Why We Need Both C. S. Lewis and James Baldwin

A few years ago, a little girl asked her mom, “Does God love boys more than girls?” Her question came after noticing that in her Bible storybook, girls were almost completely absent. From silence, she drew a conclusion about belonging.

That one question has stayed with me because it reminds us how powerful stories are. They don’t just entertain; they form our sense of self, they whisper who matters, and they shape how we see God and the world.

This is true for Bible stories, but it’s also true in the way we choose the books we read at school or at home.

The Canon and Beyond

Most of us grew up reading the great classics—books by authors like C. S. Lewis, whose imagination has shaped generations. These stories carry enduring truths about morality, faith, and the human condition. They’ve stood the test of time for good reason.

But here’s the catch: if we only ever read the canon, we miss perspectives that reveal truths the canon alone cannot provide. Voices like James Baldwin open windows into experiences and struggles—racial, cultural, and spiritual—that the classic authors either overlooked or could not fully articulate.

The temptation is to pit these against each other: either stay faithful to the classics or open the door to “new” multicultural literature. But what if the better path is both/and?

Aristotle’s Common Topic of Comparison

Even the ancients knew the value of reading in pairs. Aristotle described synkrisis—the common topic of comparison—as a way of placing two different things side by side to learn from both. Comparison isn’t about collapsing differences or demanding agreement. It’s a tool for thinking, a way to sharpen discernment.

That’s why I love placing Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet next to Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain. On the surface, they couldn’t be more different: one a British science fiction novel, the other an African American coming-of-age story. And yet, when you read them together, something powerful happens.

Baldwin and Lewis in Conversation

In Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain, young John Grimes wrestles with faith in the shadow of a harsh and hypocritical father. Baldwin doesn’t dismiss Christianity—he shows its suffocating and sustaining power when distorted by culture and abuse. It’s a mirror for readers who’ve experienced toxic religion and a window for those who haven’t.

In Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet, the main character Ransom is taken to Mars and confronted with the arrogance of Western imperialism. Lewis uses science fiction to critique the human tendency to exploit, dominate, and center ourselves at the cost of others.

Read together, Baldwin and Lewis agree on this: when culture or religion replaces God as the ultimate source of identity, human life gets bent out of shape. But both also point toward hope—Baldwin through the possibility of grace breaking into broken religion, and Lewis through a vision of moral order that restores humility and communion.

Why This Matters for Parents and Teachers

Here’s the good news: we don’t have to choose. We can give our kids the gift of the classics and the gift of diverse voices.

• Lewis roots them in timeless moral and theological truths.
• Baldwin reveals how those truths intersect with race, family, and injustice.

Together, they equip students not only to recognize distortions of identity but also to imagine a truer, more Christ-centered way of being human.

When we place books side by side—when we let our kids compare, contrast, and wrestle—we’re apprenticing them in discernment. We’re teaching them to see themselves more clearly, to glimpse the lives of others, and to grow in empathy without losing conviction.

An Invitation

If you’re building a bookshelf at home or shaping a classroom library, try this experiment: put a classic beside a multicultural voice. Let Lewis and Baldwin sit on the same shelf. Read them in dialogue. Ask your kids what they notice.

And here’s the important part: don’t be afraid of books that make you (or your kids) feel a little uncomfortable. Baldwin, for me, is one of those authors. His stories stretch me out of my comfort zone. They ask me to consider that the way I grew up is not the way others experienced life. When I sit with his words, I step into a window—not to judge, but to understand.

That experience of listening, even when it aches, enlarges my heart and teaches me how to listen better to the people around me. Of course, as parents and educators, we are the guides. We preview what goes on our kids’ shelves, and we decide what they’re ready for now and what may need to wait until later. That’s not fear—it’s wisdom.

Our role isn’t to shield our children from every difficult perspective but to help them approach stories at the right time, with the right guidance. Because in the end, stories don’t just tell us what happened—they tell us who we are and who we might become. And when our kids encounter both the familiar and the challenging, both the canon and the voices from the margins, they are more likely to discover the deeper truth: that their identity and belonging are secure, not in culture or comfort, but in the image of God.

📚 Optional Reading Pairs by Age

Elementary School (ages 6–10)

At this stage, stories should affirm identity, spark imagination, and introduce kids to multiple perspectives in simple ways.

• Classic: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
• Multicultural Pair: The Book of Belonging by Mariko Clark (Bible stories with women and cultural names restored)
• Why it works: Lewis grounds kids in timeless themes of good and evil, while Clark helps them see themselves in God’s story—whether boys or girls, from every culture.

Middle School (ages 11–13)

Students are ready for more complex characters and moral questions, but still need guidance in interpreting harder themes.

• Classic: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
• Multicultural Pair: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
• Why it works: Both highlight family, resilience, and belonging, but from very different cultural contexts (Canadian orphan girl vs. African American family in the Jim Crow South).

High School (ages 14–18)

Here’s where students are ready for Baldwin and Lewis—texts that challenge, unsettle, and stretch their worldview.

• Classic: Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
• Multicultural Pair: Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
• Why it works: Lewis critiques imperialism and human pride; Baldwin confronts race, faith, and toxic religion. Together they train students to compare, contrast, and discern truth in a complex world.

Other ideas:

• To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
• Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)

In the End, It's About Invitation

When we open our bookshelves to diverse voices, we're not abandoning our foundations—we're expanding our vision. We're inviting our children into a richer understanding of what it means to be human in God's diverse world.

So let Baldwin challenge Lewis, and Lewis challenge Baldwin. Let them both challenge us. And in that beautiful tension, watch as your children grow in wisdom, in empathy, and in their capacity to love both God and neighbor more fully.

Because ultimately, that's what a truly Christ-centered education is all about.