Was C.S. Lewis an Evangelical?
As I write this blog, I am sitting in a little room in Oxford, England. This has been a monumental week as 60 of us have come to spend a week together for our annual Portland Seminary Oxford Advance. As I walked the historical streets, entered bookshop after book shop, and toured the Bodleian Library, my love of learning was sparked to new levels. The town undoubtedly lives and breathes the value of scholarly thinking and education.
One of my highlights this week was visiting C.S. Lewis’s home where we sat in his living room, ate Turkish Delight in his dining room, and walked through his bedroom and study areas. My curiosity was heightened about this icon of a man who had such a spiritual impact over the last 75 years through his writings. Yet as our peer group embarked on Lewis’ daily home life, the icon became down-to-earth, almost tangible.
A long-time atheist, Lewis described his conversion as an act of God seeking him out and not him seeking God out. “That which I had greatly feared had at last come upon me…I gave in, and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed: perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England…but who can duly adore that love which will to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape?…the hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and his compulsion is our liberation.”[1]
In this week’s reading of David Bebbington’s “Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s,” my mind thought of C.S. Lewis. Was Lewis an evangelical? The beauty of his allegorical writings was that he crossed religious barriers on many levels, putting him in a very different class. He smoked, drank, and did not seem to fit the rules of evangelicalism that some may propose. However, if one looks at Bebbington and his understanding of the four pillars, it seems that C. S. Lewis falls into the “evangelical” category:
- Conversionism: the belief that lives need to be changed
- Activism: the expression of the gospel in effort
- Biblicism: a particular regard for the Bible
- Crucicentrism: a stress on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.[2]
In a blog put out by the C. S. Lewis Foundation, Philip Ryken states: “C.S. Lewis was a man of firm evangelistic convictions. So strong was his fervor for the Christian gospel that he became an object of ridicule to colleagues and a source of embarrassment to friends, even among the Inklings. For Lewis, the salvation of human souls was ‘the real business of life.’” [3]
Putting my curiosity about C. S. Lewis aside, reading Chapter 3 of Dr. Jason Clark’s “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship” gave an added layering perspective of Evangelicalism. Clark views it as a “kind of physiographic of the development of the doctrine of assurance around anxiety.”[4] This was an interesting summation for me. Through my early years, much was taught on heaven and hell and being ready for Christ’s return. The assurance was often steeped in fear. Looking back, I believe not enough was taught on spiritual formation and the joy of following Christ as well as His kindness that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). However, grace and truth both have a place. For example, contemplating heaven without its counterpart of eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46) would be a one-sided theology. The joy of living righteously without the understanding of the consequences of sin, would also not give appropriate understanding of our need for salvation and the ongoing work of Christ in our lives.
This tension has taken a turn in recent years as society distances itself from absolutes. The church is caught in this tension as well. What needs to be absolute in our preaching, teaching, and sharing regarding the gospel of Christ?
How does the church move forward when what shaped and formed the generations in the past, is not working in the present with the same effectiveness and where so many are falling away from faith? I don’t have the answers but I do desire to stay grounded in the gospel of Christ and lean in and hear what the Spirit of God is saying, Methodologies do need to adapt and change. As we lean in and hear God’s heartbeat for the world today, He will guide and direct us.
I close by pondering the C.S. Lewis quote again: “The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and his compulsion is our liberation.”
[1] Derick Bingham, “Walking with Giants – When Tolkien Talked with Lewis” (TBF Thompson Ministries, n.d.).
[2] D. W. Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s (London ; Unwin Hyman, 1989), https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203359907.
[3] Philip Ryken, “C.S. Lewis the Evangelist,” C.S. Lewis Institute (blog), accessed September 27, 2023, https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/c-s-lewis-the-evangelist/
[4] Clark, Jason Paul, “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship” (Portland, OR, Portland Seminary, 2018), 49.
[1] Derick Bingham, “Walking with Giants – When Tolkien Talked with Lewis” (TBF Thompson Ministries, n.d.).
[2] D. W. Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s (London ; Unwin Hyman, 1989), https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203359907.
[3] Philip Ryken, “C.S. Lewis the Evangelist,” C.S. Lewis Institute (blog), accessed September 27, 2023, https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/c-s-lewis-the-evangelist/
[4] Clark, Jason Paul, “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship” (Portland, OR, Portland Seminary, 2018), 49.
