Lesser Known Lewis: Recent Episodes
Lesser Known Lewis
In C. S Lewis' "On the Transmission of Christianity" from 1946, he explains why he thinks Christianity appears on the decline in future generations. Spoiler alert: It's not because humans are outgrowing religion or becoming too enlightened to believe in such silly things. It's because the next generation is no longer being taught a compelling view of the faith in their education. We are joined by Daniel from the Lamp-Post Listener, himself a teacher in a classical Christian school, to discuss Lewis robust and challenging solution to the problem.
In the 1946 essay, "The Decline of Religion," C. S. Lewis counters those who claim that Christianity is in decline, but also cautions those who claim that Christianity is in a revival. We find that both of these claims are present in our culture today and what Lewis has to say to his own day carries over directly as a warning to ours.
Find an index of Lewis' essays at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Intro Music - Written by Jess Syratt, arranged & produced by Jordan Caruso and Jordan Duncan.
Ad Music - Written & produced by Jordan Caruso and Jordan Duncan.
Intro & Ad music produced by Jordan Caruso.
We kick off Season 4 "Apologetics in a Disenchanted Age" with C. S. Lewis' famous essay "God in the Dock" from 1948. In it, he summarizes the difficulties in trying to communicate Christianity to modern people. Nearly 80 years later his observations have become even more true. People do not believe in anything beyond the natural world, they're skeptical about anything historical, they do not have any awareness of even the idea of sin, and there is a huge language barrier between educated language of the apologist and the everyday "vulgar" vernacular of his audience.
Find an index of Lewis' essays at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Intro Music - Written by Jess Syratt, arranged & produced by Jordan Caruso and Jordan Duncan.
Ad Music - Written & produced by Jordan Caruso and Jordan Duncan.
Intro & Ad music produced by Jordan Caruso.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In Case You Missed It — Jordan joined Joseph Weigel, on his podcast Men with Chests, to have a conversation about C. S. Lewis' essay "The Poison of Subjectivism." Check out Joseph's excellent podcast for episodes covering Lewis' book The Abolition of Man, and other books and essays related to it!
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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In Case You Missed It — Jordan joined Brian Shepherd, who is the creator of the That Hideous Lewis Substack, to have a conversation about mud pies, desire, and the promise of glory.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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In Case You Missed It - Jordan was on The Mere C. S. Lewis podcast to discuss the essay "Religion and Rocketry" (once again!) with host Thornton Ray.
Find the Mere C. S. Lewis Podcast on Instagram
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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In our final episode is Season 3, we bring what we’ve learned from Lewis “On Metaphor and Myth” and think about how this helps us become better readers of Scripture. Our guest, Dr. Louis Markos, has literally written the book on this, many books, in fact, showing how Christians can look along Greek myths to discover the True Myth, Jesus Christ, and how learning to read myths gives us the right lenses to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest scripture better.
Find more Dr. Louis Markos' books on Amazon and his lectures on YouTube.
Find an index of Lewis' essays at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In our final episode is Season 3, we bring what we’ve learned from Lewis “On Metaphor and Myth” and think about how this helps us become better readers of Scripture. Our guest, Dr. Louis Markos, has literally written the book on this, many books, in fact, showing how Christians can look along Greek myths to discover the True Myth, Jesus Christ, and how learning to read myths gives us the right lenses to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest scripture better.
Find more Dr. Louis Markos' books on Amazon and his lectures on YouTube.
Find an index of Lewis' essays at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring the iconic C. S. Lewis essay "Meditation in a Toolshed" from 1945, where Lewis considers two ways of knowing things: "looking at" and "looking along". We might say, contemplating and enjoying. He argues that both are valid and necessary and which one is best depends on the circumstances. However, he points out that "looking along" is far undervalued and often disregarded completely by Western culture.
The Mere Christians Conference in Florida
Find Andrew Lazo at his own website or as a regular co-host on the Pints with Jack Podcast.
Andrew's book "Mere Christians"
Christin Ditchfield-Lazo's Book "A Family Guide to Narnia"
Find an index of Lewis' essays at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring the iconic C. S. Lewis essay "Meditation in a Toolshed" from 1945, where Lewis considers two ways of knowing things: "looking at" and "looking along". We might say, contemplating and enjoying. He argues that both are valid and necessary and which one is best depends on the circumstances. However, he points out that "looking along" is far undervalued and often disregarded completely by Western culture.
The Mere Christians Conference in Florida
Find Andrew Lazo at his own website or as a regular co-host on the Pints with Jack Podcast.
Andrew's book "Mere Christians"
Christin Ditchfield-Lazo's Book "A Family Guide to Narnia"
Find an index of Lewis' essays at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Author Sarah Arthur continues a conversation about the place of myth and imagination in spiritual formation.
Jordan's brother Jared joins as co-host because of his expertise as English teacher (and totally not because their mom made him).
Find more about Sarah Arthur and her books at saraharthur.com
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Author Sarah Arthur joins us to chat about her new fantasy novel "Once a Queen," which is heavily influenced by C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Dorothy Sayers, and others. Sarah shares with us the power of myth in her storytelling and is a perfect example of all that we have been learning this season "On Metaphor and Myth."
Jordan's brother Jared joins as co-host because of his expertise as English teacher (and totally not because their mom made him).
Find more about Sarah Arthur and her books at saraharthur.com
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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Exploring the second part of a 1956 sermon by C. S. Lewis, "A Slip of the Tongue," where Lewis realizes he accidentally prayed to hold onto temporal things. He reflects in the sermon that, even though it was a slip of the tongue, and meant to pray the opposite, the reality is he (and all of us with him) really do wish to hang onto the temporal things. He challenges us to consider - are there areas of our lives that we are keeping out of reach of God? Or are we truly giving God all of ourselves?
The music for this episode is "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring a 1956 sermon by C. S. Lewis, "A Slip of the Tongue," where Lewis realizes he accidentally prayed to hold onto temporal things. He reflects in the sermon that, even though it was a slip of the tongue, and meant to pray the opposite, the reality is he (and all of us with him) really do wish to hang onto the temporal things. He challenges us to consider - are there areas of our lives that we are keeping out of reach of God? Or are we truly giving God all of ourselves?
The music for this episode is "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
To reflect on the Lenten themes of C. S. Lewis' 1943 essay "Three Kinds of Men," Sean and Jordan recruit the help of their students at Eston College. We keep coming back to the ways Lewis is simply expounding on St. Paul's letter to the Philippians.
