"The Most Reluctant Convert in all of England": Why Former Atheist C.S. Lewis Became a Christian
By James Bishop - May 30, 2017

By James Bishop| Lewis is perhaps one of the most well-known converts from the 20th century. There is much more about him that just his conversion. For example, he too proved to be a prolific writer as well as a gifted intellectual (1).

He held academic positions at both Oxford and Cambridge and is widely known for his fictional works, perhaps most famously being his book The Chronicles of Narnia which has been popularized on stage, TV, radio, and cinema.

He also penned other popular fictional works of the likes of The Screwtape Letters, and The Space Trilogy. Subsequent to his conversion from atheism he also became a Christian apologist and penned the popular works of Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain.

He was also a close friend of the famous author J.R. Tolkien as they both served on the English faculty at Oxford University. Tolkien and Lewis would often debate religion and philosophy in each others company. Lewis’s works have since been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies.

To be continued...

The best way to have approached some of the weighty declarations you made in this your submission would have been to cite instances. An example of one such submission needing an instance is your Alignment with the school of thought that says the name Christian mentioned in this Acts 11:26 was derogatory with your reason for that being the people of Antioch were famous for giving out nicknames. The Bible says in the mouth of two or three is a thing confirmed so provide examples of their previous exploit in this business of nickname generation.

To the name proper , I do not know how you came to the conclusion that the name Christian, used to distinguish or identify the believers in Christ including the Apostles here was derisive and a product of the prowess of the people of Antioch in inventing nicknames. Names known to have been given to some Christian sect as a result of their extreme or seemingly extreme proclivity for certain aspect of the scripture includes puritan, Methodist and in today's Christendom, prosperity church.

Judging from the very chapter , there is no indication that the name came out of the mouth of a comedian of Antioch origin unless you can off course, point out a verse in that chapter that gave this your indication. I will help with the chapter here:

The first part of the chapter was Peter accounting for his actions. The second part that has to do with the name is reproduced here as extract so you can point out where you got the idea from.

"Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only." (AV, Acts 11:19).........This is Inquisition in the scripture even before Rome and Constantine came into the scene.


"And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, [ Not just the original 12 anymore because the company of believers had grown very large amongst the Jews and outside them] which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto [17] the Grecians, [18] preaching the Lord Jesus." (AV, Acts 11:20)

"And [20] the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and [19] turned unto the Lord." (AV, Acts 11:21)..... The hand of the lord was evident in their midst therefore a GREAT NUMBER believed the evidence before ethem

"Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth [21] Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch." (AV, Acts 11:22).... More hand was sent from headquarters to help in Antioch


"Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and [23] exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would [22] cleave unto the Lord." (AV, Acts 11:23)..... He didn't notice derision but saw the grace of God to remain faithful to the faith

"For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: [24] and much people was added unto the Lord." (AV, Acts 11:24).... More people were added ...not jokers or comedians but people of Antioch


"Then departed Barnabas to [25] Tarsus, for to seek Saul:" (AV, Acts 11:25).... No ugly untoward incident before his departure

"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." (AV, Acts 11:26)..... A whole year they taught MUCH people about Christ not how to be a comedian or joker per excellent but good Christian. Then they were called Christians first here in Antioch … Take note that they taught not the doctrine of man but Christ for a whole year under than hand of the Mighty Holy Spirit… Then the learned , those who have been under tutelage have them a name , Christian . Certainly if we are to believe the works of Peter in the first part of this chapter where as yet he taught the spirit fell upon all them that heard , we can draw similar conclusion that the name came from the student under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and not a comedy thing. You can't be under discipleship for a year and not come under the disciple lifestyle. They taught and impartation followed and the next things was the spirit inspired outburst, Christians!

There is no elements of joke in the name. Nothing dishonouring about it. Nothing controversial about it like prosperity CHURCH and all the misinformation out there against them. Christin , doing the Christ way. Through uncommon wisdom, practical demonstration of the power of the world to come … What is derisive about that?

As imperfect as Buhari is, to be called a Buharideen in the right circle like in the villa, government houses across Nigeria and the media like NTA carries weight not dishonour. “To be the professed friends of the Messiah, or the Christ, was not with Jews a matter of reproach, for they all professed to be the friends of the Messiah” . Reproach is when you called them followers of a sectional like like Jesus of Nazareth like , sorry, calling a knowledgeable Tinubu loyalist a follower of the leader of APC in Lagos state or southwest and not Nigeria. It is derogatory.


