What Can We Learn from C.S. Lewis’s Conversion Story?

Back to series
By Joseph A. Kohm on January 17, 2010 , ,

What Can We Learn from C.S. Lewis’s
Conversion Story?

There is no one template for conversion to Christianity. In fact, it seems that in our contemporary Western culture, point-in-time “decisions” for Christ, similar to Billy Graham’s technique for evangelism, are becoming less frequent. Instead, conversions to Christianity now seem to be the result of longer, more linear, and more thought-out deliberations. This was C.S. Lewis’s conversion story, and his journey to Christianity culminated ninety years ago today, as Lewis went on an after dinner walk with his friends J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson along the picturesque walking trail, Addison’s Walk, on the grounds of Magdalen College.

Lewis’s writings still instruct, encourage, and form us today. Even his conversion story provides us with valuable lessons, particularly as believers wrestle with Christ’s command in Matthew 28 about the best ways to go and make disciples in a culture becoming more hostile to public Christian witness. One of these lessons from Lewis’s conversion story which is transferable to us today is that the hard work of evangelism is often located in the context of friendship. It is important to have friends who don’t think like we do, vote like we do, or even share our Christian faith. . . .

Click here to read full article (PDF). 

Joseph A. Kohm

Vice President for Development, CSLI & CSLI City Director, Virginia Beach

Joseph A. Kohm, C.S. Lewis Institute Vice President for Development and City Director for Virginia Beach. Joe is an attorney and formerly worked as a Certified Major League Baseball Player Agent. He earned his Master’s in Management Science from the State University of New York at Oswego and both his J.D. and M.Div. from Regent University. Joe is the author of The Unknown Garden of Another’s Heart: The Surprising Friendship between C.S. Lewis and Arthur Greeves (Wipf and Stock, 2022.)

 

COPYRIGHT: This publication is published by C.S. Lewis Institute; 8001 Braddock Road, Suite 301; Springfield, VA 22151. Portions of the publication may be reproduced for noncommercial, local church or ministry use without prior permission. Electronic copies of the PDF files may be duplicated and transmitted via e-mail for personal and church use. Articles may not be modified without prior written permission of the Institute. For questions, contact the Institute: 703.914.5602 or email us.

0 All Booked 0.00 All Booked 0.00 All Booked 24770 GLOBAL EVENT: From Gold Medalist to God’s Missionary (Eric Liddell), 8:00PM ET https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/?event=global-event-from-gold-medalist-to-gods-missionary-eric-liddell-800pm-et&event_date=2025-06-13&reg=1 https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr 2025-06-13
Next coming event
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

GLOBAL EVENT: From Gold Medalist to God’s Missionary (Eric Liddell), 8:00PM ET

On June 13, 2025 at 8:00 pm
Register

Special Issue: Seeking Dietrich Bonhoeffer

, , ,

Full details Get Directions

Print your tickets