The Faith of C.S. Lewis

This monograph examines C.S. Lewis's religious journey and theological perspectives, offering a comprehensive analysis of how personal experience, intellectual inquiry, and imaginative vision shaped one of the twentieth century's most influential Christian apologists. Poe traces Lewis's transformation from atheism to Christianity, demonstrating how this conversion fundamentally altered his approach to questions about God's existence and nature.

The work situates Lewis within the context of post-war British Christianity, where traditional faith faced mounting challenges from scientific materialism and philosophical skepticism. Poe argues that Lewis developed a distinctive apologetic method that combined rigorous logical argumentation with imaginative appeal, creating what the author terms a "romantically rational" defense of theism. This approach directly confronted the prevailing secular worldview by demonstrating that Christianity could satisfy both intellectual and aesthetic human needs.

Central to Poe's analysis is Lewis's argument from desire, which posits that human longing for transcendence points to a divine reality beyond material existence. The study explores how Lewis deployed this argument against naturalistic philosophies that reduced human experience to mere biological processes. Poe examines Lewis's engagement with contemporary critics of religion, including logical positivists and Freudian psychologists, showing how he countered their reductionist explanations of religious belief.

The monograph particularly emphasizes Lewis's integration of reason and imagination in defending theistic belief. Poe demonstrates how Lewis's fiction and non-fiction works complemented each other, with imaginative literature preparing readers emotionally and intellectually for explicit theological arguments. This dual approach, the author suggests, enabled Lewis to reach audiences typically resistant to traditional apologetics.

Poe's contribution to scholarship on religious thought lies in his systematic reconstruction of Lewis's theological method and its ongoing relevance. The work illuminates how Lewis navigated between fundamentalist anti-intellectualism and modernist skepticism, carving out a middle position that affirmed orthodox Christian belief while engaging seriously with contemporary philosophical challenges. By analyzing Lewis's synthesis of faith and reason, Poe provides insights into broader debates about the rationality of religious belief and the relationship between Christianity and modern culture.

The monograph ultimately presents Lewis as a model for contemporary religious thinkers seeking to defend theism in pluralistic contexts. Poe's careful analysis of Lewis's arguments and their historical development offers valuable perspective on perennial questions about God's existence and the credibility of Christian faith in modern intellectual discourse.