C.S Lewis writes in Mere Christianity that “The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t supply is proof that Heaven must be our home.” Lewis uses existential themes to justify his apologetic standpoint towards Christianity. In order to define existentialism in a manner that includes Christian philosophy, it is important to understand the context of existentialism. This was an interwar movement that was born of Kierkegaard’s desire to understand an existence that is much bigger than the identity of the individual. The search for a God is an existential search.
His personal history of existential searching led C.S Lewis from skepticism to the Christian faith. Like many other Existentialist Philosophers of his time, C.S. Lewis faced the horrors of World War I first hand. Lewis struggles with the meaning of the suffering he experienced in The Problem of Pain, encouraging others to come to theological solutions to philosophical problems. Defining Lewis as an Existentialist is counterintuitive to those who associate Existentialism with Nihilism, a movement that renders the purpose of life to be meaningless. My goal with this research essay is to uncover the complexities and traumatic origin of Lewis’ philosophy as a Christian Existentialist.
The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis
- A theological essay about human suffering
- Evidence that C.S. Lewis is an existentialist
Mere Christianity, C. S Lewis
- A series of radio shows broadcast during WW2 about the core beliefs of Christianity
- As an account of Lewis’ turn towards face during wartime struggles
A Christian Perspective of Postmodern Existentialism, John D Carter
- Defining Christian Existentialism and researching its complexities
- Will explain how Lewis falls into this movement
“The problem of faith and the self: the interplay between literary art, apologetics and hermeneutics in C.S. Lewis’s religious narratives” Chou, Hsiu-Chin
- How Lewis uses literature as an expression of his religious beliefs
“The Philosophy of Christian Existence” Erich Muller
- Analysis of the history of christian existentialism
- Evidence of the impact of war on philosophy
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
You’re struggling here, Crabs, and so will your readers be, until you come to grips with the need to nail down the best you can some simple definitions. So far, you’ve said what Existentialism isn’t in denying that it should be equated with Nihilism. But that won’t suffice.
“existential themes” doesn’t help us.
When you say:
. . . you get our attention. But then you don’t follow up that tease with anything that approaches “the context of existentialism.”
Is Existentialism the belief that “existence is much bigger than the identity of the individual”? You don’t say so, but you invite that interpretation.
Thank you for using the word counterintuitive as an attempt to justify your hypothesis. I think you should be able easily to convince readers that the very idea of a Christian Existentialist is indeed counterintuitive, but not until we get some needed clarity on what it means to be an Existentialist. And what distinguishes it from Nihilism.
I’m excited to participate in your exploration. I will not wait to interfere. 🙂
I can’t tell which of your sources are books, which are articles, Crabs. You haven’t provided links, so I can’t do much to study along with you or evaluate the relevance of your sources or your interpretations of them without help from you.
When you can, please expand your citations of your sources to standard Bibliographic format.
This seems to be the right way to more fully cite the Chou source:
Chou, Hsiu-Chin (2008) The problem of faith and the self: the interplay between literary art, apologetics and hermeneutics in C.S. Lewis’s religious narratives. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.
In that style, the link I’ve supplied takes the reader directly to the PDF of the PhD Thesis itself.