For the purposes of what is necessarily merely an introductory essay in reading Lewis on 'gender', the term is to be taken to refer to the relationship of the 'feminine' to the 'masculine' and vice versa. We assume that one cannot be understood without the other. Lewis himself lived through a period of immense change in what we would now call 'gender relationships', and we can draw attention to but a few examples of his views. We need to note also that, given his resistance to the merits and growth of some of the 'social sciences', one cannot imagine that he personally would have been sympathetic to the development of 'gender studies' which took place after his death. In such studies, attention to 'masculinity' is as yet still coming into focus, not least in the study of the Christian tradition in all its complexities. We can recall, for example, that it was axiomatic in the church of Lewis's baptism, the Church of Ireland, part of the Anglican Communion, that very few were able to take seriously those women who believed themselves to have a vocation to ordination. So whilst women could be baptized, confirmed, forgiven, exchange vows with a male in marriage, receive communion, chrism or a blessing, and like any other baptized person, could baptize someone in extreme circumstances, they would never be able to confirm anyone, pronounce divine forgiveness, celebrate communion, chrismate or bless someone.