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A longtime Charleston priest, activist and central figure in one of West Virginia’s most turbulent cultural conflicts has died.
The Rev. Jim Lewis was 90.
“They knew that I wasn’t going to judge them, and they knew I had a different understanding of the gospel message — the Jesus message — that wasn’t what they were accustomed to, and that they had even been hurt by in churches they had belonged to.”
That was Lewis, reflecting on his ministry in Charleston, where he welcomed people who often felt excluded from the church.
Lewis came to Charleston in 1974, as tensions rose over controversial textbooks in Kanawha County Schools. As rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, he became a leading voice supporting the books during a conflict that drew national attention.
The textbook controversy led to boycotts, violence and widespread unrest, placing West Virginia at the center of a growing cultural divide.
Lewis’ ministry extended beyond that moment. He was an early and sometimes controversial advocate for inclusion within the church, blessing same-sex relationships decades before they were widely accepted.
In Charleston, he also helped inspire outreach efforts such as the Manna Meal program, which serves people in need across the community.
Throughout his life, Lewis remained active in public demonstrations, including anti-war protests and local advocacy.
I first came to know Jim Lewis as a mentor when I was a teenager. Years later, I interviewed him extensively for my documentary The Great Textbook War, which explored the conflict that helped define his public life.
See the links below for more on Lewis, including The Great Textbook War and his interview in the Us & Them episode “Marrying Gays When It Wasn’t Cool.”
More stories featuring the Rev. Jim Lewis:
The Great Textbook War
An award-winning documentary examining the 1974 Kanawha County textbook controversy, a cultural flashpoint that drew national attention. Lewis was a central figure in the conflict, speaking out in support of the textbooks as protests escalated across the region.
Marrying Gays When It Wasn’t Cool
In this Us & Them episode, Lewis reflects on his decision to welcome and counsel gay and lesbian people in his Charleston church during the 1970s, and to bless same-sex relationships at a time when such unions had no legal recognition and were widely stigmatized.
Who’s Going to Take Care of Maw Maw?
This episode follows Lewis and his daughter, the Rev. Catherine Lewis, as they navigate the challenges of aging, caregiving and the emotional realities of moving into assisted living.
They’ve Been Here Before
In conversation with Margaret Chapman Pomponio of West Virginia Free, Lewis reflects on the years before Roe v. Wade, when he counseled women seeking abortions at a time when the procedure was illegal in West Virginia.