Eston College
The music for this episode is "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1942 essay "Psychoanalysis and Literary Criticism" where he dismantles Freud's view of how all literature is written and read from a place of psycho-sexual desire. In doing so, Lewis defends the depth and beauty and complexity of literature and myth, and leans towards a more Jungian concept of literature and myth.
Chris Pipkin's Links —
The Inklings Variety Hour Podcast
"Twelve Tide: 12 Days of Christmas" by Chris & Glencora Pipkin
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1942 essay "Psychoanalysis and Literary Criticism" where he dismantles Freud's view of how all literature is written and read from a place of psycho-sexual desire. In doing so, Lewis defends the depth and beauty and complexity of literature and myth, and leans towards a more Jungian concept of literature and myth.
Chris Pipkin's Links —
The Inklings Variety Hour Podcast
"Twelve Tide: 12 Days of Christmas" by Chris & Glencora Pipkin
The William O'Flaherty Episode with Corey Latta on "Psychoanalysis and Literary Criticism"
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
This letter, written Oct 1, 1931 by a young C. S. Lewis to his closest friend Arthur Greeves, is uniquley timed. It was written 9 days after the influential conversation Lewis had on Addison's Walk with friends Tolkien and Dyson, and four days after his conversion to Christ (what has become known as "Sidecar Day"). Here Lewis tells Arthur more about the conversation and we get a peek into how Lewis found the idea of Myth Becoming Fact, compelling enough to lead him to Christ.
Links —
"They Stand Together" The Letters of C. S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves
C. S. Lewis Collected Letters
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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Exploring the second part of the 1944 C. S. Lewis essay "Myth Became Fact" where Lewis defends Christianity against the de-mythologizing. He argues that the mythic nature of Christianity is essential and that what elevates it above all other myths is that this Myth actually became Fact. That is, it really happened. This was the idea that J. R. R. Tolkien argued with the non-Christian Lewis, which led to Lewis' conversion.
Find Andrew Lazo at his own website or as a regular co-host on the Pints with Jack Podcast.
Andrew's book "Mere Christians"
Christin Ditchfield-Lazo's Book "A Family Guide to Narnia"
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring the 1944 C. S. Lewis essay "Myth Became Fact" where Lewis defends Christianity against the de-mythologizing. He argues that the mythic nature of Christianity is essential and that what elevates it above all other myths is that this Myth actually became Fact. That is, it really happened. This was the idea that J. R. R. Tolkien argued with the non-Christian Lewis, which led to Lewis' conversion.
Find Andrew Lazo at his own website or as a regular co-host on the Pints with Jack Podcast.
Andrew's book "Mere Christians"
Christin Ditchfield-Lazo's Book "A Family Guide to Narnia"
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
This letter, written Sept 22, 1931 by a young C. S. Lewis to his closest friend Arthur Greeves, is uniquley timed. It was written during the week in-between the influential conversation Lewis had on Addison's Walk with friends Tolkien and Dyson, and the day of Lewis' conversion to Christ (what has become known as "Sidecar Day"). Not surprisingly, during this week and in this letter to Arthur, Lewis had Sensucht on his mind.
Links —
"They Stand Together" The Letters of C. S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves
C. S. Lewis Collected Letters
LKL's 2022 Advent episodes on "The Weight of Glory"
Pints with Jack Season 7 on Lewis' Letters
"Twelve Tide: 12 Days of Christmas" by Chris & Glencora Pipkin
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
SPOILER ALERT Listen to this short story first here: "The Man Born Blind" Or find where you can read it at pintswithjack.com/essays
We are back with Dr. Charlie W. Starr to talk about the theme of Sensucht in the short story "Light" and in the rest of Lewis' writings. It was Sensucht that alerted Lewis that there was more to this world than this world, and we find it the perfect theme to help us reflect through Advent.
Check out Charlie's book on the subject, called "Light: C. S. Lewis' First and Final Short Story".
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.Music:
Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
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To celebrate the first ever C. S. Lewis Reading Day today on Lewis' 125th Birthday, we have an unreleased clip from our earlier episode with Dr. Jerry Root (See "Is Theology Poetry?"). Here Jerry tells us about his life and the huge influence Lewis played in teaching him the faith, expanding his imagination, and pointing his desires towards Christ. Click here for more of Dr. Jerry Root.Find more #CSLewisReadingDay content at pintswithjack.com/reading-dayFind the Live-Streamed Q&A Panel on the Pints with Jack Facebook PageFind something of Lewis' to read at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
SPOILER ALERT Listen to this short story first here: "The Man Born Blind" Or find where you can read it at pintswithjack.com/essays
In this part of our conversation with Dr. Charlie W. Starr, we discuss one possible interpretation of "Light" as it pertains to "epistemology" or "how we come to know things". If this is the case, the short story helps us see how imagination and experiential knowing (which Lewis also calls "Looking Along") is as valid as rational "Looking At" ways of knowing.
Check out Charlie's book on the subject, called "Light: C. S. Lewis' First and Final Short Story". Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
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SPOILER ALERT Because we are finally covering a short story by C. S. Lewis, we recommend to listen to this 11-minute short story first, becuase it has a twist ending we will spoil in the epiosde: Find it on YouTube here: "The Man Born Blind"
Or find where you can read it at pintswithjack.com/essays
Lewis wrote two slightly different versions of this story, one goes by the title "Light" and the other "The Man Born Blind", but they are very similar and only have small changes to them. Dr. Charlie W. Starr, our guest in the episode, studied Lewis' handwriting to determine when Lewis wrote each version of the story. In this episode, Charlie recaps the story itself, tells us about his journey of working on the manuscript, and explains how the story could be an analogy of sorts to make his point against Owen Barfield in their "Great War".
Check out Charlie's book on the subject, called "Light: C. S. Lewis' First and Final Short Story". And his first episodes with us on "Why is Myth?" and "Why Does Myth Matter?"Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewisPatreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewisInstagram: @lesserknownlewisFacebook: Lesser-Known Lewis PodcastEmail: lesserknownlewis@gmail.comGraphic Design by Angus Crawford.Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
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In this 1944 essay "The Funeral of a Great Myth" C. S. Lewis continues the thought he began in "Is Theology Poetry?" about how the scientific theory of evolution has been hijacked by scientism to become an all-encompasing cosmic theory about improvement or development or progress. In Lewis' perspective, it is time to put this "mythic" to death. Dr. Bethany Sollereder, lecturer in Science & Religion, joins us to discuss how this myth is still prevalent in our world today and the differences between it and the "True Myth" of the Gospel of Christ.
