The C. S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga

This Year's UTC C. S. Lewis Lecture in Early March

2012-01-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

We are coming up again on that time of the year when we get to enjoy the annual UTC C. S. Lewis lecture. This year's speaker is Ralph C. Wood, University Professor of Theology and Literature at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. His topic (you gotta love it!): "Rum, Romanism, and the Sacramental Imagination: G. K. Chesterton as Defender of the Faith." Chesterton was a huge favourite of Lewis, his book, The Everlasting Man, being key to bringing Lewis to the Faith.

The lecture will be held on the 8th of March, again at the Benwood Auditorium in the Engineering Building on the UTC campus. Admission is free. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Image: Dr. Wood

Meeting this Friday

2012-01-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

Our meeting for this month will be Friday, 27 Jan. at 7:00 p.m. We'll discuss the first chapter of Lewis' book The Weight of Glory. We'll meet in the craft room across from the Camp House on Williams Street, Southside. Catch a cup of coffee at the bistro and join us!

Men's group reload this Friday

2012-01-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th, 6:00 p.m. at the Honest Pint. We'll put some tables together on the upstairs landing, so come on up. Discussing the first chapter of God in the Dock. Bring a friend.

Please NOTE! I sent out an e-mail reminder about this meeting and included a comment that our monthly meeting at the Camp House was confirmed. I put the wrong date! The monthly Camp House meeting is the Friday the 27th, not the 21st. Sorry!

2012 Plans - Current Status

2012-01-03T17:35:00.001-08:00

This just posted to our e-mail list and Facebook page:

Greetings, C. S. Lewis fans:

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas. 2012 is going to be a great year for our local Society. We are especially looking forward to hearing Dr. Wood speak about Lewis and G. K. Chesterton at the annual UTC lecture in March. I'll be sure you have the details when they are available.

As for our regular monthly meetings, we will work our way through Lewis' book The Weight of Glory. The first of these meetings should be on Friday, 27 Jan, at the Camp House, but I'm waiting for them to get back with me to confirm. Be sure to read the first chapter, with the same title as the book, in time for our meeting.

In addition to our monthly meetings, there has been some advocacy for us to renew our men's meetings, which we had years ago. I will have a trial run on this. I'll be at the Honest Pint pub on Friday, 13 Jan., around 6:00 p.m. ready to discuss the first essay of Lewis' book God in the Dock, entitled "Evil and God." I'm thinking that I and those who come will be there for a couple of hours, so late is OK. If you'd like to come to a men's discussion, but cannot make this one, be sure to let me know. The time and place for future meetings is certainly on the table for discussion.

With the first installment of Peter Jackson's new movie, The Hobbit, due for release 14 Dec., we need to have a meeting in the autumn dedicated to Lewis and Tolkien. I'll be working on this and will keep you in touch.

Important details:
The Weight of Glory, ISBN-13: 978-0060653200
God in the Dock, ISBN-13: 978-0802808684
The Camp House: http://thecamphouse.com
The Honest Pint: http://thehonestpint.com

A big thank you to the few, that happy few, who have helped make our plans. Wishing you all a blessed new year, I remain,

Your servant,

David Beckmann
Moderator

The C. S. Lewis Minute

2011-11-11T02:47:00.000-08:00

A fun blog for us Lewis fans:
http://lewisminute.wordpress.com/

15 October Interview with Douglas Gresham

2011-10-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Middle Earth Network has a podcast interview with Douglas Gresham which is very interesting. You can get a free download of the podcast by searching I-Tunes for Middle Earth Network - it's free!

Fall, 2011 Meeting - Letters to Malcolm

2011-09-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Letters to Malcolm - Chiefly on Prayer will be the subject of the next meeting of the C. S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga. It is not a long book, so if you wish to attend, you have time to read it. We will meet on Friday, 21 October, at The Camp House, 1427 Williams St., on the Southside of Chattanooga, near Broad and Main. We'll be in the front room of the building across the street from Camp House Espresso (yes, dear Latin students, it would be Expresso in Latin, but we accommodate to the Italians). The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and last an hour, with time for conversation afterwards. Hope to see you there.

Meeting Debrief:
We had 27 people to attend and they seemed to appreciate the discussion, even though I (the moderator) had us read one of the letters about a subject that Lewis himself never thought he'd figured out. Great. Here's the deal: Lewis wanted to write a book on prayer in 1953, but one of his biggest obstacles was trying to figure out how the Bible can promise that we can ask anything we want in prayer, with faith, and receive it, while, at the same time, we find the kind of praying that Jesus did in Gethsemane that leaves room for God to deny the request. Lewis decided to set the book aside; he felt out of his depth. Then, ten years later, he writes Letters to Malcolm, and in the 11th letter he goes back to this old problem. Now, I thought it would be good to see if Lewis had progressed any in those ten years. He had not. He still had questions about the issue and now so do we! :-) Well, thankfully, our attendees had a lot of good comments to make about prayer and our relationship with God, and so the conversation ended up being edifying after all - thankfully. I'm challenged to spend more time analyzing Lewis' arguments and trying to better understand his problem with these promises. If I come up with anything, I'll share it with you here. Our next meeting should be in January. Details will follow. In the meantime, remember that all God's promises are ultimately invitations to come to Him and find in Himself all we really need.

A Conversation on the Imagination of C.S. Lewis

2011-07-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Alan Jacobs, Doug Wilson, and ND Wilson: A Conversation on the Imagination of C.S. Lewis.
Topics covered: Imagination of C.S. Lewis, Lewis and film adaptation, Lewis and technology, comparisons between Lewis and Tolkien, Narnia and the Seven Planets, and much more!

Alan Jacobs, ND Wilson, and Doug Wilson in conversation | Full Edition from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

The UTC Annual C. S. Lewis Lectureship

2011-06-01T12:28:00.001-07:00

The committee in charge of the annual C. S. Lewis Lectureship at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga now has a page on the web. You can view it here. It's not associated with a domain name just yet; working on that.

Will Vaus promotes his new book

2011-06-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

At our last meeting of the Society, Will Vaus told us about his writing and publishing of Mere Theology and answered questions from those attending. He also took a minute to introduce his new book, Speaking of Jack. Sorry about the watermark, but I'm trying out a new editing program, using their trial version.

Amazon link for the book.

Meeting May 20 with Will Vaus

2011-05-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to having Will Vaus with us again, this time as he kicks off his book-signing tour for his new book Speaking of Jack. He will also talk with us about his book Mere Theology, which we have been reading over the last few months. This is going to be a terrific way to finish off our 2010-2011 year! Will is a walking Lewis encyclopedia and our discussions with him are always very interesting.

The meeting will start at 7:00 P.M., Friday, 20 May, at the CAMP House, 1427 Williams St., near Broad and Main. You don't want to miss it!

Will's new book is a one-volume study guide to 40 of C. S. Lewis' books, compiled through the years as Will has been involved in various C. S. Lewis Societies. It's put together so you can read through Lewis' works in a three-year period and have discussions with your friends about it. As Dr. Diana Pavlac Glyer (author of The Company They Keep) says about the book, "Good books. Good friends. Good conversations. Will Vaus has found the perfect way to bring them all together. It's genius, and I recommend it." Will is bringing copies of this new book for sale and he'll be happy to autograph them for you. Visit Will's blog by going to: www.willvaus.com.

