Wade Center

"As long as you are governed by that desire you will never get what you want. ... Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain." In C.S. Lewis's essays—"The Inner Ring" and "Membership"—he unpacks two dangerous social forces that threaten both the church and the morality of Christians: individualism and cliques. This week Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing continue their examination of Lewis's powerful essays and sermons published as The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses in 1948. How does our desire to belong, to be considered meaningful to others, warp and distort not only our heart but our actions. How do they so easily turn good people into "scoundrels?" And what can we do to overcome these temptations?

"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 along with six others in 1949 as The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing discuss the spiritual significance and application of "The Weight of Glory," "Learning in War-Time," and "Transpositions," as well as how they apply to our war-plagued world today.

Upon completion of The Lord of the Rings, new readers often turn to The Silmarillion. But J.R.R. Tolkien's epic collection of mythopoeic stories—covering everything from the creation of Eä (the Ainulindalë), the Valar and Mayar, the creation of the Elves as well as the events of the First and Second Ages of Middle-earth—can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Laura Schmidt, Wade Center Archivist, joins Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing to walk us through to the larger themes and storylines of this amazing volume of stories.

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, theology, and philosophy that are baked into the fabric of our modern world. Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing in this week's episode as they explore the context and message of Lewis's book as well as its proper application to our modern world—viz., how can we avoid becoming "Men Without Chests."

"Guesses, of course, only guesses. If they are not true, something better will be." At the end of his life, Lewis wrote Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. Lewis's thoughts on heaven and the resurrection were, perhaps ironically, published posthumously. In this fifth installment of "Love, Pain, Grief, and Joy," Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron Hill, explore the second half of this often overlooked book including the problem of spiritual and theological bigotry, the importance of the incarnation and resurrection, Lewis's views on communion and the inspiration of Scripture, and why Lewis believed that "Creation [is] delegation through and through."

"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 to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer at the end of his life and published posthumously. In this fifth installment of "Love, Pain, Grief, and Joy," Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron Hill, explore this often overlooked book by Lewis. How did Joy's death inspire Lewis to write this book? How and why should it be read in conjunction with A Grief Observed? And how does this book that is "chiefly on prayer" still manage to touch on broader theological topics such as joy, embodiment, resurrection, determinism, free will, organized religion, and the impassibility of God.

"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 Lewis lost his faith after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman Lewis. In this fourth installment of "Love, Pain, and Grief," Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron Hill, explore the context and questions surrounding one of Lewis's most practical and yet misunderstood books. What is the role of faith in the grieving process of Christians? In what way is reality, God, and the memory of lost loved ones iconoclastic? And is that a good thing?

"To enter heaven is to become more human than you ever succeeded in being on earth; to enter hell, is to be banished from humanity." This week, in our third installment of "Love, Pain, and Grief," we continue our discussion of The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis with Dr. Jerry Root. Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Dr. Root and and Producer Aaron Hill explore questions such as: Why does Hell exist? Who will end up there and why? Is it fair or compassionate to doom people to Hell? What will heaven be like? And do all dogs go to heaven? Or only the dogs of believers?

"We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to." Dr. Jerry Root, scholar and close friend of the podcast, is back again for our second installment of "Love, Pain, and Grief." This week hosts Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Dr. Root and and Producer Aaron Hill explore The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis. Because all humans wrestle with questions about human and animal pain, suffering, evil, natural disasters, hell, heaven, and the nature of God, Lewis's immensely profound and quotable book will resonate with atheists, agnostics, and even exvangelicals deconstructing their faith.

Over the course of his life, C.S. Lewis wrote several books addressing the most complex and universal human experiences—love, pain, and grief. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with scholar and close friend of the podcast, Dr. Jerry Root, to discuss The Four Loves (1960) by C.S. Lewis. How does Lewis define philia, storge, eros, and agape? Are his definitions accurate? What is the difference between Gift-love and Need-love? Is Need-love bad? How can love be corrupted? Do earthly loves distract from love for God?