Celebrating C.S. Lewis

Today a lot of people will remember this day as it is the anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. It happened before I was born. My mom remembers the day vividly with news being announced in her middle school classroom. His assassination as well as his brother’s, Martin Luther King, and several others sent the sixties generation into a free-for-all. Belief in institutions like government, schools, and church eroded because the world no longer seemed secure. And, they felt that those institutions couldn’t protect them.

That skepticism still resonates to this day as that attitude about church was passed down to me. Because of a bad church experience, my mom didn’t make go to church as child. Religion would be my choice. As I got older, I wasn’t an atheist. More of an agnostic, believing in some higher power. I couldn’t wrap my arms around certain religions like Christianity. And, most of the Christians I met were judgmental and self-righteous. I prided myself on my intellectual abilities, bragging that I didn’t need God even though inside I felt empty and lost. At the age of 27, from listening to ad on a pop radio station, I started going to a church geared toward skeptical Gen Xers like me. It was the first time I heard about Jesus Christ and learned about forgiveness and grace. Jesus was friends with the prostitutes, tax collectors, adulterers, and foreigners. He was radical and revolutionary. Something that a lot of people don’t know about because of the religious dogma that is being spoken instead of His love.

Learning more about Jesus, I became a Christ follower. Reading C.S. Lewis helped to feed the intellectual side of my new belief. Lewis had grown up in the church. But as a teenager, he became an atheist. When he was teaching at Oxford, he became a Christian. Some say it was the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien with whom he met with other writers on a weekly basis in a literary discussion group called the Inklings. His debates and discussions with Tolkien, who was Catholic, led Lewis to embrace Christianity again. He said in his book Surprised by Joy, “he was like a prodigal, kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.” I can totally relate to this. People who knew me before I was 27 are amazed that I follow Christ. I fought it but couldn’t deny Him anymore. Reading Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity helped to seal the deal. C.S. Lewis’ writings have impacted many regardless of their religious beliefs. Most children and adults love the Chronicles of Narnia.

Today is C.S. Lewis’ birthday. He died the same day as JFK. Yesterday was my grandfather’s birthday who died eleven years ago. He was the only father figure in my life because I didn’t know my father. As he was dying from cancer, he embraced the Jesus he knew from childhood and had walked away from as a teenager, similar to C.S. Lewis. Having that rekindled love for Jesus helped my grandfather to die peacefully and not be afraid of leaving his family behind as he faced death bravely.

November 21st and 22nd will always be special days for me.