Update, 17 May: Dr. Debbie Higgins, the current manager of the Kilns - the home of C. S. Lewis in Oxford, UK - will be with us at our meeting as well.

Recent Lecture by Peter Kreeft Now Available

2011-04-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dr. Peter Kreeft was speaker at the 2011 annual C. S. Lewis Lecture at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga this past March 31. The lecture was recorded on audio tape and subsequently as a .mp3 file. The recording is a little over 1 hour long, including the introductory words by Dr. Bryan Hampton and some questions and answers at the end. You may listen to the lecture or download it by clicking here.

Events Update

2011-04-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Michael Ward lecture at Sewanee, 26 March.

For those of you who could not attend, Michael's lecture was about "seven springs of scholarship" related to Lewis studies that are currently flowing. Now that I'm going over my notes, I find I have more than 7 things and one of them is a little garbled. So! I'll contact Michael for clarification. In the mean time, he did speak of the following:
1) The Cambridge Companion to C. S. Lewis, which Ward has co-edited. Of course, he was speaking at the North American release of the book.
2) The Latin translation by C. S. Lewis of Virgil's Aeneid. This is a remarkable publication, being newly available original material by Lewis.
3) A new biography on Joy Davidman is soon to be released, and Michael said it is written by a woman who knows more about Joy Davidman than anyone else. E-notes has the following entry:
"A comprehensive biography of Joy Davidman, her life and works, is currently being written by New York City-based writer Abigail Santamaria; the book will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Spring 2011."
4) A new biography on Lewis is coming out, written by Anglican theologian Alister McGrath.
5) George Marsden, well-known Church Historian, is going to publish a book which is supposed to be a biography of Lewis's Mere Christianity. That sounds interesting.
6) An important collection of essays related to C. S. Lewis' thoughts about the Church has been published (last week), entitled C. S. Lewis and the Church: Essays in Honour of Walter Hooper, by Wolfe and Wolfe.
7) Michael has an important essay in a new book: Imaginative Apologetics: A Theology, Philosophy and the Catholic Tradition, edited by The Revd. Dr. Andrew Davison. In fact, it was from this essay that Michael spoke to us the rest of the time and it was very, very good material.

Dr. Peter Kreeft lecture at UTC, Thursday, 1 April.

Dr. Kreeft was the speaker at the annual C. S. Lewis Lecture here at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. He spoke on Lewis' concept of Joy and it was, of course, fabulous. It was a "standing room only" event. The lecture was recorded and I hope to soon have the thing digitalized and available for you here.

C. S. Lewis's Lost Aeneid: Arms and the Exile

2011-03-04T07:37:00.001-08:00

First release; recently found text. Can you believe it?
Link to Amazon.

Sewanee Conference - it's this Saturday, the 26th

2011-03-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

Go here for information and RSVP on the national release of the Cambridge Companion to C. S. Lewis and day-long conference.

Our Next Meeting - 4 March

2011-02-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

The next meeting of our Society will be Friday, 4 March, 7:00-8:00 P.M. at The Camp House, 1427 Williams Street on the southside of Chattanooga, near Broad and Main. We will cover chapters 8-13 of Mere Theology: The Holy Spirit, Forgiveness of Sins, Faith and Works, Satan and Temptation, The Tao, Venus. Be sure to get a great cup of coffee at the Windfarm Coffee Bar and then come across the street to the Camp House craft room for our discussion. If you don't get the chapters read, come anyway. Hope to see you there!

New Journal

2011-01-23T16:23:00.001-08:00

http://www.inklings-studies.com/

Our meeting this month

2011-01-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

Our January meeting will be on Friday, the 28th, at The Camp House, 1427 Williams Street, on the Southside of Chattanooga near Broad and Main. Our topic of discussion will be the first several chapters of Will Vaus' book Mere Theology: "Defending the Faith", "Scripture", "The Three-Personal God", "God’s Sovereignty and Human Responsibility", "Creation", "The Fall", "The Person and Work of Christ".

The meeting will be from 7:00 to 8:00 P.M.

We'll be meeting in the Craft Workshop room across the street, so after you get your gourmet coffee at the Camp House, come on over. This cozier room has been working well for us.

Look forward to seeing you there!

2011 Plans - Out to those on our e-mail list a few days ago

2011-01-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Fans of C. S. Lewis:

Spring, 2011 Schedule of Meetings

Note: Specific dates and times to be posted ASAP.

We will do something different over the next several months. We will work through Will Vaus’ book Mere Theology – a Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis. The book is comprised of 25 chapters dealing with various theological themes found in Lewis’ writings. It’s like a course on Christian theology with Lewis as your guide. At our meetings, in between sips of coffee, we will discuss what we have read in preparation for the meeting.

The schedule will be as follows:
28 January, chapters 1-7: Defending the Faith, Scripture, The Three-Personal God, God’s Sovereignty and Human Responsibility, Creation, The Fall, The Person and Work of Christ.
4 March (No February mtg.), chapters 8-13: The Holy Spirit, Forgiveness of Sins, Faith and Works, Satan and Temptation, The Tao, Venus.
24 April, chapters 14-19: Marriage and Divorce, Men Are from Mars, I Am the King’s Man, War and Peace, What’s Love Got to Do with It?, and The Church.
20 May, chapters 20-25: Prayer, The Sacraments, Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, The World’s Last Night.

You will need to have a book and do the best you can to read the chapters ahead of time. Thankfully, Vaus’ style is very readable. You will have no problem getting through the book and appreciating his summary of Lewis’ teaching on these subjects. It will be a good exercise for us all. Dates and details will follow.

A Special March

March will be special. Beside our meeting on the 4th, you are all invited to attend the North American Book Launch of The Cambridge Companion to C. S. Lewis and Day Conference. This will be held at The University of the South, in Sewanee, Saturday, 26 March. The co-editors of the book, The Rev. Dr. Michael Ward and the Rev. Dr. Rob MacSwain, will be present. See the Thursday, 3 March, link above for more info and RSVP.

But that’s not all!

March is also the time of the year for the annual University of Tennessee at Chattanooga C. S. Lewis Lecture. This year we are delighted to have Dr. Peter Kreeft of Boston College as our speaker. Dr. Kreeft is a wonderful speaker; warm, devout and very intelligent. He has authored many books and plays a very important part in helping people to understand the Christian view of the world, or at least what it ought to be. He will be speaking on evening of Thursday, 31 March. You really do not want to miss this. For more information on Dr. Kreeft, visit his website.

Conference anyone?

It’s been a long time since we had a conference. Our last was with The Rev. Dr. Lyle Dorsett of Beeson Seminary. It was very good. We ought to have another. I’m working on plans to have a weekend conference in the fall of 2011. I’ve already secured Dr. Jim Peters of Sewanee as a speaker and am waiting to hear back from some others. We do not have a date or a theme as yet, but as things develop, I’ll be sure to let you know.

In the meantime, secure your copy of Mere Theology and I look forward to seeing you in January.

Our December Meeting

2010-11-29T14:10:00.001-08:00

The next meeting of our Society will be Friday, 17 December, at 7:00 P.M. We will meet again in the workshop room of the Camphouse, 1427 Williams Street, near Broad and Main on the Southside. We will view the hour-long documentary made on Michael Ward's amazing book, Planet Narnia. It's called The Narnia Code, and you don't want to miss it. The film aired on the BBC in England and has just been released in the States.

By the way, Michael will be in our neck of the woods (Sewanee) in March; more news to follow about that.

