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C. S. Lewis Window
 During the twentieth century Western civilization crossed what has been called the Great Divide, the most massive cultural shift in history. Political, artistic, theological, and technological changes have created an unprecedented rift between our time and the past. C.S. Lewis sought to bridge that gap and make the historic, unchanging truths of Christianity accessible to a new generation. Clive Staples Lewis enjoyed a happy childhood near Belfast, exploring the countryside, losing himself in piles of books and living in the realms of imagination. But when Lewis was ten, his world was shattered by the death of his mother, from cancer. This loss was followed by a series of difficult experiences at various boarding schools and the gradual abandonment of his Christian faith. When he entered Oxford, Lewis was an avowed atheist. World War I was raging, and soon he was on the front lines, where he single-handedly captured an entire company of German soldiers. Afterward, he returned to Oxford, and settled into his career in Medieval and Renaissance literature. (He later moved to Cambridge.) One day, Lewis unexpectedly realized that he was intentionally shutting something out of his life, and became aware that God was pursuing him. With the help of friends such as Owen Barfield and J.R.R. Tolkien, he became first a theist, and finally a Christian. Soon he began publishing, not only scholarly works, but also (immensely) popular books on Christianity. Lewis longed for the unseen things of God and felt the enormous weight of each person’s eternal destiny. Through his books and lectures, he brought the full force of his intellect to bear on his effort to awaken that longing and awareness in others—“to try to save souls.” His profound integration of imagination and reason touched readers’ minds and hearts. One who was deeply affected was Joy Davidman, whom he married at age 57. Her death four years later devastated him. Yet in the end, his faith remained, and he wrote some of his most thoughtful work during his final years. Lewis’ window reflects his astonishing creativity, showing him with a rocket from his space trilogy, the red imp Screwtape, and Aslan, the Great Lion (with his paw on the shield of Cambridge). Yet Lewis asserted his message was not original, but merely a modern restatement of the ancient, beautiful, and living story of Jesus Christ, which the Church has proclaimed for the last 2000 years.
Like Stars Appearing: The Story of the Stained Glass
Windows of St. George's Episcopal Church, Dayton, Ohio
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