"And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?" (AV, Acts 2:7)

"[4]For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:" (AV, Acts 24:5)


You don't a derogatory name from believers who have harboured you and listened to you for a whole year. . It always comes from outsiders like the one condemning prosperity churches without ever entering any to find out what they actually preach.

Will continue with the other parts of your work later. I am at home and my boy is not letting me have any rest today .


NB: this is for Ubenedictus and 9inches. An angel could not save a soul even though soul winning is the core of the great commission. He had to instruct the man to send for Peter .. he didn't try to do the works of human being and your church believe that a being that can't save can intercede for other issues of life ... Crazy bunch of lunatics.

OLAADEGBU:
"The Most Reluctant Convert in all of England": Why Former Atheist C.S. Lewis Became a Christian
By James Bishop - May 30, 2017

By James Bishop| Lewis is perhaps one of the most well-known converts from the 20th century. There is much more about him that just his conversion. For example, he too proved to be a prolific writer as well as a gifted intellectual (1).

He held academic positions at both Oxford and Cambridge and is widely known for his fictional works, perhaps most famously being his book The Chronicles of Narnia which has been popularized on stage, TV, radio, and cinema.

He also penned other popular fictional works of the likes of The Screwtape Letters, and The Space Trilogy. Subsequent to his conversion from atheism he also became a Christian apologist and penned the popular works of Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain.

He was also a close friend of the famous author J.R. Tolkien as they both served on the English faculty at Oxford University. Tolkien and Lewis would often debate religion and philosophy in each others company. Lewis’s works have since been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies.

To be continued...

The Conversion of C.S. Lewis

Lewis was a professed atheist and spoke of a "blandly Christian childhood" as he was brought up in the home of a religious Anglo-Irish family in Belfast. But even given this upbringing he maintained a seemingly "firm belief in the inexistence of God," and became an atheist at the young age of 15. His initial exodus from religious belief was due to the fact that he saw Christianity as nothing more than a chore and a duty.

However, doubt soon begun to creep into Lewis’ atheism after he got to know Tolkien as a close friend. This doubt, Lewis explained, was also supplemented by his reading of the author and philosopher GK Chesterton, "In reading Chesterton, as in reading MacDonald, I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."

Lewis informs us how reluctant he was to actually convert to belief in God, "You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 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" (2).

It took Lewis two years to actually become a Christian though. He had obtained belief in God in 1929 and would become a Christian in 1931 following a long discussion and late-night walk with his close friends Tolkien and Hugo Dyson. They talked until after three in the morning and a few days later Lewis wrote to his friend Arthur Greeves saying,

"I HAVE JUST PASSED ON FROM BELIEVING IN GOD TO DEFINITELY BELIEVING IN CHRIST, IN CHRISTIANITY… MY LONG NIGHT TALK WITH DYSON AND TOLKIEN HAD A GREAT DEAL TO DO WITH IT."

But Lewis would emphasize that his conversion was logical and rational and not emotional (3). On the rational, evidential side Lewis read the gospels and was surprised that they did not sound like fiction and that neither was the resurrection itself fiction. The writers seemed too unimaginative to have made the whole thing up; rather, the gospels accounts read more like historical reports than stories as Lewis elucidates,

"Now as a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever else the Gospels are, they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend (myth) and I am quite clear that they are not the same sort of thing" (4). Some very similar views were expressed by the former atheist literary critic Holly Ordway who also has an awesome testimonial of her conversion.

However, the Jesus of history had a massive influence on Lewis. One piece of evidence for this is what is known as Lewis’s Trilemma (5). Here Lewis argued that to truly understand Jesus we have to consider how he saw himself. Lewis challenged the view that Jesus was a great moral teacher but not God.

He argued that Jesus made several implicit claims to divinity which would logically exclude that claim,

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.