Do come and join us. Feel free to bring some kind of party treat; we'll be celebrating the Christmas season at our meeting as well. The Camphouse Windfarm coffee house will also be open. We hope you can join us for the fun!

Dr Debbie Higgins, Warden of The Kilns

2010-11-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Just got this photo of our friend Debbie Higgins, who is now the hostess of the Kilns. The photo is by Will Vaus, who was just over there. You can see more of Will's photos from his trip by going here.

New interview with Douglas Gresham

2010-11-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

A lot about the new movie.
Go here:http://www.crosswalk.com/Narnia/11641610/page0/

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010-11-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

The next meeting of our Society will be next week, Friday, 19 Nov., 7:00 P.M. at the Camp House, 1427 Williams Street, near S. Broad and Main, on the Southside. Our topic will be Lewis' book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Come ready to talk about your favourite parts. We'll also discuss the meaning of the book and the various unique features of it. With the movie coming out in a few weeks, it will be a great time to refresh your memory on one of the favourite Narnia books. Hope to see you there!

Image source: http://fusedfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/narnia3acover.jpg

Narnia Invaded

2010-11-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

An interesting article on the movies.

Let's all go to Huntsville!

2010-11-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Go here for more info on the exhibition.

Barnes & Noble Bookfair - Sat. 6 Nov.

2010-10-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Lewis' birthday, we have scheduled a book fair with the Hamilton Place Barnes & Noble, for 6 Nov. You can find it on their website here. More details to follow directly.

Update: Here's the schedule we are working on:

9:00 A.M. – Book Fair celebrating the birthday of C. S. Lewis begins. Free bookmarks to all who visit the store. Sign onto the C. S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga e-mail list for a chance to win a free book by Lewis. Pick up a voucher at the greeting table so that a part of your purchase this week, in the store or on-line, may benefit the Society.
10:00 A.M. – Adult/teen discussion: “Why the Excitement Over Planet Narnia?” Michael Ward’s book, published in 2008, is hailed as the most important book ever written on The Chronicles of Narnia. In this half-hour informal presentation, we will learn what the excitement is all about.
11:00 A.M. – 15 minute dramatic reading of a passage from The Chronicles of Narnia in the children’s section of the store.
2:00 P.M. – 15 minute dramatic reading of a passage from The Chronicles of Narnia in the children’s section of the store.
3:00 P.M. – Adult/teen forum: Bring one of your favourite passages from Lewis’ writings and we will read and discuss them together.
7:00 P.M. – Adult/teen session: Rev. David Beckmann will present a paper entitled “Fairy Tales: Worlds of Imagination in the Writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis”.

Our October Meeting: "Through Joy and Beyond"

2010-10-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

This just off to our e-mail list friends, about our meeting this coming Friday, the 15th of October:

We had Dr. Peters scheduled to speak at our October meeting this year, but we will have to schedule him for another time. Instead, we are going to view the 1979 documentary on the life of Lewis entitled "Through Joy and Beyond." This is probably the most important documentary made on Lewis' life, because there were so many more people alive in those days who remembered Lewis. It was produced by Bob O'Donnell, known for his radio show "Unshackled." He was able to get the famous actor Peter Ustinov to do the voice of Lewis. The narrator is Walter Hooper, Lewis' personal secretary. Many of the scenes in the film were much like they were in Lewis' time. Dr. Havard, Lewis' physician and co-Inking, was interviewed in the Eagle and Child pub. It's a great film and will take 60 minutes to watch.

It would be a good idea, if you have the time, to listen to the interview with Bob O'Donnell and his son Marty (of Halo fame) on the Kindling's Muse website. You may listen to the podcast by going here. This will give you a better appreciation for the movie.

There was also a book published to go along with the documentary. I happen to have a copy (it's very rare) and I'll bring it so you can see it. Will Vaus says it has pictures you'll not see anywhere else.

As usual, our meeting will be held at the CAMP House, 1427 Williams Street, near Broad and Main. Come a little early (the place will be open) and have a cup of coffee at the Windfarm Coffee Bar. Hope you can come. We'll look forward to seeing you there.

Our September Meeting

2010-09-19T17:13:00.001-07:00

Some of the main points of the discussion, lead by Rev. Beckmann, were:
1) The book, Surprised by Joy, is not an autobiography, properly speaking, but a treatise on what Lewis calls "joy" using autobiographical elements. He calls his work "the history of joy" at the beginning of chapter 11.
2) The technical term used in literary studies for what Lewis calls "joy" is Sehnsucht. Lewis mentions it in the first chapter of the book. Corbin Carnell's definition of Sehnsucht is that it is an attitude, the essence of which is a sense of separation from what is desired, a ceaseless longing which always points beyond. (Carnell, Corbin Scott, Bright Shadow of Reality - Spiritual Longing in C. S. Lewis, Eerdmans, 1974, ISBN: 0802846270, p. 23.)
3) We noted the way "joy" is described by other authors, especially Wordsworth, in his poem "Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind."
4) Simone Weil, in Waiting on God, p. 165 (1951), "When we possess a beautiful thing, we still desire something. We do not in the least know what it is. We want to get behind the beauty, but it ... like a mirror sends back our own desire for goodness. It is a ... mystery that is painfully tantalizing."
5) We looked at how Lewis uses the theme of joy in his various writings, reading his poem "The Landing" and from The Pilgrim's Regress and Perelandra.
6) The idea of the land of fairie is a powerful catalyst for Sehnsucht, but Lewis does not try to write fairie stories like MacDonald or Tolkien. See Tolkien's Smyth of Wooton Major.
7) Lewis' argument that "joy" establishes the fact of the reality of what is desired is critical for Christian apologetic.
8) Short audio of my comments at the end of the meeting, relating the experience of "joy" with Christian living.

Fall, 2010 Schedule

2010-08-21T14:11:00.001-07:00

This just posted to all those on our e-mail list:

Friday, 17 September: "The Joy of Surprised by Joy"
Surprised by Joy is one of Lewis' most beloved books. In it, we learn of how he lost his Christian faith and then later regained it. We also encounter one of Lewis' favourite themes: "joy", that delightful, stabbing pain that points one to the true source of lasting happiness. In this meeting, we will study the nature of this joy, its ubiquity throughout literature, and how it relates, both to Lewis' conversion, and to the colour of his Christian life. As we look into some of his other works, such as Till We Have Faces, Letters to Malcolm, and some of Lewis' poetry, we will find that this theme of joy permeates his writings. Yes, I suspect we'll have more to talk about than we will have time.

Friday 15 October: Our speaker for this month is not going to be able to come. We are in the process of deciding what to do about this meeting.

Friday, 19 November: The Voyage of the Dawntreader
As we anticipate the release of the newest Narnia movie in December, we will spend time talking about this wonderful, beautiful book. We'll enjoy the story together again, while considering the lessons it teaches about the nature of both the world of Narnia and our own. Some time will also be spent reviewing what various authors teach us about the book, such as Michael Ward, Will Vaus, and Jonathan Rogers.

Friday, 17 December: Voyage of the Dawntreader movie debrief
This will be simply a fun meeting to talk about the movie, which will have come out by this time. [It will be] A great way to spend time with fellow Lewis fans as we anticipate the joy of Christmas.

All meetings will start at 7:00 P.M. at the CAMP House, 1427 Williams Street on the Southside.

