Category: C. S. Lewis

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, Part 1; Part 2 (1964) Part 1: Mar 4, 2022 Love, Pain, Grief, and Joy: Vol. 5, Letters to Malcolm by C.S. Lewis “Creation seems to be delegation through and through. He will do nothing simply of Himself which can be done by creatures.” Those words were written by C.S. Lewis in Letters…

A Grief Observed (1961) Feb 18, 2022 Love, Pain, Grief, and Joy: Vol. 4, A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis “What reason have we, except our own desperate wishes, to believe that God is … ‘good’?” Phrases such as these in A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis have caused many fans and critics to assume that…

C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (1958) January 27, 2023 Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis Even though he constantly reminded readers that he wasn’t a theologian or a biblical scholar, C.S. Lewis wrote an entire book on how to read and reflect on the Psalms. In this week’s episode, Drs. Crystal and…

Till We Have Faces (1956) Jan 15, 2021 Till We Have Faces C.S. Lewis’s last novel, Till We Have Faces, is nothing like the Chronicles of Narnia. It is perhaps Lewis’s most complex, profound, and misunderstood work. Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing discuss this uniquely modern and meaningful novel with Producer Aaron Hill. How are we to…

The Last Battle (1956), vol. 7 of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) May 7, 2021 Into Narnia: Vol. 7, The Last Battle “Come further up and further in.” After telling us of first things in The Magician’s Nephew, Lewis finally reveals the last things—the end times—of Narnia. Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they conclude a…

C. S. Lewis, De descriptione temporum (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1955) May 26, 2023 How to Read History or “De Descriptione Temporum” by C.S. Lewis How should we read, interpret, and apply history? How can historical misconceptions doom us to repeat the mistakes of the past? Is everything always getting better, or is it possible…

The Magician’s Nephew (1955), vol. 6 of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) Apr 23, 2021 Into Narnia: Vol. 6, The Magician’s Nephew The Magician’s Nephew was one of the most difficult books for Lewis to finish in the Narnia series. Why? In this sixth Into Narnia episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing explore the wonder and dangers contained within The Magician’s…

Surprised by Joy (1955) Episode on autobiography and Wade authors: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Dorothy L. Sayers. Jul 2, 2021 Autobiography is “Dangerous Business” Dorothy L. Sayers describe autobiography as “dangerous business” in The Mind of the Maker. To write one is either “a mark of great insensitiveness to danger or of an almost supernatural…

The Horse and His Boy (1954), vol. 5 of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) Apr 9, 2021 Into Narnia: Vol. 5, The Horse and His Boy Aslan lies at the back of every story in Narnia. In the fifth novel in The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis weaves a tale of separated twins, mistaken identity, escaping…

The Silver Chair (1953), vol. 4 of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) Mar 26, 2021 Into Narnia: Vol. 4, The Silver Chair Rillian and Puddleglum and Glimfeather, oh my! The unique cast of giants, gnomes, knights, and witches sets The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis apart. Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they unpack the adventures…

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952), Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) Mar 12, 2021 Into Narnia: Vol. 3, Voyage of the Dawn Treader “Where the waves grow sweet, Doubt not, Reepicheep, There is the utter East.” This week Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to explore the meaning and message…

Prince Caspian (1951), vol. 2 of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) Feb 26, 2021 Into Narnia: Vol. 2, Prince Caspian—The Return to Narnia What can talking animals possibly teach us about evil, belief, and apostasy in this age of cynicism? Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as the Wade Center Podcast continues to explore the meaning…

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), vol. 1 of The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) Feb 12, 2021 Into Narnia: Vol. 1, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Why did C.S. Lewis, an Oxford professor, write children’s books? And what is Father Christmas doing in Narnia? Join C.S. Lewis expert, Dr. David C. Downing…

Apr 29, 2022 Lewis as Preacher: “Learning in War-Time,” “The Weight of Glory,” and “Transposition” “We always have to answer the question: How can you be so frivolous and selfish to think of anything by the salvation of human souls?” During World War II, C.S. Lewis preached three sermons which were eventually packaged and published…

Miracles: A Preliminary Study (1947, revised 1960) Jun 18, 2021 Miracles: Coherent Invasion or Disconnected Raids? Are miracles merely “a series of disconnected raids on Nature” or are they “the various steps of a strategically coherent invasion?” C.S. Lewis explores philosophical and historical arguments surrounding Biblical and contemporary accounts of signs and wonders in Miracles: A Preliminary…

That Hideous Strength (1945) Oct 16, 2020 The Lost Lewis Tapes: Vol. 3, That Hideous Strength “Stand! Stand where you are … ,” C.S. Lewis bellows into the tape recorder. In this third installment of The Lost Lewis Tapes, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss the final novel in the…

The Abolition of Man (1943) Apr 1, 2022 The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis Who or what deserves our allegiance? Our heart? An external morality handed down by our parents or Christendom? Our intellect or science? In one of his most challenging books, The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis addresses many of the assumptions about morality,…