YOU CAN SHUT HIM UP FOR A FOOL, YOU CAN SPIT AT HIM AND KILL HIM AS A DEMON OR YOU CAN FALL AT HIS FEET AND CALL HIM LORD AND GOD, BUT LET US NOT COME WITH ANY PATRONIZING NONSENSE ABOUT HIS BEING A GREAT HUMAN TEACHER. HE HAS NOT LEFT THAT OPEN TO US. HE DID NOT INTEND TO."

So, either Jesus was who he said he was, the divine Son of God, or he was someone who had lost his mind man or who was deliberately deceiving and thus evil. Given what we can learn and know about Jesus from history the last two seem very unlikely candidates and therefore Jesus must be who he said he was.

The difficulties for Lewis' atheism extended to several places (6). For example, Lewis listed the beauty of nature and art, intelligence and morality as powerful challengers to the foundations of atheism. Lewis saw a massive problem in any atheist's attempt to put trust in his thought processes,

"Supposing there was no intelligence behind the universe, no creative mind. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. It is merely that when the atoms inside my skull happen, for physical or chemical reasons, to arrange themselves in a certain way, this gives me, as a by-product, the sensation I call thought. But, if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true?

It's like upsetting a milk jug and hoping that the way it splashes itself will give you a map of London. But if I can’t trust my own thinking, of course I can’t trust the arguments leading to Atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an Atheist, or anything else.

UNLESS I BELIEVE IN GOD, I CANNOT BELIEVE IN THOUGHT: SO I CAN NEVER USE THOUGHT TO DISBELIEVE IN GOD."

Lewis brought up a very good point here and one that contemporary thinkers have worked on. Notably the renowned philosopher Alvin Plantinga springs to mind in his well thought out Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism. Evolution, argues Plantinga, only cares whether or not our actions are adaptive and whether or not they contribute to our fitness. Therefore, the naturalist would be incorrect to expect that his faculties would be aimed at truth as they would solely be aimed at fitness.

Moreover, much of Lewis' influence stems from his idea of a universal morality. Our ability to identify that some acts (like torture or rape) are morally evil as opposed to good. Lewis expressed this in his book Mere Christianity in which he discusses the idea that people, all over the world, have a standard of behaviour to which they expect people to adhere,

"These then are the two points that I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in" (7).

This, Lewis contended, was good evidence for God's existence, "The other bit of evidence is that Moral Law which He has put in our minds. And this is a better bit of evidence than the other, because it is inside information. You find out more about God from the Moral Law than from the universe in general just as you find out more about a man by listening to his conversation than by looking at a house he has built" (8 ).

This realization, however, conflicted with his atheism. In fact, one of his main contentions against God was grounded on his moral intuition,

"My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?" (9).

But, as Lewis well saw, to call something unjust is to identify a moral law. But how would such an obvious thing exist on atheism that so seemed to undermine the objective nature of moral values? To call something evil as an atheist is no more than subjective preference but that was anathema to what our overwhelming human experience seemed to affirm. Rather, that some things are really cruel or good only makes sense if God exists and is the foundation for objective morality.

Lewis went on to become ardent defender of faith and of Christian truth. Today his essays on faith, grief and love are among the most effective works of 20th century Christian apologetics. If readers are up for some intense reading I'd recommend Lewis' book A Grief Observed which was written after the death of his wife. To me, and many others, Lewis continues to be an inspiration,

"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."

http://reasonsforjesus.com/the-most-reluctant-convert-in-all-of-england-why-former-atheist-c-s-lewis-became-a-christian/

Read about the amazing conversion of one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers in history, C.S. Lewis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBxpcGfznos

OLAADEGBU:
"The Most Reluctant Convert in all of England": Why Former Atheist C.S. Lewis Became a Christian
By James Bishop - May 30, 2017

By James Bishop| Lewis is perhaps one of the most well-known converts from the 20th century. There is much more about him that just his conversion. For example, he too proved to be a prolific writer as well as a gifted intellectual (1).

He held academic positions at both Oxford and Cambridge and is widely known for his fictional works, perhaps most famously being his book The Chronicles of Narnia which has been popularized on stage, TV, radio, and cinema.

He also penned other popular fictional works of the likes of The Screwtape Letters, and The Space Trilogy. Subsequent to his conversion from atheism he also became a Christian apologist and penned the popular works of Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain.

