Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Vernell Ingle reflects on the works of C.S. Lewis, pt. 3

Vernell Ingle reflects on the works of C.S. Lewis, pt. 3

Last updated on: August 28, 2018 at 3:24 pm by Rev. Jared V. Ingle

Vernell Ingle reflects on the works of C.S. Lewis, pt. 3 2018-08-28T15:24:06-04:00 Rev. Jared V. Ingle

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We continue our series on C.S. Lewis by Prof. Vernell Ingle, Faculty Chair at Messenger College (and Dad).[1] This is part of some seminary research Vernell did on key works of C.S. Lewis. This particular post focuses on his salvation experience and on his first Christian philosophical work Miracles: A Preliminary Study.

Search for Joy (continued)

Christianity offered no doors of escape. The externals of Christianity did not appeal to him [C.S. Lewis]. The reason being that he admitted to possessing a deep-seated hatred for authority, monstrous individualism, and lawlessness.

He despised interference and Christianity spoke of a great, transcendent Interferer.[2]

It was not until Lewis was at Oxford that he returned to his faith in God. His time at Oxford was interrupted by a stint in the army during World War I in which he was wounded. Eventually the Lord placed around Lewis men of great learning who were believers. Many of these, much to his chagrin, though not orthodox, yet rejected materialism out of hand.

One book he selected for reading began to move him out of the pig slough and back toward his Father’s house.

This book was Phantastes by George MacDonald

There was an inexpressible joy from this story. But there was a new quality he had not been confronted with, holiness, true holiness. He called this holiness a bright shadow.

“Up till now each visitation of Joy had left the common world momentarily a desert – ‘The first touch of the earth went nigh to kill’ . . . But now I saw the bright shadow coming out of the book into the real world and resting there, transforming all common things and yet itself unchanged. Or, more accurately, I saw the common things drawn into the bright shadow.”[3]

At that point Lewis was no where near Christianity in his thoughts. But the goodness and innocence of the story snared him. He called it a “good death.”[4]

Another contributing factor toward his conversion was the friends that God surrounded him with.

Two of these were Christians, H.V.V. Dyson and J.R.R. Tolkien

Embed from Getty Images

J.R.R. Tolkien, December 1955 | Haywood Magee | gettyimages

Then a fellow atheist attested to the historicity of the Gospels, and that was the final blow for Lewis.

“If he, the cynic of cynics, the toughest of the toughs, were not – as I would still have put it – ‘safe,’ where could I turn? Was there no escape . . . Everyone and everything had joined the other side.”[5]

In 1929 Lewis gave in to the relentless pursuit of God. He knelt and prayed one evening, describing himself as the most dejected and reluctant convert in England.[6] The rest is history.

Natural versus Supernatural

C.S. Lewis’ work, Miracles was written as a preliminary philosophical look at the historicity of the Gospels. It was not Lewis’ intention to study or argue historical evidence for Christian miracles. His purpose for this work was to place his readers in a position to decide for themselves. His perspective was that it was useless to go to the Biblical text unless one decided whether miracles were a possibility or a probability.[7]

Lewis distinguished between the Naturalist and the Supernaturalist

The Naturalist was described as one who thinks nothing but Nature exists. Nature to the Naturalist is the whole show, everything or whatever there is.

The problem is nailing down what Nature is. Certain philosophers have attempted to define Nature as the world of the senses but Lewis attacked that definition. Why? Our emotions are not perceived in that way and yet they are considered natural events. He concluded that the meaning of Nature is what happens of itself and of its own accord.

“The Natural is what springs up, or comes forth, or arrives, or goes on, of its own accord: the given, what is there already: the spontaneous, the unintended, the unsolicited.”[8]

Lewis pointed out that the Naturalist and the Supernaturalist agree that there must be something that exists in its own right. This would be the same basic Fact which is in itself the starting point of all explanations.

The difference between the two lies in the identity of the basic Fact. The Naturalist considers the basic Fact as the whole show. The Supernaturalist believes that this One Thing is basic and original, exists on its own, and has caused all other things to be. These other things exist because it exists. He summed up the difference between the two by saying, “Naturalism gives us a democratic, Supernaturalism a monarchical, picture of reality.”[9]

Reading this work was a heady experience. It was deep and at times hard to follow, but his presentation was profound. He seemed to turn our understanding of natural, supernatural, miracles, and rationalism all on their head.

The outcome of the natural, rationalistic viewpoint is that miracles are probable because there is a basic Fact above and beyond the world of our senses

And this basic Fact is God, the Creator. And if God does exist, and rationally speaking He does, then He has a right to intervene or interfere with the natural laws that He has established.

Basic Questions:

1) First of all, Lewis has the ability to be spellbinding at times with his philosophy, yet easily accessible to us all at other times. This post delves a little deeper into his thought, but there is one basic truth that stands out to me.

At the beginning of the post, Lewis is still an atheist, and one who refers to any concept of God as an “Interferer.”

By the end of the post he’s arguing philosophically that God has a right to intervene with His created order (i.e. miracles).

Do you find that ironic? Why? Have you ever argued against an aspect of God, or against something that He asks of you, only to find yourself arguing for it later on?

2) Is there any aspect of Lewis’ conversion experience that intrigues you or that you can relate to? Has a good Christian book, or another form of media, ever caught your attention and informed your faith? What can be said for Christian friends in your journey?

[1] This post is part of a series about C.S. Lewis.

Aslan Acrostic: Dr. Thomas Woodward shares the story of C.S. Lewis

Vernell Ingle reflects on the works of C.S. Lewis

Vernell Ingle reflects on the works of C.S. Lewis, pt. 2

A Distinction in Ancient Literature (a/v)

[2] C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy: The Shape of My Early Life (London: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1955), 172.
Amazon: Surprised by Joy [3] Ibid., 181. [4] George MacDonald, Phantastes: A Faerie Romance (1858; repr. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1981), p. xi.
Amazon: Phantastes [5] Lewis, Surprised by Joy, 224-225. [6] Ibid., 228-229. [7] C.S. Lewis, Miracles: A Preliminary Study (New York: MacMillan Company, 1946), 206.
Amazon: Miracles [8] Ibid., 209. [9] Ibid., 210.

Previous Post

August 20, 2018

A Distinction in Ancient Literature (a/v)

Next Post

August 29, 2018 On the Supernatural as the Natural Life (a/v)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Communion Cruz Ingle Crystal Ingle Early Church Engaging Culture Ethics & Society Family Formation History In Dialogue Jared & Crystal Kingdom of God Majority World Church Mateo Ingle Messenger College Mission Narrative Pentecostal Church of God Prayer Shepherding The Sermon The Writings Theology Theology & Psychology Traverse City Uncategorized Vernell Ingle Word Study

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 May 2017 March 2017 March 2014 February 2013 January 2013 October 2012 July 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 August 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Greek word 'Christos' mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Savior Anointed One Lord Redeemer