About the Author
Esther Edwards
Esther has served in ministry leadership for over 35 years. She is an ordained minister, an ICF and CCLC certified coach, and licensed coach trainer. Her and her husband have launched their own coaching practice, Enjoy the Journey Leadership Coaching and seek to train ministry leaders in the powerful skill of coaching. Esther loves hiking, reading, and experiencing new coffee shops with friends and family. She enjoys the journey with her husband, Keith, their four daughters, sons-in-law, and their four, soon to be five, beautiful grandchildren.7 responses to “Was C.S. Lewis an Evangelical?”
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Hi Esther,
I hope you are feeling better! Again, thanks for getting me into the concert – it was definitely a highlight of my time in Oxford (although there are so many brilliant moments to chose from).
I am working through post travel brain fog and I appreciate your comments on Bebbington and Clark. I thought we were supposed to do chapter 2 not chapter 3 so thanks for the heads up!
Anyway, Bebbington’s quad comes at a good time for me as I try to establish the goals/values/operating procedures for GoodSports Ukraine (aka Simon Walker). While it remains in the dream stage and my relationship with Ukrainian pastors grows (I meet with one next Sunday), I see posting up from the Bebbington Quad as part of our organization and personal goals.
Without distracting from the cornerstone that is Christ, I think the “quad” will allow the organization to get our starting block right as we race into Ukraine’s future (come what may).
Shalom….
Russ
Hello, Russell,
I am feeling much better. Although the brain fog is still with me as well. We’ll do the best we can.
Your efforts in aiding Ukraine in tangible ways is exciting. Bebbington’s four pillars help to remind us of what is most important and what needs to remain central. We are thinking all that through as we move our church into a new building. What is truly necessary and what just distracts us regarding the mission?
My question to you is what can you do to ensure that your organization remains true to the mission God has called it to?
Hi Esther,
On setting the goals for GoodSports Ukraine, I have to default to the guiding scriptures that launched me into Hungary.
Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
This took me Bratislava, Slovakia, then Mikepercs, Hungary.
While James 1:27 initially drove my train in Hungary….Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Deut 10:18 has become my action verse… He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.
This has brought me to my NPO regarding refugees.
Thank you for your question as I now wonder what scripture God is going to give me to guide GoodSports Ukraine.
Shalom…
Esther, I agree that more could have been said (in my case) about spiritual formation, in addition to the joy of following Christ and resting in the kindness of God drawing us to repentance. By “more” I probably mean more about how Christians, throughout history, might have been formed through catechesis (using catechisms in their formation) and other liturgical elements beyond popular / contemporary methods. I wonder what spiritual disciplines / practices of our Christian faith from current and previous generations within Evangelicalism have contributed to or not helped in the “falling away” from Christian faith? Much to ponder.
AND…it was indeed wonderful to visit the C.S. Lewis home with our cohort during our stay!
You are right, Travis…so much to ponder. Taking a historical look through Bebbington was interesting on so many levels. So much happened to catapult the church forward through the many revivals and awakenings, yet as always, when the church leans to extremes, trying to rid itself of past wisdom through reaction, we lose something. I can say that though so much of the evangelical movement has shaped and formed me in wonderful ways, delving deeper into ancient spiritual exercises has been all the more spiritually transformative in recent years. And that is what I see in those we minister to. There seems to be a growing cry for what is spiritually authentic and sustainable in this anxious ridden world.
I loved your narrative of our experience at Lewis’ house. It definitely was a highlight of the trip for me. I also resonated with your calling out the anxiety portion of Dr Clark’s paper. It was an interesting connection for me that I am still chewing on. This balance of resting in the assurance of our salvation while not becoming passive is a lifelong challenge, I believe. Do you have any thoughts on how the Evangelical movement impacted our strategies for living in that dichotomy… both in constructive and destructive ways?
Hi, Jen,
Visiting Lewis’ home together was such a great experience. I felt honored to be with our peer group.
I like your thought regarding balance. There is a balance needed of being deeply assured of our faith and yet knowing when to move out of our passive comfort zones. Your question could take hours to unpack as my mind spins in so many directions regarding it all. However, just a few:
Constructive – 1. the urgency of the message caused so many to come to know Christ and live out His principles. 2. The effects of the revivals and awakenings catapulted the church into action on so many levels including global efforts.
Destructive – 1. As time has gone on, perhaps we have been more concerned with “doing” rather than “being”. I am reminded of 2 Timothy 3:5 – “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.” When we perform church instead of being the church, so many things go awry. 2. Perhaps thinking we have all the answers instead of listening more has caused us to have greater narcissistic tendencies.
By the way, Phil Fischer gives an interesting historical overview of the term evangelical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiiRnO7UTTk