They Should Have Been Enemies
When C.S. Lewis first met J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford in 1926, Lewis was a confirmed atheist. Tolkien was a devout Catholic. They should have been intellectual enemies.
Instead, they became friends. They met weekly with other Oxford scholars in a group called "The Inklings," reading aloud from works in progress and debating ideas over ale.
A True Myth
Tolkien was writing a mythology about Middle-earth. Lewis thought myths were beautiful lies. But Tolkien challenged him: what if one myth was actually true?
In September 1931, Lewis, Tolkien, and another friend Hugo Dyson walked the grounds of Magdalen College until 3 a.m., talking about myths and meaning. Tolkien argued that the "myth" of Christ was actually God entering history - a true myth.
Days later, Lewis surrendered to faith, calling himself "the most reluctant convert in all England."
Iron Sharpens Iron
This friendship produced some of the most influential Christian literature of the 20th century. Tolkien created The Lord of the Rings. Lewis wrote the Narnia chronicles, Mere Christianity, and The Screwtape Letters.
They disagreed about much - Tolkien disliked Narnia; Lewis wasn't sure about Middle-earth. But their friendship endured because it was built on shared pursuit of truth, not identical opinions.
Iron sharpens iron. Two friends changed how millions imagine heaven, heroism, and hope.
