7 times C.S. Lewis was quoted in General Conference
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C.S. Lewis became a Christian after he had a conversation with J.R.R. Tolkien, another famed literary luminary. He became, in his own words, “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.”
Lewis has become one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the modern era. He has been cited frequently by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the twice-yearly general conference of the church, as well as during BYU devotionals.
Here are seven times C.S. Lewis has been cited by church leaders.
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C.S. Lewis quotes in general conference
In the October 2021 talk “The Greatest Possession” by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Holland quotes Lewis theorizing that God would say, “I don’t want … your time … (or) your money … (or) your work (as much as) I (just) want You. (That tree you are pruning.) I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want … the whole (thing) down. (And that tooth.) I don’t want to drill (it), or crown it, or (fill) it. (I want) to have it out. (In fact, I want you to) hand over (to me your) whole natural self. … (And) I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my … will shall become (your will).”
“The Screwtape Letters” is one of Lewis’ most famous works. Elder Michael J. Teh of the Seventy quoted from these letters in his October 2007 talk “Out of Small Things.” He quoted the following advice from the “deceitful” Screwtape: “Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient’s soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary.”
Sister Michelle Craig, the first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, referenced the following quote from Lewis in her October 2018 talk “Divine Discontent”: “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably. … (You see,) He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of. … You thought you were (being) made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles quoted from Lewis’ “The Great Divorce” during his April 2018 talk “Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing”: “(Mortals) say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. … The Blessed will say, ‘We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven.’”
Elder Dale E. Miller of the Seventy quoted from Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” in his October 2004 talk “Bringing Peace and Healing to Your Soul”: “(God) has infinite attention to spare for each one of us. He does not have to deal with us in the mass. You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created. When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only man (or woman) in the world.”
Elder James E. Faust of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles referenced what he called “devilish tactics” from “The Screwtape Letters” in his October 1987 talk “The Great Imitator”: “You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. … It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. … Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
Elder Neal L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles quoted Lewis in his April 2017 talk “Overcoming the World”: “Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You.’”
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How many times has C.S. Lewis been quoted in general conference?
While Lewis has been quoted in church publications over 100 times, he’s been quoted more than 30 times in general conference. Lewis has been the most commonly quoted non-Latter-day Saint during general conference, according to Deseret News,
What is C.S. Lewis’ most famous quote?
While Lewis has many famous quotes, one of them is: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen — not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
What is C.S. Lewis best known for?
Lewis is the author behind the popular children’s book series “The Chronicles of Narnia.” He’s also known for his Christian theology in works such as “Mere Christianity” and “A Grief Observed.” He was a prolific writer, but his book with the most sales is “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
When did C.S. Lewis convert to Christianity?
1931. When Lewis walked with Tolkien on Addison’s Walk at Oxford University, he and Tolkien had a conversation about mythology and symbolism. When he went home that night, he wrote about the experience and came to believe in Jesus Christ. He joined the Church of England, to Tolkien’s slight dismay, as he was Catholic.
