C.S. Lewis' Shocking Secret: He Demanded Purgatory!

From Totus Catholica

Why CS Lewis Believed in Purgatory And Told No One Here's a question that might shake your image of Christianity's greatest defender: In Mere Christianity, CS Lewis never mentions purgatory. Yet in private letters, theological essays, and The Great Divorce, he explicitly confessed belief in a doctrine that earned medieval Catholicism the Reformation's sharp rebuke. "I believe in purgatory," Lewis wrote—not tentatively, but definitively. 📌 The scandal isn't that Lewis believed in purgatory. The scandal is our surprise that he did. Evangelicals treat Lewis as infallible, yet miss that he affirmed a doctrine the 39 Articles called "a fond thing vainly invented." Lewis agreed with the critique of medieval abuses (indulgences, profiteering) but saw the core principle—purification after death for the saved—as biblical truth worth recovering. ✨ What You'll Discover – Why Lewis buried his purgatory belief in private letters like Letters to Malcolm – The biblical foundation: 1 Corinthians 3:15 and the soul's need for purification – How St. John Henry Newman shaped Lewis's purified view of purgatory – Lewis's key idea: God takes our freedom seriously forever, even after death – The thief on the cross objection—and why it doesn't disprove purgatory – Why Lewis stayed quiet: Anglican unity vs. his Anglican mission of "mere Christianity" – Practical steps: Pray for the dead, embrace earthly purification now ⏳ Chapters 0:00 – The Hidden CS Lewis Protestants Missed 1:02 – Biblical Roots: Fire Testing Our Works (1 Cor 3:15) 2:44 – Newman's Influence: Purgatory Without Medieval Abuse 4:56 – Lewis's Core Conviction: Freedom Matters Forever 6:53 – The Thief on the Cross Objection Answered 8:34 – Why Lewis Kept It Private 9:48 – Action Steps: Pray for the Dead Today 🌐 Stay Connected 📿 Daily Holy Hour – https://totuscatholica.org/rosary 🌍 Website – https://totuscatholica.org ✉️ Contact me – https://totuscatholica.org/contact 🔍 Examination of Conscience – https://catholicexaminationofconscien... 📖 Key Teaching & References – Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer – Lewis's clearest purgatory statement – 1 Corinthians 3:13–15 – Fire testing works; saved "yet so as through fire" – CCC 1030–1032 – Purgatory as purification for the saved, not punishment – The Dream of Gerontius by St. John Henry Newman – Soul recoiling from God's holiness – 39 Articles (Anglican) vs. Tract 90 – Rejecting abuses, not the doctrine – Mere Christianity – Lewis on God's commitment to our total perfection – The Great Divorce – Imaginative vision of postmortem purification 💬 Reflection Question If God is committed to making you literally perfect—no matter how long it takes—where is He calling you to cooperate with that purification today?