I’ve just finished writing a 9,000 word appendix for the new, expanded edition of my book, C. S. Lewis and the Catholic Church, which will be published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Lewis’s death on November 22, 1963. The appendix is entitled “C. S. Lewis and Catholic Converts” and details those well-known converts to Catholicism who were influenced on their paths to Rome by Lewis’s works.
I had initially intended that the appendix would be between 3,000 and 5,000 words but the sheer number of Lewisian converts forced me to keep writing. With the help of John Beaumont, a regular columnist for the St. Austin Review and author of Roads to Rome (St. Augustine’s Press), I accumulated evidence for Lewis’s role in the conversion of thirty-one prominent Catholics.
Here is the list of well-known converts whose stories are told in the appendix:
British Converts:
Leonard Cheshire (war hero with the Dam Busters)
Michael Coren (author and TV talk show host)
Dom Bede Griffiths (author and mystic)
Fr. Ian Ker (theologian, biographer of Newman, Chesterton etc.)
William Oddie (journalist, biographer of Chesterton)
David Quinn (journalist)
Fr. John Redford (theologian, author)
George Sayer (friend and biographer of Lewis)
E. F. Schumacher (economist, author of Small is Beautiful)
Meriol Trevor (novelist, biographer of Newman)
North American Converts:
Frank Beckwith (author and apologist)
Mark Brumley (president and CEO of Ignatius Press)
Warren Carroll (historian, founder of Christendom College)
Ronda Chervin (author and philosopher)
Ross Douthat (New York Times columnist)
Walter Hooper (biographer of Lewis, editor of Lewis’s letters, etc.)
Thomas Howard (author)
Ian Hunter (philosopher, biographer of Malcolm Muggeridge)
Bobby Jindal (politician)
Peter Kreeft (philosopher, author)
Al Kresta (radio talk show host, author)
Fr. Dwight Longenecker (author)
Jef Murray (artist, illustrator of Tolkien and Lewis)
Lorraine Murray (author, novelist)
Bernard Nathanson (former abortionist, author)
Kevin O’Brien (actor, writer, founder of Theatre of the Word)
Carl Olsen (author, editor, artist)
Richard Purtill (philosopher, author)
Thomas Storck (author)
Sheldon Vanauken (author)
Gene Wolfe (novelist, author)
I too am a convert, and it did sort of start by reading C.S Lewis.
What is with that guy? Is there some sort of secret message coded throughout Mere Christianity?
Michael,
Yes indeed! The thirty-one prominent Catholics listed above represent only the tip of an enormous iceberg. Like you, I was influenced by Lewis on my path to Christ. We are part of a hidden army that I suspect is thousands strong.
Wow. Quite impressive. I am not well-known as these names are, but I was also influenced by Lewis. Makes one wonder how many more there are–people whose names no one knows.
Not a convert, but I often credit Lewis with keeping me Catholic. Looking forward to the new edition.
Harry,
I suspect that it’s like how Virgil was described in the Purgatorio: He was like a man who had a lantern swinging from his back and therefore a light to follow even if that light was only a brief glimmer to his own eyes. He wasn’t even High Church, but he managed to spark our imaginations that led to a deeper love of truth.
For me, he led me to Chesterton who literally saved my life. I can never be thankful enough.
Well, let’s face it. He wasn’t a Catholic in life, but he is now.
Kind of like my devout Baptist mother who had a bad relationship with her mother. I used to think, “Just wait, dear, until you meet your real Mother.” I didn’t say it out loud because it would have upset her, but I thought it many times.
Joseph has written a book about Lewis and Catholicism. I can’t remember the title just now, but he has a well-developed theory about why Lewis stopped short of going all the way to Rome. (My own theory is a little different and has to do with the close friendship of Edith Tolkien and Joy Davidson, convoluted as that sounds.)
What Lewis championed most was the pure reason of Christianity; I think he appealed to intellectuals who were timid about the non-intellectual elements of Christianity.
On one of my many side notes, when I converted to Catholicism I was told, “I guess it’s because you read too much CS Lewis growing up.” Seems to be the error of a lot of us.
@ Dena
Oh, definitely yes. I used to go to an evangelical church, and whilst the people there were absolutely wonderful – devout, dedicated and joyful – there wasn’t too much intellectual stuff available – all the focus was on that single emotional experience of getting saved. Reading Lewis showed me how Christianity could be rational and made me aware of the great Christian intellectual tradition.
Frank Beckwith (author and apologist)
Mark Brumley (president and CEO of Ignatius Press)
thanks
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