As readers will know, there has been some disucssion in recent years on mid-20th century Christian apologist C.S. Lewis’s views on evolution. The subject is nuanced because, while Darwin’s followers turned him off (“fanatical and twisted attitudes”), he was anxious not to get on board with a divisive anti-evolution cause.
That said, some seem not afraid to twist his words to make it sound like he was in Darwin’s camp. No doubt such persons think they are interpreting him creatively, postmodernly speaking. The Magician’s Twin explored his views at some length.
Meanwhile, a less known passage is from a letter he wrote to a Miss Breckenridge 1( August 1949):
There is no relation of any importance between the Fall and Evolution. The doctrine of Evolution is that organisms have changed, sometimes for what we call (biologically) the better . . . quite often for what we call (biologically) the worse. . . . The doctrine of the Fall is that at one particular point one species, Man, tumbled down a moral cliff. There is neither opposition nor support between the two doctrines. . . . Evolution is not only not a doctrine of moral improvements, but of biological changes, some improvements, some deteriorations. Source: Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C. S. Lewis.
Put that way (organisms have changed, for better or worse), “evolution” isn’t a belief specific enough to support or oppose. And can you imagine the Darwin-in-the-schools lobby tolerating his approach in a textbook? Their patron saint he surely ain’t.
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