Find more from Dr. Sollereder here or purchase her book "Why Is There Suffering?: Pick Your Own Theological Expedition"
Arend Smilde's website, containing comprehensive notes on Lewis' essays.
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In this 1944 essay "The Funeral of a Great Myth" C. S. Lewis continues the thought he began in "Is Theology Poetry?" about how the scientific theory of evolution has been hijacked by scientism to become an all-encompasing cosmic theory about improvement or development or progress. In Lewis' perspective, it is time to put this "mythic" to death. Dr. Bethany Sollereder, lecturer in Science & Religion, joins us to discuss how Lewis was right on the money — and where parts of his argument do not hold up.
Find more from Dr. Sollereder here or purchase her book "Why Is There Suffering?: Pick Your Own Theological Expedition"
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In Case You Missed It - Daniel and Phil invited us on The Lamp-Post Listener to talk about Chapter 7 of The Last Battle, "Mainly About Dwarves."
Check out the rest of their episodes on The Last Battle and the rest of the Narnian Chronicles at The Lamp-Post Listener Podcast and online here at The Lamp-Post Listener.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In Case You Missed It - We were recently guests on The Lamp-Post Listener with Daniel and Phil to talk about why we all love Lewis, especially his essay!
Check out The Lamp-Post Listener Podcast and online here at The Lamp-Post Listener.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
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In "G. A. L. Burgeon" C. S. Lewis reviews his friend and fellow Inkling Owen Barfield's book This Ever Diverse Pair. Joined by Barfield's grandson, also named Owen, here we encounter how Lewis applies some of his thinking on metaphor and imagination to a novel written by Owen Barfield - the friend from whom Lewis derived much of his thinking about thinking, imagination, and metaphor.
Find more on Owen Barfield at owenbarfield.org
You may want to check out the entries that explain Barfield's thoughts on Metaphor or Metaphoric Internalization or The Metaphoric Period.
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In "Who gaf me drink?" C. S. Lewis reviews his friend and fellow Inkling Owen Barfield's book Romanticism Comes of Age. Joined by Barfield's grandson, also named Owen, here we encounter how Lewis applies some of his thinking on metaphor and imagination to a book largely about imagination written by Owen Barfield - the friend from whom Lewis derived much of his thinking about thinking, imagination, and metaphor.
Find more on Owen Barfield at owenbarfield.org
You may want to check out the entries that explain Barfield's thoughts on Metaphor or Metaphoric Internalization or The Metaphoric Period.
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In the second part of his 1936 essay, "Bluspels and Flalansferes: A Semantic Nightmare" C. S. Lewis, once again, is defending metaphors as valid, useful, valuable, even necessary ways of speaking about reality. He concludes it is actually those who are best at creating metaphors who are "masters of meaning" rather than those who try to avoid metaphors and stick to the literal. We cannot have just one or the other for, while reason is the organ of truth, "imagination is the organ of meaning."
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
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Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
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In his 1936 essay, "Bluspels and Flalansferes: A Semantic Nightmare" C. S. Lewis, once again, is defending metaphors as valid, useful, valuable, even necessary ways of speaking about reality. He introduces the idea of a "Master's Metaphor" and a "Pupils Metaphor" to explain how metaphors can be tied to our understanding of a concept, but that this is not always the case.
The Eudo Podcast: "Bluspels & Flalansferes"
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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In the second part of this 1960 essay, "The Language of Religion," C. S. Lewis once again defends the ordinary and poetic nature of most of our language within and about Christianity from those who would want it to be more scientific, literal, or quantitative. There is a use for this language, says Lewis, and even Christians sometimes need language like this when doing theology. However, if this was the only way we talked about things, there would be "some death in it." There is always a need and a value for poetic, qualitative language.
Check out the Mere C. S. Lewis podcast
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In this 1960 essay, "The Language of Religion," C. S. Lewis once again defends the ordinary and poetic nature of most of our language within and about Christianity from those who would want it to be more scientific, literal, or quantitative. There is a use for this language, says Lewis, and even Christians sometimes need language like this when doing theology. However, if this was the only way we talked about things, there would be "some death in it." There is always a need and a value for poetic, qualitative language.
Check out the Mere C. S. Lewis podcast
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1944 essay "Is Theology Poetry?" where he defends the Christian belief against the accusation that we believe it merely because it is imaginatively appealing. There may often be aesthetic enjoyment of the truths of Christianity; it may be poetic, narrative, mythic, and metaphoric at times. And these are all valid ways of coming to know truth, but they not the only reasons we have to believe Christian claims are true.
Click here for more of Dr. Jerry Root.
C. S. Lewis' essays can be located at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1944 essay "Is Theology Poetry?" where he defends the Christian belief against the accusation that we believe it merely because it is imaginatively appealing. There may often be aesthetic enjoyment of the truths of Christianity; it may be poetic, narrative, mythic, and metaphoric at times. And these are all valid ways of coming to know truth, but they not the only reasons we have to believe Christian claims are true.
Click here for more of Dr. Jerry Root.
The Treachery of Images painting by Rene Magrite
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
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Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Myth was important to C. S. Lewis. He thought it should be important to everyone, especially Christians. Before we get to Lewis' essays "On Metaphor and Myth" this season, we check in with Dr. Charlie W. Starr, author of "The Faun's Bookshelf: C. S. Lewis on Why Myth Matters", to ask just that question — why does myth matter?
For more on Charlie W. Starr —
His Books
His Blogs
The C. S. Lewis Retreat 2023
His Contribution on The Abolition of Man
C. S. Lewis and the Arts
We highly recommend Charlie's interview on his book The Lions Country on the Pints with Jack Podcast as a great counterpart to this episode.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Myth was important to C. S. Lewis. He thought it should be important to everyone, especially Christians. Before we get to Lewis' essays "On Metaphor and Myth" this season, we check in with Dr. Charlie W. Starr, author of "The Faun's Bookshelf: C. S. Lewis on Why Myth Matters", to try and get an overview on what Myth is to Lewis. In short, Myth is a way of languaging, of communicating concrete realities to people so they can know them by experience through their imagination. Or, to quote Charlie, "Myth is perceived in the imagination, comes across in story, and is meant to point us to a higher reality through embodiment in story."
For more on Charlie W. Starr —
His Books
His Blogs
The C. S. Lewis Retreat 2023
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music: Dream Cave / Crowned Kings / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
In Case You Missed It - Jordan took the guest spot on The Inklings Variety Hour to discuss the essay "Religion and Rocketry" with host Chris Pipkin. We cover everything from the question of aliens, to government conspiracies, to apologetics, to Richard Dawkins, Elon Musk, and James Cameron.