Looking forward to Autumn

2010-07-26T10:57:00.001-07:00

Autumn was Lewis' favourite time of the year and we like it because we will then resume our monthly meetings. November and December will be dedicated to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In November, we will review the book, and in December we will meet after the movie comes out to review the movie and generally celebrate its release. Sept. and Oct. are still on the burner.

Our friend, Dr. Debbie Higgins, taking leave from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, is moving to the Kilns August 1st. You will recall that the Kilns was the Lewis home in Oxford. She is going to be the new manager there. If you would like to contribute to her financial support, contact the C. S. Lewis Foundation. We look forward to her reports about her ministry in Oxford.

Here's some more information on the Kilns. Be sure to check out the gallery.

1 August update: The local paper has done an article on Debbie's work at the Kilns. You can read the article and hear her talk about it by clicking here.

Gresham and McLean Interview

2010-06-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Watch a terrific interview with Lewis's son-in-law, Douglas Gresham, and Max McLean, performer of the play Screwtape. Thanks to The Christian Post for the code. Go to their link and you can see the wider version of the interview.

Planet Narnia in Paperback

2010-05-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

Michael Ward's Planet Narnia is now available in paperback. According to Michael: "Much cheaper than the hardback and containing a new preface and a number of corrections and improvements" - it's available from Amazon.

Our May Meeting with Dr. Don King - Debrief

2010-05-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

Pictured are, from the left, Chris Sorenson, pastor and administrator of the Camp House with his wife, Angie, Dr. Don King, Sheila and David Beckmann, Moderator of the Society.

We were so pleased to have Dr. Don King of Montreat College. speak to us at our May meeting. Dr. King is an expert on C. S. Lewis' poetry and has just finished a book on the letters of Lewis' wife, Joy Davidman Lewis.

The seminar with Dr. King was held at The Camp House, 1427 Williams Street, on the Southside of Chattanooga on Saturday, 22 May. The agenda was as follows:

9:00 a.m. - Introduction and brief reading from Lewis' poetry
9:15 - Dr. King will speak on “C. S. Lewis, Poet: The Legacy of His Poetic Impulse”
10:15 to 10:30 - question and answer.
10:30 - Break, Coffee, etc.
10:50 or so - Reading from Lewis' poetry
11:00 - Dr. King speaks “Out of My Bone: The Letters of Joy Davidman”
11:45 - Question and answer time
12:00 noon, we adjourn

Reflections by the Moderator:

Dr. King expanded our appreciation of Lewis by getting us into his poetry, which is something hardly any of us had ever done. The result for the attendees was, I think I can safely say, that we are all fans of Lewis' poetry now.

Lewis' early poetry adds the emotional element to his younger years that is missing in Surprised by Joy. You can feel the intensity of his pain and resentment toward God.

His later poetry is a door into the same or similar worlds we love in Narnia and his other fiction. They give you a chance to experience the same wonder of the books in a different context, a different setting.

His poetry is also a way to study Lewis' personal life. King gave us a helpful chronology (with bibliography) of Lewis' poetry. I saved a few copies, so if you want one, let me know.

Dr. King also pointed out a lesson of Christian discipleship from Lewis' dream of being a successful poet. He had to die to that dream so that the Lord might use his imaginative poetic powers for his kingdom; that Lewis might write monumental prose of poetic beauty.

After having Dr. King with us, I think we will regularly refer to Lewis' poetry in our future meetings as a way of becoming more familiar with him, and of enjoying in bite-size fashion his wonderful imagination.

Many thanks to Aaron for the coffee, to Adam & Dr. Higgins for the delicious goodies, and to the rest of the Camp House crew for reserving their facility for us this past Saturday morning. By the way, their new coffee bar is great and we look forward to having it available to us for the Friday night meetings we will resume in September.

We Revisit Narnia in April

2010-03-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Will Vaus has done it again! Another great book for Lewis fans, and this time he leads us on an exploration of Narnia. The book, The Hidden Story of Narnia, is "hot off the press," and Will is going to revisit our Society and tell us all about it. The meeting will be at The Camp House, 1427 Williams Street, in the Southside of Chattanooga, Friday 23 April, at 7:00 P.M.

By the way, in a recent e-mail to those on our list, I attributed the following quote about Will's book to Dr. Bruce Edwards:
"What a delightful--and helpful--book! Readers of Lewis' Narnia books will enjoy splashing back into the stories and thinking about the enduring truths so freshly evoked by Lewis and highlighted by Will Vaus. Though rooted in solid scholarship and theology, The Hidden Story of Narnia is accessible to those new to both. It will take you back to The Chronicles of Narnia for another look--at the books, at yourself."

However, now that I look at the page on Will's website again, I think I've got the reviewers mixed up. The above quote seems to be from Wayne Martindale, Professor of English, Wheaton College. Bruce's quote is as follows:

"As with his previous work on C. S. Lewis, Will Vaus provides clarity and informed perspective, taking us behind the scenes of the origins and meaning of Narnia. The teacher as well as the student of Narnia will find this a very useful volume."

Oh well - we get the point: great book!

Hope to see you in April and be sure to tell everyone that the meeting is not at Rock Point Books, as it has been in the past, but at The Camp House. Thank you!

Debrief:
Our new venue at the Camp House worked out really well. Will was able to put his powerpoint on their screens, plenty of room for everybody, sound was good, and - and! - parking was great! Will introduced his new book, spending most of the time on Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Quite enjoyable and we look forward to having Will with us again.

A New Venue for our Society

2010-03-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

After several great years at Rock Point Books, we are going to have to move our meetings to another venue. Changes have taken place at Rock Point that have been good for their business, but, sadly, they are not working for us.

We have been graciously invited by Chris Sorenson to meet at The Camp House, located at 1427 William's Street in the Southside of Chattanooga. The building is the main studio of a famous local artist, but most of it has been remodeled into a multi-purpose facility that will - hopefully by the time of our next meeting - include a coffee shop. And the parking will be better! Huzzah!

Please be sure to tell your friends about the change. As stated elsewhere, our next meeting will be Friday, 23 April, with Will Vaus. Hope to see you there!

March Meeting This Friday

2010-03-24T11:34:00.001-07:00

We have reached the conclusion of Lewis' Cosmic Trilogy (I'm liking that label) and it's time to get together and talk about what we are learning from it. We will be privileged to have Dr. Steve Barnes from Shorter College in Rome to lead our discussion. Friday, March 26, the meeting will again be at Rock Point Books, 4th & Broad, 7:00 P.M. and I promise to be sure the sound works better this time. You are invited, so come and join us!

Debrief:
We had our March meeting last night with Dr. Steve Barnes of Shorter College. His presentation on That Hideous Strength was very interesting. If you will recall, the various planets of our solar system are involved in the the story, in that their angels come to Earth to thwart the devil's plot to destroy Logres (the True England, according to Arthurian tradition). These angels are the true gods behind the classical idea of the planets and their divinities. What Steve did was to trace the Western understanding of these gods, especially Venus and Mars, from the Greeks to the Christian tradition. He then wove this understanding into Lewis' story and helped us to see how the later characteristics of Venus and Mars played a role. He convincingly explained that the main organizing theme of the book was Matrimony. The book begins with a matrimony that is unhealthy and troubled and ends with Venus and Mars & Co. straightening all that out. Through it all, Lewis is trying to help us to understand the importance of the physical part of human nature. Fascinating.

