Christianity Today

Hollywood is certainly convinced that Lewis is hot. How long he remains so will depend on the box office take of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

"The Passion let them know that religion sells, and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings [let them know] that fantasy sells," Mitchell says. "So who brings the two together? Lewis."

Yet whether Lewis sells will be beside the point for most evangelicals. The Oxford don with a mixed pedigree is not likely to go out of favor with a movement that stands for classic Christian faith and loves a good story.

Bob Smietana is features editor of The Covenant Companion.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

CT's sister publication Christian History & Biographydevoted an issue to C.S. Lewis in 1985. It's Winter 2005 issue, available Nov. 30, also covers Lewis, and is available for purchase from our site.

Christian History & Biography also featured Lewis in its top ten Christians issue: Apologetics: C.S. Lewis | The atheist scholar who became an Anglican, an apologist, and a patron saint of Christians everywhere.

In 1998 J.I. Packer, another former Oxford student, also discussed why Lewis became an evangelical celebrity.

Still Surprised by Lewis | Why this nonevangelical Oxford don has become our patron saint. (Sept. 7, 1998)

Previous CT articles on "Jack" include:

C.S. Lewis, the Sneaky Pagan | The author of A Field Guide to Narnia says Lewis wove pre-Christian ideas into a story for a post-Christian culture. (June 28, 2004)

J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, a Legendary Friendship | A new book reveals how these two famous friends conspired to bring myth and legend—and Truth—to modern readers. (Aug. 29, 2003)

The Dour Analyst and the Joyous Christian | In the realm of mental balance and personal peace, Sigmund Freud had nothing on C. S. Lewis. (April 19, 2002)

Two Cultural Giants | Both Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis were emotionally wounded as boys and struggled with depression as men. But a worldview can make a tremendous difference. (April 19, 2002)

Wisdom in a Time of War | What Oswald Chambers and C.S. Lewis teach us about living through the long battle with terrorism. (Jan. 4, 2002)

Forget 'Normal' | C.S. Lewis's warning against panic during World War II resonates in our new crisis. (Oct. 19, 2001)

Mere Marketing? | Publisher, estate under fire for handling of C.S. Lewis's identity. (August 6, 2001)

Aslan Is Still on the Move | There's too little evidence to prove that anyone is 'de-Christianizing' C.S. Lewis. (August 6, 2001)

Myth Matters | C. S. Lewis bequeathed us a method and a language for sharing the gospel with the modern and postmodern world. (April 17, 2001)

Spring in Purgatory: Dante, Botticelli, C. S. Lewis, and a Lost Masterpiece | For slightly over five hundred years, the most famous and popular illustration of Dante's Divine Comedy has remained effectively "lost." (Feb. 7, 2000)

Walking Where Lewis Walked | My reluctant entry into the world of pilgrimage. (Feb. 7, 2000)

C.S. Lewis on Christmas | Lewis summed up Christmas in one sentence: "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God." (December 20, 1999)

Reflections | Clive Staples Lewis in his lifetime gave us many writings that explicate the Christian faith and walk. (Nov. 16, 1998)

Jack Is Back | The search for the historical Lewis. (Feb. 3, 1997)

If you're really interested in Lewis, Into the Wardrobe should fill your every desire.

The Discovery Institute's C.S. Lewis and Public Life site is another wonderful resource of papers about and by Lewis.

Still hungry for more? You'll probably never have the time to read everything linked at the C.S. Lewis Mega-Links page.

The C.S. Lewis Foundation has even more on the man, as well as conferences, programs, and resources for Lewis aficionados.