Contact Chris Pipkin at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com
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Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music by Jess Syratt
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In Case You Missed It - We were recently guests on Pints with Jack’s After Hours episode. We talk with David Bates about our show, and looking at the connections between C. S. Lewis' “Religion and Rocketry,” “The Seeing Eye,” and Out of the Silent Planet.
Check out Pints with Jack's podcast and online at pintswithjack.com.
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Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Music by Jess Syratt
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This clip is from our upcoming episodes with Dr. Charlie W. "Indiana Jones" Starr. Here he tells us about his unique role in C. S. Lewis studies and how he came to discover Lewis' only attempt at writing an Archangel Letter as a sequel to The Screwtape Letters.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jess Syratt.
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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In celebration of our first year on the air (yes, a whole year, and we're as surprised as you are), we have a casual conversation to tell you about — What is Lesser-Known Lewis? Who are we? What have we been doing so far? Why do we do what we do? Why do we do the podcast the way we do it? What would we like to do next? How would we like to grow? How can the listener get more involved?
Follow along with the essays —
Audible Version - "C. S. Lewis: Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces"
In Print - "Essay Collection: Faith, Christianity and the Church" in print
Online - pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jess Syratt.
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
This week's episode is a short teaching Jordan was invited by Sean to share at Eston College. Jordan takes what we have been learning from C. S. Lewis on prayer this season and looks to The Chronicles of Narnia to see where we might see the same thing, and reflect on how the simple yet beautiful observations Lewis makes about prayer that should strengthen all of our prayer lives. Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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To wrap up our Second Season, where C. S. Lewis served as a guide to the Christian life, we sit down with Rev. Dr. Bryan Hollon to talk about what we can learn from C. S. Lewis on how to use Scripture personally, and in the ways we communicate the Gospel.
The C. S. Lewis Institute
Ten Commandments in an Age of Moral Confusion, Conference at Christ Church, Plano, TX.
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
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Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
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Exploring the second part of C. S. Lewis' 1940 essay "Dangers of National Repentance." This time David helps us think through what we should do about collective guilt, the difference between repentance and penitence, looking at others with charity. We also consider what the sins of our own age might be — what is the long in our own eye?
Consider attending the Common Roots Conference June 8-10, 2023, put on by David at the Robert E. Webber Center.
Check out Rev. Dr. David Ney's writing at The Covenant Blog, or in his books, All Thy Lights Combine, and The Quest to Save the Old Testament.
The music for this episode is a song called "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1940 essay "Dangers of National Repentance," where Lewis challenges the young people of his day on their impulse to repent of the acts of past generations. He thinks we ought to be careful when repenting of collective guilt because in order to do this you risk a few dangers. Dangers Jesus confronted when he challenged us to look at the log in our own eye. Dr. Ney helps us reflect on Lewis’ challenge and how it might apply to “woke” culture, cancel culture, and thinking through how we should think and feel about the past - especially when there is obvious wrongdoing by people we are connected to.
Consider attending the Common Roots Conference June 8-10, 2023, put on by David at the Robert E. Webber Center.
Check out Rev. Dr. David Ney's writing at The Covenant Blog, or in his books, All Thy Lights Combine, and The Quest to Save the Old Testament.
The music for this episode is a song called "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring the second part of C. S. Lewis' 1947 essay "On Forgiveness." Here Lewis turns our attention to how we can accept forgiveness from God and how we can (and ought to) forgive others when they sin against us. As we wrestle with how this challenges and encourages us in our own lives, William provides some good perspective and advice from his experience in the world of counseling on how to go about the process of forgiveness. Since, as Lewis says, "to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."
Our guest William O'Flaherty can be found —
Online: EssentialCSLewis.com
YouTube: Knowing and Understanding C.S. Lewis
Podcast: All About Jack or to go directly to his "Essay Chat" episodes
Books: "C. S. Lewis Goes to Hell" and "The Misquotable C. S. Lewis"
Twitter: @essentiallewis
Facebook: Confirming C.S. Lewis Quotations Group
Here are links, should you want to read "On Forgiveness," or listen on YouTube: "On Forgiveness."
The music for this episode is a song called "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
The lyrics for the song, "Collect for Lent" are: "Oh God, whose glory it is to have mercy, be gracious to all who've gone astray from Your ways, lead us again with penitent hearts, and steadfast faith to hold fast and embrace the unchangeable truth, Your Word: Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy."
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1947 essay "On Forgiveness." You'll never guess what it's about ;) In this first part, Lewis leads us to reflect on how we approach God when we ask for forgiveness. He helps us see the important difference between forgiving and excusing and after reminding us that confession and repentance are important regular activities of the Christian life, he challenges us to consider whether our confession and repentance with God is true repentance asking for true forgiveness, or whether we are merely approaching God with excuses, and leave never truly having asked for forgiveness.
Our guest William O'Flaherty can be found —
Online: EssentialCSLewis.com
YouTube: Knowing and Understanding C.S. Lewis
Podcast: All About Jack
Books: "C. S. Lewis Goes to Hell" and "The Misquotable C. S. Lewis"
Twitter: @essentiallewis
Facebook: Confirming C.S. Lewis Quotations Group
Here are links, should you want to read "On Forgiveness," or listen on YouTube: "On Forgiveness."
The music for this episode is a song called "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
The lyrics for the song, "Collect for Lent" are: "Oh God, whose glory it is to have mercy, be gracious to all who've gone astray from Your ways, lead us again with penitent hearts, and steadfast faith to hold fast and embrace the unchangeable truth, Your Word: Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy."
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring the second part of the 1948 article by C. S. Lewis, "The Trouble with 'X'" where Lewis explores the all too relatable problem of what to do when we encounter people whose "fatal flaw" shipwreck all our best plans. Here he turns the whole complaint on its head and with a few parables Lewis helps us see that God sees one more person with fatal flaws that we don't see, the only person we are able to change, the only person we are responsible to change — ourselves. Lewis helps us take seriously "the log in our own eye," that we may be blind to things in us that, if left unchecked, may lead to hell, and consider what we ought to do about it. There's no time like the present to put ourselves into God's hands and allow him to do his gracious work of salvation.
Our guest on for this essay is Rev. Dr. Joel Scandrett.
To read this essay an version can be found online here: "The Trouble with 'X'," or audio version can be listened to on YouTube, "The Trouble with 'X'."
Should you want to read ahead for the upcoming Lent essay: "On Forgiveness," or listen on YouTube: "On Forgiveness."