Google Review of Don King's Book on Lewis the Poet

2010-03-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

If you have not read King's book on Lewis the Poet and do not yet have a copy, you may like perusing the book on Google. You can read the excerpts by going here.
Dr. King will be with us in May.

28th Annual C. S. Lewis Lecture at UTC This Month

2010-03-06T04:49:00.001-08:00

Don't forget that Monday, 22 March, 7:30 P.M., Dr. Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School, will be speaking on the subject "The Making of the English Bible." The annual UTC C. S. Lewis lectures are sponsored by Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, Covenant College, and UTC. The lecture will be at the Benwood Auditorium, in the Engineering Building, located at Vine and Palmetto. See you there!

Update: Just got back a while ago; great lecture, mostly on Tyndale's work. Some good Q & A afterwards. Thanks for coming, Dr. George!

Our February Meeting

2010-02-14T04:04:00.000-08:00

Our February meeting of the Society is this Friday, 7:00 P.M., at Rock Point Books, 4th & Broad St. Our topic will be the second of C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy books (or Cosmic Trilogy, or Ransom Trilogy, or whatever!), Perelandra. The discussion will be lead by Art Crouch. The public is invited and come whether you've read the book or not. Hope to see you there!

Postpost - Thanks Art for a great discussion!

Living Sacrifices

2010-01-27T12:11:00.000-08:00

In case you are interested, I've posted a brief sermon on Solid People which shows something of what C. S. Lewis' book Till We Have Faces and St. Paul's letter to the Romans have in common. The sermon lasts about 17 minutes and you can listen by going here.

C. S. Lewis and Science Fiction

2010-01-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

I have posted a brief video summary of my lecture on C. S. Lewis, Science Fiction, and Out of the Silent Planet at our last meeting on the Solid People blog. Go to Solid People to view it.

CCCF Partnership

2010-01-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

Good news! Our Society has long been friends with the folks at Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation (CCCF). We have now arranged for you to make tax-deductible contributions to the C. S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga through CCCF. You can simply send your cheque to them with a note that the money is to go to help our Society. For more information on CCCF, you can go here. Their mailing address is:
Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation
736 Market Street
Suite 700
Chattanooga, TN 37402
Our plan is to use the funds to help us meet expenses associated with having special speakers.
Thank you!

Meetings over coming months

2010-01-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

We had a good turnout at Rock Point Books for the first of our 3 meetings about Lewis' Space Trilogy (or Ransom Trilogy, if you will). The February meeting will be on Friday, the 19th. The March date is having to be changed. Will Vaus will be with us on 23 April instead of 16 April. Don King is still coming in May. We'll continue to keep you posted on details.

Christian Happiness

2010-01-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

I just wrote a brief blog entry at Solid People to comment on David Horner's article in April on C. S. Lewis and his ethical understanding. You may find it helpful.

First Meeting of the New Year!

2009-12-31T07:09:00.000-08:00

We start off 2010 with the bang of rocket engines as we enter the world of Science Fiction with one of its famous fans: C. S. Lewis! We will discuss the first of his Space Trilogy books: Out of the Silent Planet. If you've not read these, you are in for a treat!

Our meeting to discuss the book will be at Rock Point Books, 4th & Broad St., in downtown Chattanooga. We'll meet at 7:00 P.M. on Friday, 15 January. Hope you can get the book read ahead of time, but if not, come anyway!

(Image source)

Audio of Sheldon Vanauken

2009-12-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

Our friend Will Vaus has posted a link to a recording of Sheldon Vanauken reading the first chapter of his famous book A Severe Mercy. You can hear it by going here. Thanks, Will!

Our December Meeting this Friday

2009-12-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

This was just sent to our e-mail list:

Dear Fans of C. S. Lewis:

Our December meeting will be this Friday, 7:00 p.m., at Rock Point Books, 4th and Broad, downtown. We will discuss the final section of Lewis' Mere Christianity. It's just the thing for us to study at this time of year. The 4th book is about the incarnation of the Son of God and His purpose to make us sons of God. We hope you can come.

The last chapter in Mere Christianity is entitled "The New Men." Thankfully, Lewis' broadcast of the substance of that chapter has survived! You can listen to it by going here:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/cslewisbeyondpersonality.htm

You'll find he gets around to the material in "The New Men" in the latter part.

I'll also post this on our website. Maybe I'll play it at the meeting, too!

...

Hope you can come Friday. If not, let me here wish you and your loved ones a blessed and merry Christmas!

Long live the True King!

Happy Birthday Mr. Lewis!

2009-11-29T04:18:00.001-08:00

2010 UTC C. S. Lewis Lecture

2009-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

Put it on your calendar! Dr. Timothy George of Beeson Divinity School is scheduled to give the 2010 C. S. Lewis Lecture Monday, March 22, at UTC at 7:30 p.m. His subject is "The Making of the English Bible", but the exact title is yet to be determined. The lecture is free and the public is invited.
I assume the location will be the same as usual: the Benwood Auditorium, in the new Engineering Building. If it is otherwise, I'll post it here when that is definite.

C. S. Lewis Weekend

2009-11-23T03:50:00.000-08:00

We had a great time this past weekend with the November meeting of our Society and the Screwtape play in town. At our meeting, we discussed the third book of Mere Christianity, "Christian Behaviour". If you want the handout, you can download a WORD doc by clicking here.

The play with Max McClean and Karen Wight was terrific! Attendance was good at all performances and we had a lot of people to stay behind Saturday night for the post-performance discussion. Thanks to all the folks at FPA for coming to town, and thanks to Rev. Novenson for inviting them.

At our post-performance discussion on Saturday evening, one attendee noted that Lewis found writing the Letters to be spiritually uncomfortable and asked Max how he liked playing Screwtape. Max said he loved it! Well, we loved having him do it as well!

For more information about Fellowship for the Performing Arts and the Screwtape play visit ScrewtapeOnStage.com.

Screwtape and Wormwood on Twitter

2009-11-10T10:10:00.001-08:00

Be sure to follow them! Fun!
Go here.

Lewis First Editions?!

2009-11-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Interested? Check these people out!
"Santa Cruz Books is pleased to offer the books of C.S.Lewis & friends that are worthy to be read often.We provide an ever changing selection of well-priced 1st editions in addition to used and new books for your delight and pleasure.Enjoy browsing and email with any questions.Thank you for visiting."

Lovely Interview with Michael Ward

2009-10-26T12:01:00.001-07:00

Premier Audio, in England, has an audio interview with Michael Ward about his work in the book Planet Narnia. It's very enjoyable to listen to because of the readings from the books and the great insights Michael has about the books. Give a listen here.

2009-10-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

N. T. Wright Reviews Planet Narnia Again

2009-10-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

In May, we posted here a review of Planet Narnia by Bishop N. T. Wright. He has now published another review in The London Times (online). You can read it here.

Our October Meeting

2009-10-20T11:35:00.001-07:00

We had close to 30 people at Rock Point Books to discuss Book 2 of Mere Christianty last Friday. During the meeting, we discussed Lewis' "trilemma." Rev. Beckmann referred to the following:
N. T. Wright's critque of Mere Christianity.
Will Vaus' answer to Wright is found here.
Vaus's answers to Wright's first two points were recommended. Wright's words about Lewis' ignoring the Jewish context of the one passage regarding the forgiveness of sins was contradicted by Mr. Beckmann. It was also pointed out that Lewis refers to other passages where Christ claimed divinity beside that particular one. Mr. Beckmann also thought Wright was assuming too much in his analysis of Jesus' psychology.
We had a good time - and Rock Point is now the location of a new Moon Pie General Store!

