C. S. Lewis and the Bible with Leslie Baynes

C. S. Lewis and the Bible with Leslie Baynes

From Data Over Dogma by Daniel McClellan and Daniel Beecher

May 25, 2026 · 1h 11m · Episode 164

About this episode

The episode explores C. S. Lewis's relationship with the Bible and his apologetic writings with guest Leslie Baynes.

Beloved novelist Clive Staples Lewis (Jack to his friends)(?) went through an atheist phase in his life. But that didn't last, and when he came back to Christianity, he came back HARD! Everyone who knows his work beyond life in a wardrobe is well aware of his obsession with the Bible and Christianity. But though he was an academic, Lewis was careful to remind people he was not a Bible scholar. He relied on the scholarship of others when he wanted to explore biblical topics. Yet he wrote extensively. So how'd he do? Were his conclusions and explorations undergirded by good data, or was he just flying by the seat of his theological pants? This week, we brought on Leslie Baynes, author of Between Interpretation and Imagination: C. S. Lewis and the Bible to help us get a handle on Lewis and his particular brand of apologetics. She'll guide us through his view of the Bible, his explorations of Christianity, and the places he snuck it all in, even when he wasn't explicitly writing about it. For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at…

People in this episode

Hosts: Daniel McClellan, Daniel Beecher

Guest: Leslie Baynes

Topics covered

  • C. S. Lewis
  • Christianity
  • Bible
  • apologetics
  • literature
  • faith

Keywords

  • C. S. Lewis
  • Bible
  • Christianity
  • apologetics
  • Leslie Baynes
  • literature
  • faith

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Between Interpretation and Imagination: C. S. Lewis and the Bible

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