C.S.Lewis, was an Apologist (Defender of the Faith) and author. He wrote the beloved 'Narnia Series'. I read them as a child, then shared them with my children, including tv series and movies.

By the time C.S. Lewis received a scholarship to Oxford in 1916, he had developed a fascination with mythology. World War I intruded, he served in the army and was wounded. Afterwards, he returned to Oxford graduating with 1st class honours, and by 1925 becoming a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, he developed a reputation both as a tutor and author on late medieval literature and as one of a group of widely read and entertaining conversationalists and writers. He hung out with a particular group of friends known as the "Inklings" including J.R.R.Tolkien (renowned for 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings') and Charles Williams. In 1954 Lewis became Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge

Lewis had abandoned the Christian faith in his early teens, but his continuing interest in mythology and fantasy brought him in contact with George MacDonald, a writer of Christian fantasy. He talked things over with Tolkien, a devout Roman Catholic, and others. Then he read 'The Everlasting Man' by G.K. Chesterton, a convert to Roman Catholicism, and was persuaded to abandon his atheism. By 1931, Lewis was an active member of the Church of England. C.S. Lewis then proceded to use his considerable skills for Christ and became a Christian apologist, his considerable ability as a writer and communicator made him one of the most popular defenders of the Christian faith in the 20th century.

Lewis's best known Christian books, arose out of a series of articles he wrote and talks he gave, many of them during World War II. 'The Screwtape Letters'(1942) use the idea of letters from a senior devil (Screwtape) to a younger one on techniques that are useful in deceiving humans. Many of the talks given on the BBC were drawn together in Lewis's highly influential and very popular 'Mere Christianity' (1952). Some later talks appeared posthumously as 'God in the Dock' (1971). He also wrote 2 autobiographical works, in 'Surprised by Joy' (1955), Lewis tells of his own journey to and in Christianity, and in 'A Grief Observed' (1961) he offers a moving insight into the emotional journey associated with the death of a loved one (his wife). His books are widely read and appreciated. May he Rest in Peace in Aslan's Land.

BORN: 1898, Belfast, Ireland.

DIED: 22 November 1963, Oxford, England, U.K.