C. S. Lewis in the Local Paper Again

2009-09-26T18:38:00.001-07:00

You can read today's article by clicking here.

Post-Show Discussion

2009-09-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

We will have a post-show discussion with Max McLean after the Saturday, 8:00 p.m. performance of Screwtape at the Tivoli Theatre in November. If you want to participate, please notify our moderator, Rev. Beckmann, dnb48 @ comcast.net.

Our First Meeting for This Season

2009-09-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great first meeting for this year last night. About 25 people attended. Business news as follows:

First of all: about the Screwtape play in November (see more news in previous posts)
1) there will be a post-show discussion with Max McLean, the main actor, after the Sat. night performance for our Society and friends.
2) We are trying to get a group discount on the tickets for our Society. The more folks we have in our "group" the better the discount. I've told them I would be gathering a group from our Society and CCS as well and they are fine with that. If you have not already got tickets and want to come I need to know right away if you will commit so I can include you in our group. I won't know what kind of a discount we get until I have a definite number.

New Book: You'll love the book I have pictured here, The Inklings of Oxford. It's new, the story - based primarily on Lewis' life - is enjoyable and informative, and the pictures are fabulous. ISBN-13: 978-0310285038

Mere Christianity - We spent about half an hour on the preface (!) and then went overtime (a first) talking about Book One. A few key points:
1) "Mere" Christianity is the Christianity of the "catholic" (universal) creeds: the Apostles' and the Nicene. All Christians agree to these and they were agreed upon by the whole Church in council at that time. People who hold to these creeds may differ on other matters, but we must take John 17 seriously (Jesus is not just talking about unity in your local church!).
2) As for mere "Christianity," the term Christian should be applied as a noun not an adjective. It represents someone who professes the catholic Faith, and who would be, of course, baptized. Their profession should be taken on good faith unless they go back on in it some way, either in profession or behaviour. The Scriptures have higher standards for Church officers. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart - so we must be gracious and charitable to all that profess the faith.
3) Scriptural proofs of the existence of the Moral Law in the heart of man:
a) We are created in God's image (Gen.) and God is a moral being.
b) John 1 - Jesus enlightens all who come into the world.
c) Romans 1 - God has revealed himself in us.
d) Romans 2 - People without the Bible (the Law) have the morality of the Bible in their hearts, as is proven by their actions and moral judgments of each other.
Also, see the Appendix on the Tao, in Lewis' The Abolition of Man.

We look forward to seeing you at our October meeting, when we will dicuss Mere Christianity, Book Two.

Recording of Lewis on the BBC: "Mere Men"

2009-07-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a recording of Lewis reading his "Beyond Personality" material, entitled "Mere Men." It is the basis for the last chapter in Mere Christianity. It was broadcast on 21 March 1944. You can hear him by going here or you can go here.

Books That Bring Joy

2009-07-29T05:33:00.001-07:00

This is an article that appeared in the March, 2006 Guideposts. Another testimony to "joy".

Books That Bring Joy

Max McLean coming to the Tivoli in November

2009-07-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

You may have learned of Max McLean's stage rendition of C. S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. He is coming to Chattanooga for performances at the Tivoli Theatre, November 20-22. Considering that we will have our November meeting on Friday the 20th, this will be a real "C. S. Lewis Weekend" for Lewis fans in Chattanooga.
You can learn more about the play and obtain tickets to the performance by going here. Be sure to put this weekend on your calendar!

Plans Confirmed for this Fall

2009-07-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Updated, 29 July.

Thank you for all your replies. It seems that the following plan is a winner. Here is the schedule:

We will divide our next four meetings according to the four parts of Mere Christianity:
September 18: "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe",
October 23: "What Christians Believe",
November 20: "Christian Behaviour",
December 18: "Beyond Personality: or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity".

All meetings will be at 7:00 p.m., at Rock Point Books, 4th and Broad Street in downtown Chattanooga.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Unpublished C.S. Lewis manuscript Found

2009-07-20T07:44:00.001-07:00

Read about it all by clicking here.
From the article:
"The article Beebe wrote documenting his discovery, “Language and Human Nature Manuscript Fragment Found: C. S. Lewis On Language and Meaning,” will be published next year in the Journal Seven: An Anglo-American Literary Review."
For information on this publication, see our Nexus section (right hand column), VII.
I have seen no news on when the manuscript will be published, but its publishing is mentioned by Beebe.

Will Vaus Interviewed on 100 Huntley Street

2009-06-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

May 21, our friend Will Vaus, author of The Professor of Narnia, appeared on Canada TV, interviewed by Moira Brown. You can watch the video on YouTube.
FYI, homepage for the program: http://www.100huntley.com/index.php
Will Vaus' site can be found in our links.

N. T. Wright Reviews Planet Narnia

2009-05-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, has just written a review of Michael Ward's Planet Narnia. With permission, it appears below:

"Michael Ward's Planet Narnia is an example of a very rare species: a work of literary detection which, despite the breathtaking daring of its central thesis, is utterly convincing and compelling. Once you realise -- as most of Lewis's enthusiastic readers have not done -- the extent to which their hero was soaked in mediaeval cosmology, and saw some of its key elements as pointers to profound aspects of God-given reality, the pieces fall into place with the combined thrill of an aesthetic, intellectual and spiritual satisfaction. Ward anticipates and more than answers every possible objection to his stunning proposal. His detailed scholarship, down to the use of Lewis's underlining of particular passages in his own copies of obscure mediaeval poetry, reinforces the thesis at every point. Reading the Narnia books will, in the best sense, never be the same again -- not that anything will be lost, but that an entire new layer of understanding will be present, shedding a quiet but powerful light on each story and on the collection as a whole. It's rather like the moment when Albert Schweitzer explained to his French organ teacher what the Bach chorales were all about, by referring them back to the Lutheran hymns Bach had in mind, a whole world of which French Catholicism had been ignorant. Suddenly the music made a whole new sense, without losing anything of its previous beauty. What's more, Ward's own writing, though academically rigorous in expounding complex and sometimes abstract themes, is not without its own literary beauty, its own webs of allusion and echo, and its own spiritual challenge to the shrunken imagination, cosmology and theology of our own day. Lewis may count himself lucky that the person who would tumble to his long-buried secret was one whose own powers of understanding and expression would be equal to the task, not just of proposing it to a surprised public, but of exploring and explaining the theme in a manner worthy of its subject-matter."

Our last meeting for the season

2009-05-12T03:55:00.001-07:00

Our last meeting of the Society for the '08-'09 season was this past Friday, 7:00-8:00 P.M. at Rock Point Books - 4th & Broad. The topic for our meeting was Lewis' book Reflections on the Psalms. D.V., we'll start back up in September. We should have our autumn, '09, agenda posted here by summer's end.

Narnia Code aired 16 April.

2009-04-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

Michael Ward has discussed the Narnia Code in a forthcoming BBC documentary. It was be screened in the UK on Thursday 16 April at 10.35pm on BBC 1.
BBC program link here.

The Narnia Code

2009-04-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

We have reported news that the material in Michael Ward's book Planet Narnia is being made into a movie. There's now a website about the video, with a link to Youtube so you can see a trailer. The website is: http://www.narniacode.com/ . We don't yet know when this will be available for the public, but we'll keep you posted.

