In what year did C.S. Lewis become a Christian?

C.S. Lewis became a Christian in 1931.

Lewis’s conversion was a gradual intellectual and spiritual change rather than a single public event. He had moved away from the Christianity of his childhood during adolescence, later describing himself as an atheist for a period. His conversations with fellow Oxford academics, including J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson, contributed to his return to belief.

Lewis became a theist in 1930 and returned to Christianity in 1931. He later wrote about this development in autobiographical and apologetic works, especially Surprised by Joy and a 1955 work often known by its original title, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life.

The date is sometimes confused with 1930 because that was the year associated with his acceptance of theism. The distinction matters: 1930 marks a major stage in his movement toward belief, while 1931 marks his conversion to Christianity.