Jack, why not be a Catholic?

Lewis’ reticence and “nonsectarian” approach is almost summed up in a remark he made in a 1950 preface to a French edition of his book, The Problem of Pain: “I leave matters of religious controversy for theologians.” He felt deeply the scandal of Christian division (which is a good thing), and as a result decided to not talk much about the deepest differences, thinking that it contributed to the scandal of Christian disunity. This is an honorable motive in one large sense, but is ultimately unacceptable from a Catholic point of view, since we believe that there is one Church and that there are compelling biblical and historical arguments in its favor. Lewis (as Protestants formally do) greatly under-emphasized the importance of the doctrine of the authority of Church and tradition (or what is called “the rule of faith”) in a way that a Catholic must respectfully disagree with.