[_ Old Earth _] C.S. Lewis on Theistic Evolution: Some Selections

[T. E. Smith]

On evolution, C.S. Lewis embraced a theistic version.

We must sharply distinguish between Evolution as a biological theorem and popular Evolutionism or Developmentalism which is certainly a Myth. […] To the biologist Evolution […] covers more of the facts than any other hypothesis at present on the market and is therefore to be accepted unless, or until, some new supposal can be shown to cover still more facts with even fewer assumptions. […] It makes no cosmic statements, no metaphysical statements, no eschatological statements.

In other words, the danger is evolutionism, a worldview based on evolution; not the theory itself.

Just as my belief in my own immortal & rational soul does not oblige or qualify me to hold a particular theory of the pre-natal history of my embryo, so my belief that Men in general have immortal & rational souls does not oblige or qualify me to hold a theory of their pre-human organic history-if they have one.

That is, it need not matter if humans have evolved from a pre-existent species. We are still rational, ensouled creatures made in God's image.

For long centuries God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself [….] Then, in the fullness of time, God caused to descend upon this organism, both on its psychology and physiology, a new kind of consciousness […] In perfect cyclic movement, being, power and joy descended from God to man in the form of gift and returned from man to God in the form of obedient love and ecstatic adoration.

Here he explicitly embraces the idea that the human species evolved over "long centuries" (C.S. Lewis knows it took longer than that; he is being metaphorical), but as guided by God. Then the image of God was placed upon the creature. Theologian John Stott has called this the homo divinus theory.