The music for this episode is a song called "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
The lyrics for the song, "Collect for Lent" are: "Oh God, whose glory it is to have mercy, be gracious to all who've gone astray from Your ways, lead us again with penitent hearts, and steadfast faith to hold fast and embrace the unchangeable truth, Your Word: Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy."
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lesserknownlewis/message
Exploring the 1948 article by C. S. Lewis, "The Trouble with 'X'" where he tells explores the all too relatable problem of what to do when we encounter people whose "fatal flaw" shipwreck all our best plans. The first thing to do, is realize that we now know a little of how God feels, for God sees all his plans spoiled too, by all these same people with their fatal flaws. Only, he sees even more fatal flaws than we could ever see. How frustrating it is that God, in his wisdom, has "made it a rule for himself that he won't alter people's character by force." Nevertheless, this means that we have to come to grips with the fact that no matter how well the rest of our lives go — even if we won the lottery — we would still have to face the hurdles of all the people around us, shipwrecking our plans. How will we deal with that? How does God deal with it?
Lent is a good time to think about such things, and face such issues head-on.
Our guest for this essay is Rev. Dr. Joel Scandrett.
To read this essay an version can be found online here: "The Trouble with 'X'," or audio version can be listened to on YouTube, "The Trouble with 'X'."
Should you want to read ahead for the upcoming Lent essay: "On Forgiveness," or listen on YouTube: "On Forgiveness."
The music for this episode is a song called "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
The lyrics for the song, "Collect for Lent" are: "Oh God, whose glory it is to have mercy, be gracious to all who've gone astray from Your ways, lead us again with penitent hearts, and steadfast faith to hold fast and embrace the unchangeable truth, Your Word: Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy."
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic Design by Angus Crawford.
Exploring the second part of C. S. Lewis' 1946 sermon, "Miserable Offenders," where he defends the language of the Anglican prayer book, referring to ourselves as "miserable offenders," because those fatal flaws we see so clearly other people are present also in us. Lewis gives us some great pastoral wisdom for dealing with getting these logs out of our own eyes. Lent is precisely the time for such a task.
You can read "Miserable Offenders" here. To read next the essays for the weeks ahead you can find them here: "The Trouble with 'X'," and "On Forgiveness," or audio versions can be listened to on YouTube, here: "The Trouble with 'X'," and "On Forgiveness."
The music for this episode is a song called "Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as excellent meditative worship songs for Lent.
The lyrics for the song, "Collect for Lent" are: "Oh God, whose glory it is to have mercy, be gracious to all who've gone astray from Your ways, lead us again with penitent hearts, and steadfast faith to hold fast and embrace the unchangeable truth, Your Word: Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy."
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis — Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic design by Angus Crawford.
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1946 sermon, "Miserable Offenders," where he defends the language of the Anglican prayer book, referring to ourselves as "miserable offenders," asking for God to give us "contrite hearts," and confessing that the burden of our sins is "intolerable." Lewis is adamant that this has nothing to do with how we feel, but is a statement of fact and one we, as Christians, must come to grips with if we are to be honest and to be saints. His message is challenging but leads us straight into the loving arms of Jesus during the season of Lent.
You can read "Miserable Offenders" here. To read ahead, links are here: "The Trouble with 'X'," and "On Forgiveness," or audio versions can be listened to on YouTube, here: "The Trouble with 'X'," and "On Forgiveness."
The music for this episode is a song called "A Collect for Lent," performed by David Stroeve, composed by Jordan Duncan and David Stroeve, from the Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent from the Episcopal Prayer Book. David Stroeve's album The Cathedral Project, is on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music. See especially "The Jesus Prayer," and "God of Mercy" as great songs for Lent.
The lyrics for the song, "A Collect for Lent" are: "Oh God, whose glory it is to have mercy, be gracious to all who've gone astray from Your ways, lead us again with penitent hearts, and steadfast faith to hold fast and embrace the unchangeable truth, Your Word: Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy."
Links to resources Jordan mentioned for understanding the secular age we live in:
The Eudo Podcast.
James K.A. Smith
Andrew Root
Carl Truman
Charles Taylor
Graphic design by Angus Crawford.
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1948 article "Some Thoughts" where he explores the Christian paradox — that Christianity is both a world-affirming and world-denying religion. In this episode, we focus on the world-denying aspects of the faith. We see that because Christianity has both sides of the paradox, things like fasting or celibacy should be practiced differently in Christianity than in every other religion and ideology.
NOTE: Our first part of this essay is found a few episodes earlier S2E12 Christmas 2 — "Some Thoughts" (Part 1)
For a visual on the absurd rabbit trail Jordan and Sean start off the show with, as well as devotional connection Jordan draws between Zombies and C. S. Lewis, see this link to a video Jordan made after he had some thoughts of his own.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "Some Thoughts" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Patreon: patreon.com/lesserknownlewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford.
Exploring C. S. Lewis' essay "The Psalms" which was a precursor to his 1958 book Reflections on the Psalms. In the second part of the essay, Lewis explains how Christians need a paradigm shift to see the Psalms of judgment differently. They are more like scripts that help us approach God as the woman in the parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18) who knows she is in the right, if only she could get her case heard. Sean and Jordan wrestle with how uncomfortable it makes us as Christians to come to God in prayer, claiming to be standing in righteousness — ironic, right? Well, helpfully, Lewis suggests the Psalms might lead us to the Righteousness that belongs to Another.
If you want to read or listen to C. S. Lewis' "The Psalms" you can find links to it in many formats at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Facebook: Lesser-Known Lewis Podcast
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford.
Exploring C. S. Lewis' essay "The Psalms" which was a precursor to his 1958 book Reflections on the Psalms. In the first part of the essay, Lewis defends why modern Christians ought to pray the Psalms even though they are old and alien to us. While they are at times cruel and vindictive, and at others, appear self-righteous, they are what they claim to be — God's revelation. He guesses that they are useful to us as a way of dealing with our emotions, and provide self-reflection. Ultimately, because Jesus prayed them and the Church has benefited from following his example in doing so for thousands of years.
Links to things mentioned in today's show:
The Mere C. S. Lewis Podcast episode on "Reflections on the Psalms"
The Wade Center Podcast episode on "Reflection on the Psalms"
The work by Athanasius that Jordan was referring to is called "The Letter to Marcellinus."
If you want to read or listen to C. S. Lewis' "The Psalms" you can find links to it in many formats at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford.
