Editing Edwin Lewis (section)

==Biography==
Born in [[Newbury, Berkshire]], England, Lewis became a [[Methodist local preacher]] at the age of seventeen. In 1900 he traveled to [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], Canada as a [[missionary]] before continuing his education in the [[United States]]. He eventually became a professor of theology at Drew.

Lewis' early work demonstrates the influence of Boston personalism, a school of [[Liberal Christianity#Liberal theology|Protestant liberal theology]] widespread among Methodists during the first half of the 20th century, and British [[idealism]]. His book ''Jesus Christ and the Human Quest'' is an example of his early perspective. In the book, Lewis argues that the Christian faith has its foundation in the nature of persons and personhood.

In 1929 he was named one of three editors of the ''Abingdon Bible Commentary''. While preparing the massive reference work, Lewis claimed to have "rediscovered the Bible" for himself. He reacted strongly to the 1931 report ''[[Re-Thinking Missions: A Laymen's Inquiry after One Hundred Years]]'', which he believed hampered the Christian missionary effort,
in his article "The Re-thought Theology of the Re-thinking of Missions" which appeared in the ''[[Christian Century]]''.

Growing more suspicious of the subjective theological liberalism of the day, he published ''A Christian Manifesto'' in 1934. In the book, Lewis railed against liberal theology (which he referred to as [[Modernist Christianity|modernism]]), reasserting classical Christian themes such as the transcendence of God, the [[Sin|sinfulness of humankind]], the [[Christology|divinity of Christ]], and the [[Substitutionary atonement|objective work of the atonement]].

Lewis wrote: "No statement of Christian belief which does not include a supernatural reference...is a true statement."<ref>Edwin Lewis, ''A Christian Manifesto'' (Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1934), p.&nbsp;15</ref>

He followed ''A Christian Manifesto'' with ''A Philosophy of Christian Revelation'' and ''The Creator and the Adversary'', both of which continued his reclamation of Christian orthodoxy from an [[Arminian]] perspective. Lewis argued that God triumphs over evil by outsuffering and outloving his adversary.<ref>Thomas A. Langford, ''Practical Divinity: Theology in the Wesleyan Tradition'' (Nashville: Abingdon, 1983), p.&nbsp;205</ref>

Lewis contributed sixty signed articles to the original edition of ''Harper's Bible Dictionary'' first published in 1952.<ref>Miller, Madeleine S. and J. Lane Miller (1952). ''Harper's Bible Dictionary'', p. vii.</ref>

He died at [[Morristown Memorial Hospital]] on November 28, 1959, after a long illness.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-argus-rev-dr-edwin-lewis/171306964/ |title=Rev. Dr. Edwin Lewis |newspaper=[[Barre Montpelier Times Argus|The Times-Argus]] |publication-place=Barre-Montpelier, Vermont |place=Bradford |page=12 |date=1959-12-05 |access-date=2025-04-28 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Lewis' work proved influential to an entire generation of Methodist theologians, notably Carl Michalson and [[Albert C. Outler]].