2009-03-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Since it was published in 1418, The Imitation of Christ (De Imitatio Dei) by Thomas a'Kempis has been the most widely read book of Christian devotion, second only to the Bible in its use. After he returned to his Christian roots, C. S. Lewis read from this book every day.
As an attempt to better understand Lewis' spirituality, we are going to read this book and discuss it at our next meeting, 17 April, at Rock Point Books.
Many editions of this work are available. I recommend a more modern English translation. Rock Point had a nice one when we were last there. They can certainly order one for you. The cover seen here is of the Dover Publications edition, which is only about $2.50 and features the translation of Croft and Bolton.
Even if you are not able to read the book ahead of time, come anyway. You may learn of a book that you will want to make a part of your life in the years to come.

An analytical summary of The Problem of Pain, ch.'s 1-3

2009-03-20T18:27:00.001-07:00

You can download the summary Rev. Beckmann composed of the first three chapters of The Problem of Pain by clicking here. It's a MS Word doc. Feel free to ask questions about it.

2009 UTC C. S. Lewis Lecture

2009-03-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

Just in the mail today:
The speaker for the Twenty-Seventh Annual C. S. Lewis Lecture at UTC is Mark Noll of the University of Notre Dame. The lecture is entitled "Race & Religion in American Politics: A History in Desperate Need of Theological Evaluation". The lecture will be on Monday, March 23, 2009, 7:30 P.M. at the Benwood Auditorium, in the New Engineering Building. The series is sponsored by IVCF, UTC, and Covenant College. Admission is Free.
Dr. Timothy George, who had to cancel the last time he was to speak, is scheduled for the 2010 lecture.

The Problem of Pain - Our Next Meeting

2009-03-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Right on the heels of A Grief Observed and the Shadowlands movies, we will read and discuss Lewis' famous book The Problem of Pain at our next meeting of the Society. Please join us at Rock Point Books, 4th & Broad, in downtown Chattanooga on Friday, 20 March, 7:00 P.M.

Lewis BBC broadcast

2009-02-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

You Tube has a recording of C. S. Lewis on the BBC reading what became a chapter of Mere Christianity.
It's in 2 parts:
Part One.
Part Two.

Our February Meeting

2009-02-19T15:02:00.001-08:00

Considered one of Lewis' most popular books, A Grief Observed was the topic of an informal discussion at our last meeting of the Society, Friday, 20 February. We went over different passages and ideas in the book and also discussed what we thought about the two Shadowlands movies. A big thanks to all those who joined in the discussion and for the contribution they made. We had about 25 in attendance.

Video on Lewis: The Living Legacy

2009-01-24T16:27:00.000-08:00

Lovely views of the Kilns.
Go here - You Tube.

Gresham on the Movies

2009-01-19T05:15:00.000-08:00

Douglas Gresham once said that Joss Ackland portrays Lewis better than Hopkins (Anthony Hopkins is always Anthony Hopkins) and Debra Winger portrayed his mother better than Claire Bloom.

Dr. Tate: From Lewis to Spenser to Lewis

2009-01-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Those who braved the frigid temps last night were rewarded with hearing Dr. Bill Tate of Covenant College describe for us his experience of learning about C. S. Lewis through the Chronicles of Narnia, and then how that interest led him into the study of English Literature and one of Lewis' favourite authors, Edmund Spenser. He summarized for us Lewis' observations about how Spenser wrote his Fairie Queene in Fowler's book Spenser's Images of Life. Bill then showed us how scenes in The Fairie Queene show up in the Chronicles of Narnia. It was quite interesting and a good time was had by all. We hope Bill will be able to speak to us again some time.

Dr. Tate to Speak on an Obscure Lewis Book - 16 Jan.

2009-01-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

It's very difficult to find and expensive on the used book market. It is a book containing C. S. Lewis' lectures at Cambridge University on the famous work by Edmund Spenser, The Fairie Queen, compiled and amplified by a gentleman named Alastair Fowler. Cambridge University published the lectures under the title Spenser's Images of Life in 1967. Lewis had intended that these lectures be the basis for a book, but he died before he could finish them up. Thanks to Mr. Fowler, we can read something very close to what Lewis wanted us to read.

Spenser was one of Lewis' favourite authors. Lewis writes extensively about him in his volumes English Literature in the Sixteenth Century and The Allegory of Love. It has been said that Lewis' interpretation and appreciation of Spenser caused a revolution in Spenserian studies and contributed greatly to Spenser being considered in the same rank with such men as Milton, Chaucer, and Shakespeare.

Dr. William Tate, professor of English at Covenant College, has kindly agreed to come and speak to us about these lectures on Spenser by Lewis and to help us appreciate more deeply Lewis, the literary scholar. Our meeting, as usual, will be at Rock Point Books, 4th & Broad, in downtown Chattanooga. We will meet on Friday, the 16th, at 7:00 P.M. We hope you will be able to join us.

Ward Book to Air as Documentary

2008-12-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

I' ve just received word that Michael Ward's book, Planet Narnia, has been turned into a documentary by Norman Stone and will air on the BBC next year. Wow! Congratulations, Michael! For more information you can read this article.
Here's another article.

Dr. Wood Lectures Available

2008-11-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

In October, the Humanitas Forum on Christianity and Culture hosted a series of lectures by Dr. Ralph C. Wood, Professor of Theology and Literature at Baylor University. The meeting was held at St. George's Episcopal Church in Nashville and the topic was "C. S. Lewis on Love, Desire and the Demonic." The Humanitas Forum has just posted free mp3's on their website of Dr. Wood's lectures, and you can listen to them by clicking here. Outlines of his lectures are also available. Other materials on Lewis by Dr. Wood may be obtained by going here.

Our November Meeting with Rogers

2008-11-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

Dr. Jonathan Rogers and Rev. Beckmann

We had a great time last night with Dr. Jonathan Rogers, author of the The World According to Narnia, and the Wilderking trilogy. It was worthwhile having the meeting for all the kids that came out who are big Wilderking fans. They were so excited to meet Jonathan and get their books signed. We had close to 40 people attending and, as usual, Rock Point Books pulled out all the stops, with coffee, wine, cheese, etc.

Will Vaus Tour Blog

2008-11-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

To keep up with how Will is doing with his book tour, you can go here. He had a very kind entry for his visit to our Society.

Kreeft on the Timing of Lewis' Death

2008-11-21T05:01:00.000-08:00

Peter Kreeft thinks it no coincidence that JFK, C.S.Lewis, and Aldous Huxley all died with in a few hours of one another; they each represented major world views. To hear the audio of his comments, click here - thanks to National Review Online.

We now have a Facebook Group

2008-11-20T16:42:00.001-08:00

Join up and share the news!

Will Vaus at Our October '08 Meeting

2008-09-18T17:32:00.001-07:00

We had a very pleasant meeeting with Will Vaus, author of a new biography on C. S. Lewis, entitled The Professor of Narnia. For information on Will's new book, you can go to his book blog. Be sure to check out his Mere Theology blog as well. Rock Point Books, (4th and Broad in downtown Chattanooga) still has signed copies of Will's book, so be sure to go over and get one.