This week during Ordinary Time, we are privileged to hear a conversation with one of C. S. Lewis' Neighbours from the 1940's and 50's — Terry Legg, who grew up in Oxford, just around the corner from Lewis as a young man. In this episode, Terry retells some of Lewis' biography, focusing on his affections, friends, and his love, Joy.
Alister McGrath's "C. S. Lewis Podcast" link to the first biography episode.
"Undeceptions Podcast" C.S. Lewis Biography episode link.
Find more Lesser-Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
The Flax / Whisky on the Rocks / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
This week during Ordinary Time, we are privileged to hear a conversation with one of C. S. Lewis' Neighbours from the 1940's and 50's — Terry Legg, who grew up in Oxford, just around the corner from Lewis as a young man. In this episode, Terry reflects on what the neighbourhood was like that he shared with C. S., and the trouble he would get in as a young boy on the Lewis property. Terry's unique connection to Lewis transports us back to the special place that birthed Narnia, but it also reminds us of just how special neighbourhoods — and neighbours! — are in the teachings of Lewis, and Jesus.
Find more Lesser Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Ludvig Moulin / Shady Neighbourhood / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
The Flax / Whisky on the Rocks / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
This week's episode is a sermon Jordan preached at his home church on Jan 6, 2023 for their Epiphany Service. The sermon is on Isaiah 60:1–9, which begins "Arise, Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." Finding much overlap between this passage and C. S. Lewis' sermon "The Weight of Glory" (which we just covered in Advent!), we thought we would include it in our feed this season. We hope it blesses you as we head into Ordinary Time.
If you would prefer, you can watch the service here.
If you would like to find out more about the Church Calendar, the podcast episode Jordan is on is from "Missionary District."
Find more Lesser Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt).
Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring C. S. Lewis' 1948 article "Some Thoughts" where he explores the Christian paradox — that we sometimes affirm this present world and sometimes deny it as we look forward to a better, resurrected world. In this episode, we focus on the half of the paradox that is grounded in the Good News of Jesus' incarnation (that God became man). Here we let Lewis be our guide to see why Christmas is such good news for this present world and how we can celebrate it well! (We’ll save the other half of the paradox for Lent).
Here's a link to Bishop Robert Barron's episode on "Stoicism and Christianity" that we mentioned.
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "Some Thoughts" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Find more Lesser Known Lewis —
Online: pintswithjack.com/lesser-known-lewis
Instagram: @lesserknownlewis
Email: lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring a few short scraps written by C. S. Lewis in 1945, in a piece now appropriately titled “Scraps," while reflecting on their connection to Christmas and the good news of the Incarnation. In "Scraps," Lewis shares four different, interesting, short, and to-the-point thoughts that illustrate some of the reasons we celebrate that God has become Man in the birth of Jesus; that God affirms the goodness of both the physical and spiritual realms and longs to reunite them; that he affirms the goodness of humanity; and that humans were created to be, in the words of Screwtape, "amphibians...half spirit and half animal." We found lots to reflect on for Christmas in what is possibly Lewis' shortest work.
We also find ourselves returning back to Lewis' essays on prayers briefly, rethinking Lewis' "Problem of Prayer" between the A Pattern and B Pattern prayers and wondering what Jesus knew when he prayed "Thy will be done" in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The podcast episode Jordan referred to can be found at this link to their show called "Word and Table" .
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "Scraps" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be found on Instagram @lesserknownlewis or at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Reflecting on the final part of C. S. Lewis' most famous sermon "The Weight of Glory," from 1941. Sean and Jordan, together with their first guest and long-time friend Rev. Dr. Dean Pinter, reflect on the ways Lewis' legendary sermon helps us learn to "wait for the weight of glory" during the season of Advent.
In this episode, we consider why it is good news that we are burdened with God's glory, and draw from Lewis' life-changing practical ethic of loving your neighbour as the "holiest object" you have seen, because, as he wrote, "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal."
To purchase Dean Pinter's books, look for "Acts" in Zondervan's Story of God Commentary series.
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
If you want to read or listen to C. S. Lewis' "The Weight of Glory," you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be be found on Instagram @lesserknownlewis or at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Reflecting on the third part of C. S. Lewis' most famous sermon "The Weight of Glory," from 1941. Sean and Jordan, together with their first guest and long-time friend Dr. Dean Pinter, reflect on the ways Lewis' legendary sermon helps us learn to "wait for the weight of glory" during the season of Advent.
In this episode, we look at the section where Lewis explores the variety of images scripture uses of Heaven, and why we need variety in the images that draw us on and keep us desiring for that future glory where we will be with Jesus.
To purchase Dean Pinter's books, look for "Acts" in Zondervan's Story of God Commentary series.
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
If you want to read or listen to C. S. Lewis' "The Weight of Glory," you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Reflecting on the second part of C. S. Lewis' most famous sermon "The Weight of Glory," from 1941. Here Lewis reminds us that our desires for this world are not enough, as they were meant as pointers beyond this world to another world.
Sean and Jordan, together with their first guest and long-time friend Dr. Dean Pinter, reflect on the ways Lewis' legendary sermon helps us learn to "wait for the weight of glory" during the season of Advent.
To purchase Dean Pinter's books, look for "Acts" in Zondervan's Story of God Commentary series.
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
William O'Flaherty's podcast is All About Jack, and the episode where he gave his teaching on "The Weight of Glory" and C. S. Lewis' other sermons is found here. All of William's books and many other Lewis endeavours can be found at his website EssentialCSLewis.com.
R. S. Thomas reads his poem "The Bright Field," here.
If you want to read or listen to C. S. Lewis' "The Weight of Glory," you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Reflecting on the first part of C. S. Lewis' most famous sermon "The Weight of Glory," from 1941. Here Lewis makes the famous quote that, "Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
Sean and Jordan, together with their first guest and long-time friend Dr. Dean Pinter, reflect on the ways Lewis' legendary sermon helps us learn to "wait for the weight of glory" during the season of Advent.
To purchase Dean Pinter's books, look for "Acts" in Zondervan's Story of God Commentary series. Also, see his contributions to "Jesus is Lord, Caesar is Not" (IVP Academic, 2012), and "Reading Romans in Context," (Zondervan, 2015).
Camille Parkman's song, "Deliverer / O Come O Come Emmanuel" can be found on Spotify and other music platforms for purchase or streaming.
The book Jordan mentioned that explores the theme of desire in C. S. Lewis' writings is "Pursuing an Earthly Spirituality," by Gary S. Selby.
If you want to read or listen to C. S. Lewis' "The Weight of Glory" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
"The Weight of Glory" episode will be out next week!
