©2002, InterVarsity Press, 192 pp. in hardback

I am always interested in the manner by which God opens the eyes of the unsaved to the reality of Christ’s atoning work for them and grants them faith and repentance. Naturally I was interested in reading this author’s account of C. S. Lewis’s journey to Christianity.

Lewis was born in Ireland in 1892. As a child he faced a number of obstacles to Christian faith. His mother died when he was nine. After this event his father withdrew from his young sons. They were sent to a boarding school in England. The Christianity that was presented in this oppressive environment was viewed as irrelevant to daily life.

His disillusionment with Christianity led him to explore materialism, occultism, and idealism. In these philosophies he regularly sought to reconcile his intellect and his imagination. He pursued answers to questions that nagged him – what is the source of evil? If there is no God how can good exist? What is the origin of morality?

God used the writings of George MacDonald and G. K. Chesterton to direct his attention to Christianity. God’s saving work in his life was ongoing over several years. In 1929 Lewis admitted that God was God. However it would be another two years before his conversion.

For years Lewis had sought joy. At his conversion, when he believed Jesus to be God’s Son and submitted his will to God, he realized his pursuit of joy had ended.

The author, who is very knowledgeable of Lewis’s writings, draws from Lewis’s reflections in his writings to provide insight to his being brought to faith. He also shows how Lewis interwove a number of his early religious struggles into various characters in The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy. In his portrayals, Lewis shows the futility of errant thinking.

This very readable volume will be of particular interest to readers who enjoy Lewis’s writings and to those who, like me, enjoy reading accounts of how God chooses to open the eyes of others to the truth of Christianity and to submission to Christ as Lord and Savior.

Review ©2008 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia