C. S. Lewis and Penal Substitution: A Problem Case for New Calvinist Theology

Abstract

I examine the general goodwill that the New Calvinist movement feels toward C. S. Lewis, and identify what I see as an anomaly in it. I argue that New Calvinists have good reason, based on their theology, to reject C. S. Lewis as an evangelical Christian on account of his doctrine of the atonement, and that their justification for not doing so is unsatisfactory. I engage the work of John Piper and Douglas Wilson as representatives of the movement, and show that in attempting to justify Lewis they misrepresent his beliefs. However, I then argue that they are nevertheless right in their insight that Lewis is ‘someone special’ who must be a Christian regardless of his problematic beliefs. Rather than engage in attempts to justify and explain away these important theological differences, I suggest that New Calvinists should think of them as anomalies which can be used to critically examine their own theology.