But instead of the promised "Intro to Advent" episode this week, we encourage you this week to go listen to C. S. Lewis' sermon "The Weight of Glory." It's our favorite of all the essays we will cover and well worth the listen before we spend the next four weeks reflecting on it through Advent.
The audio can be found on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVzecmgFPq0
pintswithjack.com/essays will show you where to find it in print as well as direct you to two other wonderful podcasts discussing "The Weight of Glory."
Exploring the second part of C. S. Lewis' 1953 speech “Petitionary Prayer: A Problem Without an Answer" where Lewis wrestles through the two seemingly incompatible ways Jesus teaches us to pray. First, submitting our requests to God's possible refusal (e.g. “thy will be done”). Second, with the certain faith we shall get the specific thing we ask. Sean and Jordan push back and forth on this one, as Lewis does in the essay. But, also like Lewis, we find no clear answer to the problem. Still, after the wrestle, we find ourselves having learned a lot more about prayer than we knew before, and we learn about the nature of faith along the way. We also find ourselves taking a dip into letter 11 of "Letters to Malcolm," Lewis' last published book. And though he does not have an answer in the essay or the book, what Lewis does have is a beautiful picture of two ways of praying that Jesus gives as gifts to his disciples.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "The Efficacy of Prayer" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring the first part of C. S. Lewis' 1953 speech “Petitionary Prayer: A Problem Without an Answer" where Lewis wrestles through the two seemingly incompatible ways Jesus teaches us to pray. First, submitting our requests to God's possible refusal (e.g. “thy will be done”). Second, with the certain faith we shall get the specific thing we ask. Sean and Jordan push back and forth on this one, as Lewis does in the essay. But, also like Lewis, we find no clear answer to the problem. Still, after the wrestle, we find ourselves having learned a lot more about prayer than we knew before, and we learn about the nature of faith along the way. We also find ourselves taking a dip into letter 11 of "Letters to Malcolm," Lewis' last published book. And though he does not have an answer in the essay or the book, what Lewis does have is a beautiful picture of two ways of praying that Jesus gives as gifts to his disciples.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "The Efficacy of Prayer" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring the second part of C.S. Lewis' 1959 article "The Efficacy of Prayer" where Lewis questions if there is a way we can find out if prayer really works. Like the last essay, this leads Lewis to exploring what prayer is and is not. It is first a request to a person. But prayer is more than a form of communication, it is a form of connection, a mode of relating to a person. Not surprisingly it is only through connecting with God that we can find any answer to the initial question because "What he does is learned from what he is." Lewis also begs us to consider whether those who seem to get their prayers answered by God frequently are truly as favoured by God as they seem.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "The Efficacy of Prayer" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring the first part of C.S. Lewis' 1959 article "The Efficacy of Prayer" where Lewis questions if there is a way we can find out if prayer really works. Like the last essay, this leads Lewis to exploring what prayer is and is not. It is first a request to a person. But prayer is more than a form of communication, it is a form of connection, a mode of relating to a person. Not surprisingly it is only through connecting with God that we can find any answer to the initial question because "What he does is learned from what he is." Lewis also begs us to consider whether those who seem to get their prayers answered by God frequently are truly as favoured by God as they seem.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "The Efficacy of Prayer" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring the second part of C.S. Lewis' 1945 article "Work and Prayer" where he asks the question "If God is all-wise… doesn’t he know what is best? And if he is all-good, won’t He do it whether you pray or not?" This question leads Lewis to consider whether petitionary prayer - asking God for things - is a lower form of prayer, and form some conclusions about what prayer is and what it isn't. Here Lewis introduces us to the awe-inspiring concept that God (as Blaise Pascal puts it) gives to us "the dignity of causality.” That is, how God has allowed us to participate with him in affecting the world through both work and prayer.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "Work and Prayer" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring the first part of C.S. Lewis' 1945 article "Work and Prayer" where he asks the question "If God is all-wise… doesn’t he know what is best? And if he is all-good, won’t He do it whether you pray or not?" This question leads Lewis to consider whether petitionary prayer - asking God for things - is a lower form of prayer, and form some conclusions about what prayer is and what it isn't. Here Lewis introduces us to the awe-inspiring concept that God (as Blaise Pascal puts it) gives to us "the dignity of causality.” That is, how God has allowed us to participate with him in affecting the world through both work and prayer.
If you want to read or listen to C.S. Lewis' "Work and Prayer" you can find links to it in print, online, and in audio format at pintswithjack.com/essays
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
All of Season 1 we have been drawing connections from what C.S. Lewis wrote about the crises in his world to the crises in ours. In this episode, we take a moment to recap and reflect, but then to make a more important connection between what Lewis wrote in these essays to what is written in scripture. Of course, we find Lewis to be a biblically faithful writer, but now we ask, specifically, which scriptures would fit well with the topics, themes, and truths Lewis taught us in Season 1.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com
Music by Jessica Syratt (@jesssyratt on Twitter)
Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com)
Exploring a published letter that Lewis wrote in 1939, titled "Conditions for a Just War," where he challenges the usefulness of the well-known "conditions" that theologians often use to evaluate whether a war is just or not. Lewis points out that the conditions were originally meant to be employed by princes who were the only people who had the right or responsibility of choosing to go to war. Therefore, for Lewis, the average citizen in a democracy does not bear the moral responsibility of what their nation decides to do as a nation. This leads us to question whether, and to what degree, Lewis is right and begin to consider what role citizens have in ensuring their governments are not corrupt. We end by considering what would be the best way to witness to the Gospel when our nation joins a war (or does anything) that seems unjust.
"Conditions for a Just War" can be found in the books "God in the Dock," "Undeceptions," "Timeless at Heart," and "Essay Collections."
Or you can read it online here: https://bit.ly/3RCmZja
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt
Graphic by Angus Crawford
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1963 article “The Seeing Eye” where Lewis challenges those who would use scientific discoveries (specifically, with space travel in mind) to try and disprove aspects of the Christian faith. Lewis explains that you will always find God in creation if you are open to it — "much depends on the seeing eye." It is one of the most personally challenging essays so far, instructing us on how to find God and revealing the ways we may be avoiding him. It also causes us to reflect on how God and creation are related and gives us compelling ways to think about the incarnation of Jesus, and how God, in his love, pursues us always, even when we cannot seem to see him.
“The Seeing Eye” can be found in the book “Christian Reflections.”
