The Reluctant Convert
In the quiet halls of Magdalen College, Oxford, a significant transformation was taking place in the life of C.S. Lewis. Known for his atheistic views, Lewis was a man deeply entrenched in rationalism, having turned away from his childhood faith after the death of his mother. Yet, in the Trinity Term of 1929, he found himself in a struggle he described as feeling "the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet." It was during this period that Lewis admitted, "I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."
A Midnight Walk
Lewis's journey did not stop at theism. A pivotal moment came on September 19, 1931, during a late-night walk with friends J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson. This conversation planted seeds that led to his acceptance of Christian belief. Just days later, on a journey to the zoo with his brother Warnie, Lewis recounted, "When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did." The transformation was not marked by grand emotion but a profound awakening.
Kicking and Struggling
This reluctant journey to faith was marked by resistance. Lewis himself noted he came into Christianity "kicking, struggling, resentful," yet he found himself irresistibly drawn to the truth of Christ. Reflecting on the person of Jesus, Lewis famously stated, "Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else he is a liar, a lunatic or a fraud."
Christianity's Influential Voice
His conversion was not just an intellectual assent but a complete shift in worldviewโseeing everything through the light of Christ, as he later expressed, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
From that point forward, C.S. Lewis emerged as one of Christianity's most influential voices, writing works that continue to inspire and challenge. His journey illustrates the persistent and pursuing nature of God.
