Wade Center

J.R.R. Tolkien called him a witch doctor; C.S. Lewis called him a saint. Who was Charles Williams, the oddest Inkling? In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing discuss Charles Williams, editor at Oxford University Press and practitioner of occult magic, with Sørina Higgins (Sørina is a Ph.D. candidate at Baylor University, faculty member at Signum University, and editor of the Williams blog, "The Oddest Inkling"). Who was Williams? What did Lewis, Tolkien, and the other Inklings think of him and his work? And why is he so odd and controversial?

What would happen if people could leave Hell and visit Heaven? In this week’s episode, Dr. David Downing sits down with Dr. Jerry Root to discuss C.S. Lewis’s spiritual fantasy about inhabitants of hell who visit take a bus ride to the outskirts of heaven, The Great Divorce. Where did Lewis get the idea(s) for the book? What was Lewis trying to say about who ends up in heaven and hell? Learn more about the special ballet performance of “The Space In Between,” based on The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and buy tickets to the November 1 event here.

In our second bonus episode, Patti Callahan Henry, author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, interviews Dr. Crystal Downing about why C.S. Lewis chose Joy and how Dorothy L. Sayers helped Lewis appreciate brilliant, fiery women bristled against cultural gender expectations. This episode originally aired on Patti's new podcast on October 21, 2019. Check out her 7-part series, Behind the Scenes of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, and listen to other episodes of her podcast, as Patti explores in-depth the improbable and beautiful love story between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman Listen to our interview with Patti back in December 2018.

In this special bonus episode, Patti Callahan Henry, author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, interviews Dr. David Downing about the grief of C.S. Lewis after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman Lewis, as well as its impact on Lewis's future writing, and ultimately, his faith. This episode originally aired on Patti's new podcast on October 14, 2019. Check out her 7-part series, Behind the Scenes of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, and listen to other episodes of her podcast, as Patti explores in-depth the improbable and beautiful love story between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman Listen to our interview with Patti back in December 2018.

How does creativity work? What does it mean that we are created in the image of a Creator God? Professor of Art at Wheaton College, David Hooker, sits down with David and Crystal this week to discuss how he uses The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers to teach a trinitarian theology of art to his students. David also addresses how he handles the "what does it mean" question as an artist? Also, how can you give your artwork a life of its own?

How do you bring C.S. Lewis to life? Max McLean, well-known voice and stage actor, sits down with Crystal and David this week to discuss his stage adaptations of The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and now Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis. Listener's may recognize McLean's voice as the narrator of The Listener's Bible in the ESV, NIV, and KJV translations. His production company, Fellowship of Performing Arts, is responsible for stage adaptations of the aforementioned books by Lewis as well as a new production entitled C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert.

How can G.K. Chesterton’s Everlasting Man help us interpret ancient cave paintings in North America through a Christian lens? In this episode, Associate Professor of Art History, Dr. Matt Milliner sits down with Crystal and David to offer a preview of his upcoming Hansen Lecture on October 3, 2019. In an effort to ‘do what Chesterton did,’ Dr. Milliner offers a Christ-centered reading of recently uncovered, ancient cave paintings in North America.

How do you translate into Russian the English novels of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, or George MacDonald? This week, Dr. Olga Lukmanova sits down with David and Crystal to discuss the challenges and triumphs of both translating and teaching the Wade authors to students in Russia.

How do you adapt a book like The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis into a ballet? Julianna Rubio Slager, Artistic Director for Ballet 5:8, sits down with Crystal and David to discuss her company’s upcoming performance of The Great Divorce for the Wheaton College Artist Series on November 1st, 2019. Julianna and the Downings explore the themes and characters from Lewis’s supernatural tale about heaven and hell that still resonate with audiences today as well as how to translate them for the stage. Tickets are available for the November 1st performance at http://wheaton.edu/artist-series.

Many know that Joy Davidman, C.S. Lewis’s wife, converted to Christianity as an adult. Joy’s Jewish identity and background, however, are often overlooked. Dr. Andrew Barron, Director of Jews for Jesus Canada, sits down with Crystal and David Downing to discuss Joy’s “Jewish mind” and her influence on Lewis later in life.