Audio versions of “The Seeing Eye” can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt
Graphic by Angus Crawford
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1958 article “Religion and Rocketry” where Lewis considers the threat of Aliens! That is, if they turn out to be real, does that challenge our Christian faith? This thought experiment deepens our appreciation of Christ’s incarnation and redemption, of how great God's love is for us, and teaches us how to contextualize the gospel and be more humble when we share the good news. Also, we finally get into Narnia!
“Religion and Rocketry” can be found in the books “The World’s Last Night,” and “Fern-Seed and Elephants.”
Audio versions of “Religion and Rocketry” can easily be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt
Graphic by Angus Crawford
Exploring three of C.S. Lewis’s articles from 1944: “Blimpophobia,” “A Dream,” and “Private Bates.” In all of these Lewis voices his concerns over political leaders extending their emergency powers too far for too long at the end of WW2. Lewis explains why this may backfire and lead to worse circumstances the next time a world crisis happens and gives some warnings about what happens when the general public becomes disillusioned with potential propaganda from government and media. Sound familiar? We thought so too. Fortunately, Lewis has some good wisdom for us to consider moving ahead in our own “post-Covid” world.
All three essays can be found in the book “Present Concerns.”
“A Dream” is also in the book “Compelling Reason," or for free online here: https://bit.ly/3PTvVA or found on YouTube.
“Blimpophobia” is online here: https://bit.ly/3wTkpwd
“Private Bates” is online here: https://bit.ly/3wY8mOg
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt
Graphic by Angus Crawford
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1940 article “The Necessity of Chivalry” where Lewis defines and illustrates what the ideal for masculinity should be — a man who is not just a warrior, neither just a tame, civilized, and refined man, but a man who is "both to the nth". Lewis explains how when men are only allowed to be one or the other, it is a danger to all of society. It seems what Lewis writes in this essay 82-year-old essay is extremely relevant to what some, like Jordan Peterson, consider extremely important at the present. We find it to be a helpful description of what a man can and should be in a time when the warrior side of masculinity has been labeled as toxic. We also consider how we might go about disciplining ourselves and others to grow towards this well-rounded ideal of masculinity that Lewis sees in medieval Knights like Sir Lancelot.
“The Necessity of Chivalry” can be found in the Book “Present Concerns”.
Or, you can read it online here: https://bit.ly/3Gw55d9
Audio versions of “The Necessity of Chivalry” can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt
Graphic by Angus Crawford
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1941 article “Meditation on the Third Commandment” warning Christians of the dangers of labeling any political party as a “Christian” party. This article led us to reflect on the risks and rewards of how Christians can mix their faith and politics. It's rewarding when our faith shapes our politics, but the risk comes when it happens the other way around. We also found some possible applications to the post-Covid world about whether news channels can be Christian, and how we thought recent protests in Canada were a good illustration of confusing spiritual and political ideas, letting our politics shape and drive our faith.
“Meditation on the Third Commandment” can be found in the books "God in the Dock," and "Christian Reunion".
Audio versions of “Meditation on the Third Commandment” can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt
Graphic by Angus Crawford
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1940 article “Two Ways with the Self,” and his 1943 article “Equality”. We start out reflecting on how Lewis’ essay on “Equality” helps fill out his surprising statements about equality in the “Membership” episode. We find that the concerns he has about equality as an ultimate virtue are actually directly applicable not only to today’s world but to our personal lives. This leads us to consider his challenges in “Two Ways with the Self” about how to love and hate yourself properly. Simply put, if you demand equality out of insecurity and selfish reasons, perhaps that is one of the “Desires of the Flesh,” that Paul recommends putting to death.
“Equality” can be found in Present Concerns, and Compelling Reason.“Two Ways with the Self”can be found in God in the Dock, and Compelling Reason.
You can read “Equality” online here: https://bit.ly/3NLqmBZ
Audio versions of both essays can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt
Graphic by Angus Crawford
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1948 article, “On Living in an Atomic Age,” where Lewis challenges those who believe the natural realm is all there is to reality. If so, then nothing, not your joys, not your desires, says Lewis — not even the human race! — has any meaning or purpose. We reflect on how Lewis demonstrates the absurdity of this by using our anxiety over threats like nuclear war (or a pandemic?) to suggest that there must be more to reality than the natural world. We learn how Christians ought to view nature more soberly, as well as more hopefully!
“On Living in an Atomic Age” can be found in the books "Present Concerns," and "Compelling Reason."
Or, you can read it online here: https://bit.ly/3N1g9kW
Audio versions of “On Living in an Atomic Age” can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1940 speech, “Why I Am Not a Pacifist,” which he gave to a society of pacifists during WW2 — bold move, Jack! Lewis causes us to rethink our interpretation of “turn the other cheek,” and gives a strong case for when Christians may find it necessary to support a just war. Pacifism aside, the essay taught us an invaluable lesson on how to think and argue well, how to value facts, intuitions, and authority, and convinced us why it’s important for Christians not to jump straight to the Bible when forming an argument.
“Why I Am Not a Pacifist” can be found in the books "The Weight of Glory," "Timeless at Heart," and "Compelling Reason."
Audio versions of “Why I Am Not a Pacifist” can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1941 sermon, “Learning in War-Time,” about how a war (or a pandemic?) can cause us to be better prepared for death and to better understand our reason and purpose for living. This sermon led us to reflect on evangelism, the value of everyday work, discerning God’s calling, how to stay calm and carry on, and the good news that everything and anything can be Spiritual — if done in the right way.
“Learning in War-Time” can be found in the books "Fern-Seed and Elephants," "The Weight of Glory," and "Transposition."
Or, you can read it online here: https://bit.ly/3Nmep5x
Audio versions of “Learning in War-Time” can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Exploring C.S. Lewis’s 1941 speech, “Membership,” on how Christians can only find their value, their purpose, and become who they were created to be through their participation as members in the Body of Christ. He challenges both collectivists and individualists to think differently about Church and calls our culture’s value for authenticity into question. We reflect on how this essay reminds us all why it is crucial to return to membership in a Church after this season of Covid has kept us away.
“Membership” can be found in the books "Fern-Seed and Elephants," "The Weight of Glory," and "Transposition."
Or, you can read it online here: https://bit.ly/3POyO5k
Audio versions of “Membership” can be found on YouTube.
Hosts Sean Stevenson-Douglas and Jordan Duncan can be reached at lesserknownlewis@gmail.com.
Music by Jessica Syratt (Twitter: @jesssyratt). Graphic by Angus Crawford (mdr8store.com).
Get to know hosts Sean and Jordan and why they think these "lesser-known" Lewis writings are worth getting to know!