[Vindiciae Contra TyrannoSCOTUS]

Second, Lewis was shocked during a conversation with some of his Oxford faculty colleagues to hear one of them, an avowed atheist, state that the evidence for the historical authenticity of the gospels was very good. The evidence was sound and the gospel stories actually appeared to be true. Lewis said one cannot understand the impact that had on him coming from this particular faculty member.

Third, he read G.K. Chesterton's Everlasting Man and finally arrived at a belief in God.

At this point Lewis was a theist, not a Christian. He struggled for many long months to understand the Gospel story and the doctrines of redemption and resurrection. He read the Gospel of John in Greek.

Then, in the fall of 1931, he had dinner with two faculty members, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, and Hugo Dyson, a professor of English literature. After dinner, the three of them talked about the great question concerning the truth of the Gospels and asked the question that one of Lewis' pupils referred to as, "And is it true, and is it true, this most amazing tale of all?" They talked and walked for hours along a path called Addison's Walk. The clock in Magdalene Tower struck three in the morning before they parted. This talk had a profound effect on Lewis. Nine days later, Lewis took a trip by motorcycle with his brother. He wrote, "When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo, I did." Later, Lewis wrote: "My long night talk with Dyson and Tolkien had a good deal to do with it." When Worldviews Collide

 

[Pyro7480]

Thanks for posting this. If you're interested in Tolkien's faith and the eternal Truths that he incorporated into his writings, I would recommend the book titled "The Sanctifying Myth" by Bradley Birzer. It's a great book on Tolkien and the universe he created.

[visualops]

Very interesting. Thanks.


Stickman: I think you'll enjoy reading this.

[Corin Stormhands]

You may (or may not) want to ping the ringers...

[neocon]

It is worth noting as well that Tolkien was a contributor to the English translation of The Jerusalem Bible, which demonstrates something of the seriousness of his faith.

And, since C. S. Lewis was mentioned, I will note in passing that Ignatius Press has brought out a new book by Joseph Pearce, C. S. Lewis and the Catholic Church, which explores the question of why Lewis never crossed the Tiber.

[Tribune7]

Thanks. Bump

[LinnieBeth]

Thanks for posting this, a wonderful way to wake up in the morning.

[Destructor]

Kick some Hobbit ass ping!