Is CS Lewis relevant today? Can he speak to a post-Christian culture? We hear from Meg Thomson, producer of Freud’s Last Session, a film starring Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud and Matthew Goode as CS Lewis, Dr Jem Bloomfield, an assistant professor at the University of Nottingham and author of Paths in the Snow and Justin Brierley, author of The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God. They joined Ruth on a programme called Free Thinking, which was originally broadcast on the BBC in December 2023 and focused on CS Lewis and his impact today. It was presented by Dr Chris Harding, a cultural historian of Japan, India and East-West connections, based at the University of Edinburgh and was produced by Ruth Watts. The BBC have kindly given us permission to republish the clips featured in this show, but we highly recommend you listen to the full programme.

Free Thinking airs on BBC radio 4 on Fridays at 9pm and you can also listen online or on podcast via BBC sounds. To listen to the whole episode of this special CS Lewis Free Thinking on BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0gy290n

For more on Freud's Last Session, listen to director Matthew Brown speaking to Ruth on episode 163: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-163-matthew-brown-what-would-sigmund-freud-and-cs-lewis-discuss/17843.article

For more on New Atheism, check out https://www.premierunbelievable.com/, particularly this episode on Coming To Faith Through Dawkins with atheist Alex O'Connor and Professor Alister McGrath: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/unbelievable/unbelievable-coming-to-faith-through-dawkins-part-2-is-there-a-new-new-atheism-alister-mcgrath-and-alex-oconnor/16306.article

To hear further insights from Dr Jem Bloomfield on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on episode 188: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-188-jem-bloomfield-christmas-in-narnia/18656.article

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For 23 years JRR Tolkien wrote to his four children as Father Christmas. Dr Holly Ordway, author of Tolkien’s Faith, explores Tolkien's creative, humorous writing around Father Christmas and his companions, including his Polar bear assistant, snow-elves, the Man in the Moon and goblins! How does Tolkien combine fantasy and reality? Are there any familiar Tolkien themes in these letters?

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How integral was the incarnation for JRR Tolkien? Does Christmas feature in The Lord of the Rings legendarium? How did the Tolkien family celebrate Christmas? Dr Holly Ordway, author of Tolkien’s Faith, shares her thoughts on what Christmas meant to Tolkien and explores a recently discovered poem of his, Noel, which is one of his most overtly Christian works. Listen next week to hear about the imaginative world Tolkien invented when he wrote to his four children as Father Christmas!

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Dr Jem Bloomfield, assistant professor of literature at the University of Nottingham and author of Paths in the Snow, unpacks the Christmas references as well as key elements, such as the stone table and the titles of the Pevensie children, within The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Was JRR Tolkien justified in his unease about the appearance of Father Christmas? Why is the White Witch painted as the antithesis of Father Christmas not Aslan? What can we learn from Lewis this Christmas?

For Jem Bloomfield: https://quiteirregular.wordpress.com/

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As Christmas approaches, we unpack some of the key elements in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with Dr Jem Bloomfield, assistant professor of literature at the University of Nottingham and author of Paths in the Snow. What are the literary works Lewis draws on in this book? How does he use biblical imagery and stories? Why does The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe seem so inherently Christmassy?

For Jem Bloomfield: https://quiteirregular.wordpress.com/

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545

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Does Lewis' moral argument carry any weight? Is CS Lewis still relevant? If so, is that only for Christians? Are the big questions he raises pertinent today? Is faith rational? Former pastor-turned atheist, Dan Barker and literature professor, Dr Carolyn Weber, discuss Lewis' work and his talents as a writer.

To hear more of Carolyn's story: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-129-dr-carolyn-weber-surprised-by-oxford/16637.article

For Dr Carolyn Weber: https://www.carolynweber.com/about/

 

For Dan Barker: https://ffrf.org/about/staff-board/item/38960-dan-barker

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545

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November 29th, CS Lewis' birthday, marks CS Lewis Reading Day and the theme this year is friendship. To celebrate, we spoke to Dr Chris Pipkin, a professor of English at Emmanuel College in Georgia and host of The Inklings Variety Hour podcast.

Don't forget to share your favourite Lewis quotations on social media, using #CSLewisReadingDay

For CS Lewis Reading Day: https://www.pintswithjack.com/reading-day/year-2/

For Chris Pipkin: https://cpipkin.com/

For The Inklings Variety Hour podcast: https://inklingsvarietyhour.substack.com/ or https://inklingshour.podbean.com/

For Phil Knox on friendship: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-155-phil-knox-are-we-allowed-favourite-friends/17577.article

https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-156-phil-knox-lord-all-matey-or-lord-almighty/17603.article

For Alister McGrath on The Four Loves: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-53-the-four-loves/13005.article

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545

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In the second part of Dan Barker and Dr Carolyn Weber's discussion about CS Lewis' relevance, Dan points out some of the holes he perceives in Lewis' beliefs. On the opposite side of the debate, Carolyn shares how she became a Christian, highlighting elements of her story that echo Lewis' own and looking at how Lewis' writing greatly influenced her decision.

To hear more of Carolyn's story: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-129-dr-carolyn-weber-surprised-by-oxford/16637.article

For Dr Carolyn Weber: https://www.carolynweber.com/about/

 

For Dan Barker: https://ffrf.org/about/staff-board/item/38960-dan-barker

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545

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On November 22nd 1963, Clive Staples Lewis – Jack to his friends – died in Oxford, England. However, 61 years after his death, is CS Lewis still relevant? We hear from former pastor-turned atheist, Dan Barker, who suggests that many of Lewis’ arguments are fundamentally flawed. Literature professor, Dr Carolyn Weber, highlights where she disagrees with Dan and shares some of her story about coming to faith at Oxford University, in part through CS Lewis.

 

For Dr Carolyn Weber: https://www.carolynweber.com/about/

 

For Dan Barker: https://ffrf.org/about/staff-board/item/38960-dan-barker

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545

+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website

+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training

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Ruth Jackson spoke to singer-songwriter Sarah Hawkyard who describes Mere Christianity as a "game changer", which "hooked" her onto Christianity. Lews played an integral role in Sarah coming to faith, challenging, inspiring and providing her with profound knowledge. She also shared the importance of creativity, singing a few lines from one of her songs that is directly influenced by CS Lewis.

For Sarah: https://www.sarahhawkyard.com/

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545

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