Logos: The C.S. Lewis Society Update (August 2008)

    In This Issue:
    1. Recent Articles
    2. Narnia News
    3. Events
    4. New Books

1. Recent Articles:

"The Global Ambition of Rick Warren," by David van Biema (Time, August 7, 2008)
This cover article discusses the work of the author of one of the world's biggest best-selling books, The Purpose Driven Life, and founding pastor of one of the U.S.'s largest churches, the 23,000-member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Discussing his approach to ministry, Warren notes that "I don't have much faith in government solutions, given the track record. It's why I am a pastor, not a politician," and then describes his remarkable PEACE program (Promote reconciliation; Equip servant leaders; Assist the poor; Care for the sick; Educate the next generation), with Rwanda as the first step.

"Found in Space: How C.S. Lewis Has Shaped My Faith and Writing," by Philip Yancey (Christianity Today, July 22, 2008)
The bestselling author Yancey reveals how Lewis taught him about the reality of God and how to write. This article is from the forthcoming book, Mere Christians: Inspiring Stories of Encounters with C. S. Lewis, edited by Mary Anne Phemister and Andrew Lazo (Baker Books).

“Evolution vs. Naturalism: Why They Are Like Oil and Water,” by Alvin Plantinga (Books & Culture, July/August 2008)
The renowned philosopher Plantinga refutes "scientific" naturalism (atheism) by showing that it is both incoherent and self-refuting.

"Concordia Scholar Shares Another Side of C.S. Lewis: Professor Ponders 'What is Poetry?' With C.S. Lewis Critic," interview with Joel Heck, by Eileen Flynn (Austin American-Statesman, July 26, 2008)
This interview briefly discusses the new reprint of the 1939 book, The Personal Heresy: A Controversy, which features a debate about "What is poetry?" between C.S. Lewis and literary critic E.M.W. Tillyard. Lewis argues that poetry (and literature more broadly) is about something true out there (objective reflections of reality), not simply someone's emotions or personality (subjective expressions of personal feelings).

"Blue Plaque for C.S. Lewis's Home" (BBC)
Lewis's renowed home in Oxford, The Kilns in Risinghurst (Lewis Close), has just been designated an historic site by Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board.

2. Narnia News:

"Narnia's Inspiration Is Revealed" (BBC)
A letter to an eleven-year-old girl in which C.S. Lewis explains the Christian meaning of the Chronicles of Narnia has been donated to Queen's University for public display in the university library.

"Pauline Baynes: Illustrator Who Depicted Lewis's Narnia and Tolkien's Middle-earth," by Brian Sibley (The Independent, August 6, 2008)
The superb illustrator of the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Puffin books, Watership Down, and many other books passed away at the age of 85 on August 1st.

"Signed C.S. Lewis Books Sell for £30,000" (Belfast Telegraph, July 21, 2008)
"Three signed first edition copies of books by Belfast-born Chronicles of Narnia author, C.S. Lewis, have sold for a total of £30,000—more than three times what they were expected to fetch—at an auction."

The 10th Annual Teen Choice Awards have just awarded the film Prince Caspian with the 2008 Teen Choice Award for Action Adventure. In addition, Georgie Henley, Will Moseley, and Anna Popplewell have been nominated for the Favourite Actor categories and Prince Caspian has been nominated for Favourite Film at the 2008 U.K. Kids’ Choice Awards.

Framestore's Show-and-Tell Prince Caspian Video
Framestore, the London-based VFX company that worked on Aslan and Trufflehunter in Prince Caspian, has a Show-and-Tell video on its website of the computer animation work they did on the film.

3. Events:

A. C. S. Lewis Society Bay Area Book and Film Club (See year-long schedule here)
Meets bi-weekly Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
The upcoming meetings will be held at:

11990 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619 (atop the Oakland hills)
RSVP: 510-482-2906 phone; info@lewissociety.org
Wine, beer, soft drinks and other refreshments served

    August 20: Discussion:
    War in Heaven: A Novel, by Charles Williams
    Leader/moderator: Eric Rauscher

      A regular member of The Inklings, the Christian literacy society in Oxford started by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams was the renowned British poet, novelist, theologian, and literary critic. T.S. Eliot described Williams's novels as "supernatural thrillers" because they explore the sacramental intersection of the physical with the spiritual while also examining the ways in which power, even spiritual power, can corrupt as well as sanctify. In War in Heaven Charles Williams gives a contemporary setting to the traditional story of the Search for the Holy Grail. Examining the distinction between magic and religion, this eerily disturbing and marvelous book graphically portrays a metaphysical journey through the shadowy crevices of the human mind. (Here is a YouTube audio by Lewis on Williams's superb work.)

      "It is satire, romance, thriller, morality, and glimpses of eternity all rolled into one."
      —The New York Times

      "One of the most gifted and influential Christian writers England has produced this century."
      —Time Magazine

    September 3 and 17: Discussion:
    For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery, by Rodney Stark
    Leader/moderator: Paul Ashby

      People acting for the glory of God have formed our modern culture. Continuing Stark's project of identifying the widespread consequences of monotheism, For the Glory of God shows that the Christian conception of God resulted in the Protestant Reformation, the rise of modern science, and the Western abolition of slavery. In the process, Stark debunks many commonly accepted ideas. He interprets the sixteenth-century flowering of science not as a sudden revolution that burst religious barriers, but as the normal, gradual, and direct outgrowth of medieval theology.

      "Stark focuses on how Christians in Europe, motivated to act 'for the glory of God,' were not modernity's opponents but actually its agents. He contends that Christian theology was the intellectual impetus for the scientific revolution and provided the moral foundation for slavery's abolition. . . . enlightening, provocative."
      —Theology Today

      "For the Glory of God . . . is an important book. It is immensely learned, consistently contentious, and filled with brilliant, if sometimes eccentric, insights. . . [F]or those who are open to a very different interpretation of the development of Western Civilization ... For the Glory of God is strongly recommended."
      —First Things

B. "A Good God? A Dialogue About the Problems of Suffering and Evil"
Sponsored by Socrates in San Francisco
Co-sponsored by C.S. Lewis Society of California

Featuring:

    N.T. Wright, New Testament Scholar and Bishop of Durham
    Bart D. Ehrman, Professor of Religious Studies, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

When:

    Thursday, October 16, 2008
    Reception: 5:30 p.m.; Program: 6:30 p.m.

Where:

    Julia Morgan Ballroom
    Merchants Exchange Building
    465 California Street, 15th Floor
    San Francisco, CA

Reservations:

4. Recent Books:

The following new or reprinted books are noteworthy:

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For yourself and others, you can order books by or about C.S. Lewis, as well as videos and DVDs plus audio tapes and CDs.

Logos is made possible by the generous contributions of Members of the C.S. Lewis Society. If you enjoy Logos, please consider becoming a Member and making a donation to the C.S. Lewis Society. Click here for details on the C.S. Lewis Society Membership program, or contact us by phone at 510-635-6892, email at info@lewissociety.org, or by snail mail to C. S. Lewis Society of California, 100 Swan Way, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94621-1428. All contributions are tax-deductible. Thank you!
Copyright 2008, The C.S. Lewis Society of California