C.S. Lewis' overwhelming interest was in poetry and literature prior to, and later concurrent with, orthodox Christianity.
He obtained 3 first-class degrees from Oxford University in Honour Mods (Greek and Latin texts), Greats (classical philosophy), and English Language and Literature. He was also a fluent reader in both French and Italian, and some German. He had a special interest in "Northern" mythology.
After reading George MacDonald's
Phantastes he said that it "converted and baptised his imagination" steering him towards the world of Christian mythopaeia of which the Narnia Chronicles, written for children (of all ages) could be claimed as an example.
Lewis wrote to his longstanding childhood friend, Arthur Greeves, concerning his conversion to Christian faith "...I have just passed on from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ... My long night talk with Dyson and Tolkein had a great deal to do with it." (Walter Hooper, ed.
They Stand Together: The Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves 1914-1963, London: Collins, 1979).
He dates his conversion as occurring on September 22, 1931, while sitting in the sidecar of his brother Warren's motorcycle en route to Whipsnade, the safari zoo. He said of this: "When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.... It was more like when a man, after long sleep, still lying motionless in bed, becomes aware that he is now awake." (C.S. Lewis,
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life, London: Bles, 1955).
On being interviewed by Sherwood E. Wirt of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Ltd on 7 May 1963, Lewis was asked for his view concerning the daily discipline of the Christian life, the need for taking time alone with God, to which he replied: "We have our New Testament regimental orders upon the subject.... It is enjoined upon us by Our Lord; and since they are His commands, I believe in following them." (Warren Hooper, ed.
God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics by C.S. Lewis, 1970.)
Having read Lewis widely, I have no doubt in my own mind that he was indeed a Christian. He claimed that himself. And I don't mean just an intellectual assent to doctrine. It is for God to judge the heart of man, not us, and it must be remembered that all are sinners and nobody is perfect. It is also important to keep in mind that while on earth we "see through a glass darkly" and we will all have different points of view on peripheral doctrine.
Everyone who has come to a saving belief in Jesus will have their own story of how that happened, and because we all have different personalities and temperaments, there is no one narrow way of getting to the foot of the Cross. Once there, what happens is very personal indeed.
It was the writings of Lewis that played a very big part in my own journey from agnosticism to Christ, and he is not called "the apostle to agnostics" without good reason. He was a man of prodigous intellect yet had an appeal to ordinary folk, dealing with their doubts thereby making a way clear for many to come to Christ, back then and still today.
And being something of a Lewis fan, of course I am going to encourage others to read his books too.