He was also a close friend of the famous author J.R. Tolkien as they both served on the English faculty at Oxford University. Tolkien and Lewis would often debate religion and philosophy in each others company. Lewis’s works have since been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/9553266_c_s_lewis2_jpeg08c402d6cf7cefaad288da07fd235254

To be continued...

Clearly,he has an affinity for fiction.
OLAADEGBU,I know you dont even understand the Lewis arguments you posted

BeLookingIDIOT:


Clearly,he has an affinity for fiction.
OLAADEGBU,I know you dont even understand the Lewis arguments you posted.

If you did you wouldn't remain an atheist.

BeLookingIDIOT:
Clearly,he has an affinity for fiction.
OLAADEGBU,I know you dont even understand the Lewis arguments you posted.

Guy. Don't make me laugh. His argument is very simple and plain albeit philosophical.

Ehiscotch:


Guy. Don't make me laugh. His argument is very simple and plain albeit philosophical.

Educate us. Simply explain his philosophy.

And laugh please! Humour is good for the soul.

BeLookingIDIOT:
Clearly,he has an affinity for fiction.
OLAADEGBU,I know you dont even understand the Lewis arguments you posted.

He can not understand because he believes.

What is the Lewis arguments he posted without understanding?

budaatum:

Educate us. Simply explain his philosophy.

And laugh please! Humour is good for the soul.

Are you atheist or Christian?

What's your belief?

Ehiscotch:


Are you atheist or Christian?

What's your belief?

I am buda. I am not lazy.

I do not believe what I can do work to understand.

budaatum:

I am buda. I am not lazy.

I do not believe what I can do work to understand.

He is expressing different thoughts.

One is saying if we are to go by scientific atheistic world view our minds are made of atoms and molecules that are made or determined to work in a certain direction therefore he cannot trust the rationality of his mind because it's a by-product of biomolecular reactions.
Even Steve Hawkins even attributed to this, that if we are to take the assumptions of scientific materialism then we are pre-determined to do or think certain ways and not actually out of volition or will.
So this very post I made was as a result of different molecules in my brain manufacturing a thought and whatever your response to this would be is a result not of your will but a metabolic process in your mind.

Then he goes on to make a case for the gospel as being impossible to be fiction. Who better than a man with literary experience, mm?
Even Lee Strobel who was also an atheist sought to disprove this eventually became Christian.
...

budaatum:


I am buda. I am not lazy.

I do not believe what I can do work to understand.

"For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: For He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrew 11:6).

Nature teaches us to understand the existence of God but to get something from God you will have to believe His testimony about His Son.

OLAADEGBU:


If you did you wouldn't remain an atheist.

CS Lewis did not provide any evidence or proof for his beliefs in god, why should anyone even take your post seriously.

Come back and post something with better substance than this.

Heathen777:


CS Lewis did not provide any evidence or proof for his beliefs in god, why should anyone even take your post seriously.

Come back and post something with better substance than this.

You mean you can't see enough reason for his belief in God?

After reading all that?

Wow!

Heathen777:


CS Lewis did not provide any evidence or proof for his beliefs in god, why should anyone even take your post seriously.

Come back and post something with better substance than this.

I am not surprised that you didn't see any evidence for his 'beliefs' in God. Continue seeing what you want to see.

OLAADEGBU:


I am not surprised that you didn't see any evidence for his 'beliefs' in God. Continue seeing what you want to see.

What evidence? Saying that you don't think the scriptures was lying, isn't evidence. Anyone can say literally the same for any other book.

Your bar as to what constitutes as evidence is so low, that even a harry potter novel would pass as being true.

Ehiscotch:


You mean you can't see enough reason for his belief in God?

After reading all that?

Wow!

Anyone can have any reason for believing something. What matters is the evidence to back up those beliefs. Where is the evidence that the god of the bible is real?

Heathen777:


What evidence? Saying that you don't think the scriptures was lying, isn't evidence. Anyone can say literally the same for any other book.

Your bar as to what constitutes as evidence is so low, that even a harry potter novel would pass as being true.

You must be a joker.

OLAADEGBU:


You must be a joker.

Lol. Says the person who believes man was made from mud, and women came from his ribs. That rainbows are formed because god promised not to drown people again.

Heathen777:


Anyone can have any reason for believing something. What matters is the evidence to back up those beliefs. Where is the evidence that the god of the bible is real?