C. S. Lewis Books Blog

2008-09-07T05:20:00.001-07:00

If you've not seen it, be sure to check out the Harper Collins C. S. Lewis Books blog. The description of the blog is as follows:

"This blog, officially part of HarperOne's CSLewis.com, offers original work on and about C. S. Lewis from scholars who have written far and wide about his stories, his theology, and his world. We are in line to add new entries every few weeks...."

Good stuff!

The Personal Heresy Available Again

2008-08-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

This just in from Joel Heck of Columbia University:

On behalf of Concordia University Press, I would like to announce the reprint release of the C.S. Lewis-E.M.W. Tillyard work, The Personal Heresy. The book was first published in 1939 and later reprinted in 1965, but it has been out of print for quite some time. I would appreciate it if you would do one or more of several things: first, purchase a personal copy; second, ask your library (university library or local library) to purchase a copy; third, tell your friends and acquaintances who are interested in the works of Lewis, especially in a newsletter if you edit one; fourth, if you teach Lewis, consider adopting this book as a textbook for your class.

New features of this edition: (1) an Introduction by Bruce Edwards that places the work in historical context and explains its significance, (2) an Index, and (3) an additional set of footnotes that explains most foreign language and literary allusions. All of these additions should make the work more accessible to the reader.

Available in its first reprint since 1965, The Personal Heresy: A Controversy originally published in 1939, comprises the exchange of essays between C. S. Lewis and E. M. W. Tillyard in which the literary critics argue opposing positions on what can or should be gained from the reading of poetry. Bruce Edwards sees in this work a consistent Lewisian theme, “championing as it does the cogency of the doctrine of objective value” (“The Personal Heresy: A Controversy,” in The C. S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia, pp. 318f.).

Lewis responds to Tillyard’s assertion in his 1930 publication Milton that “[a]ll poetry is about the poet’s state of mind.” Lewis argues that in poetry we see what the poet sees, not the poet himself. Lewis writes, “When we read poetry as poetry should be read, we have before us no representation which claims to be the poet, and frequently no representation of a man, a character, or a personality at all.”

To order your copy, with an Introduction by Dr. Bruce L. Edwards, send US$19.95 plus US$4.00 for shipping and handling within the contiguous forty-eight states, or US$6.00 outside the forty-eight states to Dr. Joel Heck, Concordia University Press, 3400 N. Interstate 35, Austin, Texas 78705, with a check payable to “Concordia University Press.”

Pauline Baynes has passed on

2008-08-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

It has been reported that Pauline Baynes, famous for her illustrations of Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia and several of Tolkien's books, has died just before her 86th birthday. She died at her home in Surrey. Let us give thanks to the Lord for her gifts and pray for the comforts of Christ for her family.
For a review of her life and work, you may read this articl e on the Guardian website.

Image from Into the Wardrobe.

Michael Ward Comments on Prince Caspian

2008-05-28T12:13:00.001-07:00

A brief article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mars Hill Audio also has an hour-long interview with Michael Ward on their site: http://www.marshillaudio.org/catalog/con025.asp

Be sure to check the News section of Michael's Planet Narnia website for all the interviews and articles that are exploding on the internet about his work.

Lewis on Mysticism

2008-05-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Dick Staub has an interview with Rev. Earl Palmer on the topic "C. S. Lewis Looks at Mysticism." The focus is on Lewis' comments on mysticism in his book Letters to Malcolm. You can hear it here.

Times Free Press Article

2008-05-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Our local newspaper ran an article in their "Life" section a few days before our last meeting about our Society and Prince Caspian. You can read the article by going here.

Ward on Hewitt

2008-05-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Michael Ward's book is featured on Hugh Hewitt's blog and he's on the program today. Congratulations, Michael! See the Podcasts link to hear the interview. Look for the May 6 podcast.

May 23, 2008, Meeting

2008-04-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

On Friday, 23 May, at Rock Point Books we met to discuss the book and movie Prince Caspian. About 45 people were in attendance. We had folks who had read the book but had not seen the movie and some who had seen the movie but not read the book. Rev. Beckmann read a paper on Prince Caspian, which you can download as a WORD document by clicking here. Only one person thought Prince Caspian the best of the series, which is not surprising. We discussed the book and the movie afterwards. A good time was had by all and we look forward to starting our meetings back up in September.

Go here for the official Prince Caspian website.

Image: www.narniaweb.com

Nigel Goodwin Interview

2008-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Dick Staub has a fascinating and inspiring interview with British actor Nigel Goodwin at his website, The Kindlings Muse. It's about an hour and 15 minutes long. So, set the time aside, sit down and enjoy.

Image from www.cslewis.org

Michael Ward Visit

2008-03-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Dr. Michael Ward, author of Planet Narnia, visited us in early April. His insights into The Chronicles of Narnia are amazing. We had a very good time together. Below are the main events which were held.

Dr. Michael Ward talking to students at Covenant College. From left to right, flanking Dr. Ward, are Aaron Messner, College Chaplain, Dr. Debbie Higgins of Southern Adventist University, and Dr. Pat Ralston of Covenant.

Wednesday, 9 April - Dr. Ward arrived in the area and spoke at Southern Adventist University. We had an overflow crowd - 200+ - at the auditorium - it was great! Lots of conversation and book signing afterward - sold out! By the way - Michael's book is in its third printing already!
Thursday, 10 April - Dr. Ward was at Covenant College today: Michael gave an interesting lecture on medieval cosmology in a class and then an inspiring message in the chapel.
Friday, 11 April - At Rock Point Books. Book signing began around 6:00 P.M. At 7:00 P.M., Dr. Ward gave his Planet Narnia presentation. After 8:15 P.M. or so, he signed more books. There were about 78 people in attendance! Great turn out - great meeting!

Dr. Ward signing books at our meeting of the Society, Rock Point Books.

Sunday, 13 April - 10:00 A.M., Michael preached in the morning service at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Blue Ridge, GA. At 6:00 P.M., Michael preached at St. George's Anglican Church.

For more information on Michael, his book, and his tour of the U.S., visit www.planetnarnia.com .

Books & Culture Review of Planet Narnia

2008-03-24T18:23:00.001-07:00

Go here to read it.

Lewis Talk: Fairy Tales: Worlds of Imagination in the Writings of Tolkien and Lewis

2008-03-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Rev. Beckmann reads his Past Watchful Dragons paper.

Tues. 25 Mar.: It looks like Podomatic is having trouble keeping our podcast banner online. We'll see what can be done to fix this. In the meantime, you can go here for our Podomatic podcasts. Our podcast is also available via I-Tunes, if you want to use that.

Robinson Review of Planet Narnia

2008-03-15T10:55:00.001-07:00

Bruce Edwards has this week posted a review of Michael Ward's Planet Narnia. Give it a read.

Our March '08 Meeting

2008-03-09T08:52:00.001-07:00

Autumn flora in the front of the Kilns.

With about 20 people in attendance, Dr. Debbie Higgins, English professor at Southern Adventist University, gave us some peeks into her dissertation on Anglo/Saxon mead hall culture and a series of slides on the Kilns and her experiences in Oxford. Her dissertation is a feast for Tolkien fans and we hope she will be able to get it published. Many thanks to Michael Ake of McCallie School for help with the PowerPoint presentation.
Sadly, the CD recorder didn't work - again! So I will not have a recording of the meeting on our podcast. In its stead, I'll soon provide a recording of my presentation at the Past Watchful Dragons conference at Beaumont University a couple of years back.
Everything seems set for our April meeting with Michael Ward. Hope to see you there!