The Pilgrim's Regress

C. S. Lewis was a writer, theologian, and academic. Born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Ireland, Lewis was the second son of Albert James Lewis, a solicitor, and Florence Augusta Hamilton Lewis, a mathematician. Raised in a nominally Christian household, his mother’s death from cancer when he was nine contributed to his initial loss of faith. Lewis’s early education was characterized by private tutoring and attending boarding schools in England, which he found oppressive.

In 1917, Lewis’s studies at University College, Oxford, were interrupted by World War I. He enlisted in the British Army and served as an officer—experiences that further distanced him from his faith. He returned from war as a self-professed atheist. Lewis graduated from Oxford with a triple first in classics, philosophy, and English literature. He subsequently became a fellow and tutor in English literature at Magdalen College, Oxford, for nearly three decades. During this time, Lewis formed friendships with other literary scholars, most notably J. R. R. Tolkien. Through these friendships, Lewis began to re-examine his religious beliefs. In 1929, Lewis converted to theism, and two years later, in 1931, he embraced Christianity. Lewis’s conversion began his career as a Christian writer and apologist. His works during this time addressed theological concepts and practical Christianity, aimed at a broad