his life. At an early age, Jack was fascinated by books and it was from there that turned to writing. He first wrote about talking animals from a model set he and Warren created called Boxen. Lewis also drew pictures of the main characters with detailed illustrations. Little did he know that 40 years later he would once again write about talking animals in The Chronicles of Narnia.

At the age of nine, his mother became very ill of cancer and died within a few months. This left his father distant and he never recovered from losing her. This led Jack to atheism and an anger at God that lasted throughout his early life. Shortly after his mother’s death Jack has shipped off to boarding school. Despite his love of learning and knowledge, Jack hated his time through his schooling experience especially his first school, Wynyard House, in which the professor was indicted to an insane asylum. Despite his struggles with school, he found solace in both ideas and close friends, which became stable centers for his life.

At the age of fifteen, Lewis found his intellectual mentor, W. T. Kirkpatrick, that would guide him to become the scholar he wanted to be. With his tutelage, Lewis learned foreign languages, classical literature, and he was taught how to present his thoughts clearly. All of the hard work paid off in the end, as Lewis was accepted to Oxford University in England. But he wasn’t there for very long, as World War I would soon come into the picture. Lewis enlisted in the army and was sent to battle in France. The war was brutal and he saw many of his friends died including his best friend, Edward Moore. He was also wounded in three places with shrapnel embedded in his chest ending his time in the war.

Soon after, Lewis returned to college and excelled academically. His first publication was a book of poetry called Spirits in Bondage. He then accepted a short-term position teaching philosophy at Oxford. He flourished and in 1925, he would take the job that he’d keep for the next thirty years: a lecturer in the English department of Oxford’s Magdalen College.

Jack had a close group of friends that eventually formed a club called the Inklings. They met usually met at the now famous Eagle and Child in Oxford and talked at literature and philosophy. In 1930 moved to a house in Oxford called the Kilns where he would live the rest of his life in.

Turning Point:

In 1931, Jack rediscovered his long lost faith in Christ. Two years earlier he became a theist, but still wasn’t convinced that Jesus Christ was the son of God. It was because of long discussions with J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson that he began to see the that Christianity was true. He “admitted that God was God and perhaps he was the most reluctant and dejected convert in all of England.” He soon after joined the Church of England and upheld an Anglican theology worldview in his writings. From that point on he committed his works and life to Christ.

His Illuminating Impact:

Lewis’ first book after his conversion was the Pilgrim’s Regress, which at the time was poorly received. Despite the criticism, Lewis kept writing with His Space Trilogy, a science fiction book series and then his first classic, The Abolition of Man. He also focused on themes of Heaven and Hell with his works, The Great Divorce and The Screwtape Letters. His apologetic work, Mere Christianity is considered today as one of the greatest books written in the twentieth century. Other apologetics works of Lewis include The Problem of Pain and Miracles. His autobiography, Surprised by Joy, tells of his conversion to Christianity. A few other notable works that Lewis is known for are The Four Loves, God in the Dock, and The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses.

By far the Lewis’ most recognized works is his children’s fantasy novel series The Chronicles of Narnia. Written from 1949-1954 and illustrated by Pauline Baynes, the series has sold over 100 million copies in 41 languages. Many consider it to be the greatest Christian allegory fiction series ever written. Although Lewis did not consider them allegory, he instead said they were a “suppositional”. Aslan is the supposal of a Jesus Christ figure in the form of a lion and is present in all seven books. There are many Christian themes and lessons in the Chronicles including: creation of Narnia and battling temptation in The Magician’s Nephew, sacrifice, forgiveness, and resurrection in The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe, the spiritual life in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and the Last Judgment in The Last Battle. The series has been adopted in the form of radio, television, and most notably now into movies with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in 2005,  Prince Caspian in 2008, and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010. Currently, there are no plans for further movies in the Narnia series to be made. But, Douglas Grisham, Lewis’ stepson is determined to see through all seven books in film.

Running the Race:

Much later in life, Lewis corresponded and met Joy Gresham, an American writer who was also a convert from atheism to Christianity. She was divorced and had two sons, David and Doug. At first, he viewed her as a close friend and agreed to a civil marriage contract so she continue to live in the UK. Soon after, she was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer and they were formally joined in a martial covenant at her hospital bed in 1957.

Then a miracle happened and her cancer went into a brief remission; allowing them to live together for a brief 3 years before the cancer returned and took her life in 1960. Lewis was overcome with grief, but carried on raising her two sons, David and Doug. Shortly after, in 1961, Lewis was diagnosed with inflammation in his kidneys which led to a series of health problems in the next year. After experiencing a heart attack in July of 1962, he was released from the hospital, but resigned from Cambridge because of his poor health. Then on November 22, 1963 at the age of 64, Lewis passed away at his home on the same day as the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Lessons From His Legacy:

C. S. Lewis dealt with much pain, suffering, and death in his life. But thanks to the trials and tribulations he endured, He has impacted millions of lives across the globe over the course of many generations. He has addressed key issues of why Christianity is the one true faith in his apologetic works and why Jesus Christ must be either a Liar, a Lunatic, or Lord in his often stated case, Mere Christianity. Also we can learn how to deal with the key issues we face in our lives through reading The Chronicles of Narnia: temptation, skepticism, courage, friendship, longing, faith, forgiveness, and pride. Another key lesson to be learned from Lewis is the different aspects of love: friendship, eros, affection, and charity and how to express them as we read in his classic book, The Four Loves. Through The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce we can learn different aspects of Heaven and Hell and the spiritual war around us. Finally, we can learn how to deal with pain and suffering and why God allows us to go through them in his best selling work, The Problem of Pain and A Grief Observed. As time passes on, C. S. Lewis’ legacy continues to grow and his contributions are more and more recognized. His invitation will always remain–to go further up and further in!

Sources:

The Chronicles of Narnia: Beyond the Wardrobe The Official Guide to Narnia. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2005.

http://shoutitforlife.com/wp-admin/%20http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis

C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity. Macmillan Publishers, 1952