Wade Center

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 interpret the actions of Orual and Pscyhe, and what is Lewis trying to say through the narrative and characters in Till We Have Faces?

Is the Incarnation, like other miracles, a suspension or a reversal of the natural universe? Or, as Lewis writes in "The Grand Miracle," is it "the central chapter" of history such that "every miracle exhibits the character of the Incarnation"? Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they sit down with Producer Aaron Hill on this special Christmas Day episode to discuss the Incarnation of Jesus Christ; specifically, how it impacted C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers, George MacDonald, and the other Wade authors, and how each of them celebrated the Grand Miracle in their writings.

Over 100 years ago, the world was dealing with the aftermath of The Great War (and a terrifying global pandemic). In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss the life-changing impact of The Great War on each of the Wade authors, as well as the ways that World War I surfaces in novels such as The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

Community has been hard to find in 2020. Lockdowns and travel restrictions have made it hard to connect. As we wrap up our second season, Crystal and David sit down with producer Aaron to remember our favorite episodes and celebrate the community we've enjoyed in 2020. Thank you to all the new listeners who have joined us in 2020! We look forward to 2021 and to all the great conversations we will have about the work and impact of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, George MacDonald, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield.

Dorothy L. Sayers used edgy, often hilarious metaphors to shock people into seeing the truth of ancient Christian doctrines in a new light. In this week's episode, Dr. Crystal Downing talks with David and Aaron about her new book and how Sayers can help 21st-century Christians find new ways to talk and think about faith and culture. Purchase a copy of Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers by Crystal Downing.

Many Inklings fans know and love J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis both for their imaginary worlds (Narnia and Middle-earth) and for their legendary friendship. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Ron Reed—Founding Artistic Director of Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, BC—to discuss his play, Tolkien, which dramatizes how Jack and Tollers became such close companions as well as how their friendship almost fell apart. 

The Lost Lewis Tapes Vol. 3 discusses C.S. Lewis' final novel in the Ransom Trilogy, That Hideous Strength. Topics include the polarizing reception of the novel, navigating academia, themes of objectivity and modernity, analysis of the character MacPhee, the Tower of Babel, and never-before-heard recordings of Lewis reading his own works.

In a quiet room at the Kilns in August 1960, C. S. Lewis recorded three audio tracks on a portable reel-to-reel tape deck. In one of those tracks, Lewis reads from Perelandra for 27 minutes, narrating in a mesmerizing and confident voice Elwin Ransom’s arrival on the watery planet Venus. In this second installment of The Lost Lewis Tapes, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to listen to excerpts from this newly released audio track and to discuss the second novel in Lewis's Ransom Trilogy, Perelandra. Purchase and listen to The Lost Lewis Tapes over at the Rabbit Room for only $3. Click here to learn more about The Lost Lewis Tapes, who recorded them, and how the Marion E. Wade Center is able to make them available 60 years later.

Before he was known as a children's author, C.S. Lewis wrote science fiction. Listen to never-before-heard audio recordings of Lewis reading from his Ransom Trilogy in this exciting three-part series on Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss the first novel, Out of the Silent Planet. Kidnapped and transported to the planet Mars, Elwin Ransom encounters alien creatures and powerful beings who turn his view of the world and space upside down. Purchase and listen to The Lost Lewis Tapes over at the Rabbit Room for only $3. Click here to learn more about The Lost Lewis Tapes, who recorded them, and how the Marion E. Wade Center is able to make them available 70 years later.

Most Inklings fans see George MacDonald through the lens of C.S. Lewis. Others enter MacDonald's novels through diverse doorways. In this week's episode Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss this 19th century Scots author. Why was George MacDonald so important to Lewis? Why is he considered controversial? Are his writings still relevant today?