Nearly 300 people turned out on Jan. 12 to hear Matthew Jordan, vice president of academic affairs and a professor at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology, discuss “Who is C.S. Lewis? And why, as Catholics, do we Care?” The program was presented by Theology on the Rocks West, a Catholic-based discussion group for adults.
Jordan, who has led trips to England to visit sites important in Lewis’ life, said although Lewis wasn’t Catholic, he was a Christian who struggled with his faith, embraced atheism for a number of years and eventually returned to his Anglican faith.
The author, known for his Chronicles of Narnia children’s series, “The Screwtape Letters” and more, was a contemporary of G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien. Jordan discussed Lewis’ life, including the death of his mother, his father sending him to boarding school, his time in the Army during World War I, his education, the launch of his literary career, his career in education and more.
“We can – and should – learn from non-Catholics,” Jordan said. “We can learn a lot from them,” he said, noting Lewis was a bridge between Protestants and Catholics. Jordan shared that he is an adult convert to Catholicism. “I’m not sure I’d be a Christian without C.S. Lewis,” Jordan said.
As an Anglican, he said Lewis had a lot to offer from his perspective on religion, including finding common ground in our beliefs. Jordan noted that some people, including former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal credit Lewis with their conversions. Jindal was Hindu before embracing Christianity and converting to Catholicism during college.
Jordan said Lewis enjoyed studying and returned to school after his military service. He connected with several writers, including Tolkien, a devout Catholic, and the two spent a great deal of time discussing Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings ideas. “Lewis encouraged him to keep writing and to publish the stories,” Jordan said.
He noted Lewis himself did most of his writing in the years after World War II. The first volume of “The Chronicles of Narnia” (“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”) was published in 1950, with additional books published each of the next seven years near Christmastime. They contained Christian themes and appealed to young readers.
Lewis was married for a few years – 1956-1961 – before his wife died from cancer. He had health issues after that and died about an hour before President John F. Kennedy – on Nov. 22, 1963, Jordan added.
He shared one of his favorite Lewis quotes: “How monotonously alike all the tyrants are and how gloriously different all the saints are.” Jordan said someone once described Lewis in this way: “You’ll never get to the bottom of him.”
Jordan said he’s planning to lead another trip to England next year to visit some of the significant sites in Lewis’ life. Contact him at a mcjordan@dioceseofcleveland.org for more information,
The next Theology on the Rocks West program will be Feb. 9, with Bishop Edward Malesic offering a Lenten reflection. Click here for more information or to make a reservation.
Jordan also coordinates programs for the seminary’s Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd Institute, an initiative of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland designed to develop, promote and enhance the intellectual formation of adults throughout Northeast Ohio. Click here to learn more.