Today is the 56th anniversary of the death of CS Lewis (and JFK). Even though he’s been gone half a century, Lewis is still speaking to the issues of our times.
A former critic of Christianity, he addresses the doubts many of us carry but feel unable to voice.
Lewis’ writing is beautiful, simple, and profound. To us who doubt, he demonstrates the Christian worldview to be the source of truth and Jesus the source of hope.
Asbury University produced a wonderful 5-part series of short videos capturing Why CS Lewis Matters Today. The entire documentary is around 25 minutes long. I’m indebted to its producer Professor Gregory Bandy and Lewis scholar Dr. Devin Brown for granting From The Fray permission to embed the full version on our site.
If you’ve ever struggled with questions of faith, reason or significance, I encourage you to read on. Watch the entire video, or consume it one short segment at a time. I pray CS Lewis is able to touch your heart as he has mine.
3 min, 30 seconds
Lewis held a view common in his day: all religions are myths created by man. As a result, he simply wanted to be left alone and not bothered with the topic. Through the influence of friends such as J.R.R. Tolkien, he eventually became “…the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England.”
4 min, 30 seconds
After his conversion, Lewis became convinced “God wants every bit of intelligence we have.” He argued that faith must be based on more than mere emotion. Wanting to believe isn’t reason enough. Our convictions need to be based on logic and grounded in truth. The result should be “faith and reason tied in a good strong knot.”
5 min, 30 seconds
Through his fantasy and science fiction novels, Lewis helps us “access truth with imagination that our mind would have defenses against.” He showed truth to be more valuable than facts and our desire for certainty to be a spell that blinds us to the limitations of this world.
5 min, 15 seconds
Lewis’ own experiences of grief and loss allowed him to speak powerfully into our lives. He believed deeply in the dignity of every person and pushed back against the way modern culture cheapens our existence.
“Even a ruined castle is magnificent” and stands as a testament to its capacity for greatness. This conviction—that humans are sacred—is rooted in the Christian tradition.
4 min, 15 seconds
For Lewis, contributing to culture was a Christian responsibility. God’s gifts are meant to be funneled into the people around us. Christians are called to invest in our neighbors—enriching their lives in meaningful ways.
The documentary concludes: “The only way to fully appreciate the legacy he left is to pick up his books and to open the doors to the great adventure he left for us.”
For what it’s worth, here’s a short list of my favorites:
| Mere Christianity | If you read only one, start here. Lewis defines and defends the core of Christian Faith |
| Screwtape Letters | Spiritual Warfare from the perspective of two demons. |
| The Great Divorce | A allegory describing a bus ride between heaven and hell |
| The Chronicles of Narnia | An epic fantasy about the battle between good and evil. Ostensibly written as a children’s novel, Narnia communicates profound truth in meanginful ways. |
| A Grief Observed | Lewis personally reflecting on the death of his wife: life, faith, hope, and despair in the face of tragedy. |
| The Weight of Glory | What does it mean to have faith in a fallen world? This is a collection of essays written during World War 2. |
| Till We All Have Faces | A beautiful novel retelling the myth of Cupid. |
If you’re familiar with his work, what would you add to the list?
From the Fray,
-bill