C.S. Lewis became a Christian in 1931 after a gradual intellectual and spiritual conversion. He had abandoned Christianity during adolescence and described himself for years as an atheist, later calling himself a theist before returning to Christian belief.
Conversations with fellow Oxford academics helped shape the change. J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson were especially influential in discussions about myth, imagination and the Christian story. Lewis later wrote that he converted to theism in 1930 and then to Christianity in 1931, after a journey that he famously described as being brought “kicking and screaming” into the kingdom of God.
His conversion did not immediately produce all of his later theological positions, but it redirected his writing. The experience informed works such as The Problem of Pain, Mere Christianity and the science-fiction trilogy beginning with Out of the Silent Planet.
Dates can be confused because Lewis wrote about several stages rather than one dramatic event. The commonly cited year for his conversion to Christianity is 1931, while 1930 is associated with his acceptance of theism.