Do you really want to know if God is real?

Because the problem we have with many atheist is a closed mind to reason when they ironically claim to be enlightened and open-minded.

Heathen777:


Lol. Says the person who believes man was made from mud, and women came from his ribs. That rainbows are formed because god promised not to drown people again.

LMAO. You guys are always on the offense and never on the defense of what you believe. There is even no unity in your faith or lack of.

I am very grateful for your response. It made me have to use my mind and that I appreciate.
Thanks for educating us, Ehiscotch.

Ehiscotch:

He is expressing different thoughts.

One is saying if we are to go by scientific atheistic world view our minds are made of atoms and molecules that are made or determined to work in a certain direction therefore he cannot trust the rationality of his mind because it's a by-product of biomolecular reactions.

It would be funny if he said that. I doubt even atheists on here would say that their "minds are made of atoms and molecules that are made or determined to work in a certain direction" therefore....! But let us ask them. The intelligent one's amongst them, at least.

Question to atheists!

Is your mind made or determined to work in a certain direction?

Elaborations appreciated.

Ref: Scientific atheistic

Ehiscotch:
Even Steve Hawkins even attributed to this, that if we are to take the assumptions of scientific materialism then we are pre-determined to do or think certain ways and not actually out of volition or will.

Oh, sorry. I see you already seen the error of Lewis, though, I wonder if its not your's.

Scientific materialism is a philosophical stance that posits a definition of consciousness that is observable and subject to the scientific method. The term is used as a pejorative by proponents of creationism and intelligent design. The stance has been attributed to philosopher George Santayana.

No one says they are scientific materialists, is the point of the above, and "pre-determined" is so unscientific and theistic no atheist would go near such a word with a thousand foot pole. But we must not assume, so:

Atheist, please use the word "pre-determined" in a sentence.

And:

"Scientific Materialists" please stand up.

Ehiscotch:
So this very post I made was as a result of different molecules in my brain manufacturing a thought and whatever your response to this would be is a result not of your will but a metabolic process in your mind.

That's very comforting that my response to this would be as "a result not of my will but a metabolic process in my mind" because my willfully determined response to this part of your post having read your entire post like 4 times and considered it a lot and increased in knowledge tgerefore for which I am forever in gratitude to you is, Ehiscotch! You are respectfully full of shit!.

How can you be allowing molecules to put words in to your mouth? And why the heck would you assume that buda would be like you and allow molecules to dictate the buda word?

Ehiscotch:
Then he goes on to make a case for the gospel as being impossible to be fiction. Who better than a man with literary experience, mm?

Sounds like his literary experience impresses his opinion on you, but I have a problem!

Is this post you made as a result of different molecules in your brain manufacturing a thought, or did you actually write out of volition or will or both?

The response does kinda sorta let me measure the pinches of salt I need to take your word for it.

See, my understanding is that Lewis is writing about a certain sort of person, mostly Christians, in fact, who take a materialistic attitude to God. His Screwtapes, rather than being a school for devils as is often perceived, is actually a parody of the church and Christians, though not viewed by many as such, it seems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Screwtape_Letters?wprov=sfla1

Ehiscotch:
Even Lee Strobel who was also an atheist sought to disprove this eventually became Christian....

Anyone who fully understands the Word of God according to the Holy Bible will become 'a Christian'.

"What 'a Christian' is", is the question to ponder.

C.S. Lewis on Reasoning to Atheism

"Supposing there was no intelligence behind the universe, no creative mind. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. It is merely that when the atoms inside my skull happen, for physical or chemical reasons, to arrange themselves in a certain way, this gives me, as a by-product, the sensation I call thought.

But, if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true? It's like upsetting a milk jug and hoping that the way it splashes itself will give you a map of London.

But if I can't trust my own thinking, of course I can't trust the arguments leading to Atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an atheist or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I cannot believe in thought: So I can never use thought to disbelieve in God".

- C.S. Lewis

Jesus Claims To Be God

www.nairaland.com/attachments/6974021_jesuslunaticliarorlord768x629_jpeg31ad9ca6357a7bc8264aebcd0a2aabfc

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Source: https://www.facebook.com/official.Ray.Comfort 9 July 2014 ·
www.livingwaters.com

The atheists' hope.