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A weekly podcast from Premier Unbelievable? with Professor Alister McGrath exploring C.S. Lewis’ thought, theology and teaching.

C.S. Lewis is one of the most influential voices in modern Christianity. The 20th Century British writer and lay theologian has profoundly impacted Christians around the world and brought many atheists and agnostics to faith in Jesus.

One person whose faith was greatly encouraged by the writings of C.S. Lewis is Professor Alister McGrath. Both men were raised in Northern Ireland, studied at Oxford University and went on to become professors there. They also both came to faith from atheism slightly later in life. Alister has written numerous books on C.S. Lewis, including a seminal biography C.S. Lewis – A Life.

Every Monday, Ruth Jackson and Professor Alister McGrath will reflect on C.S. Lewis’ ideas, life and influence as well as trying to answer questions that impact culture today.

The C.S. Lewis podcast

As Christmas approaches, we unpack some of the key elements in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with Dr Jem Bloomfield, assistant professor of literature at the University of Nottingham and author of Paths in the Snow. What are the literary works Lewis draws on in this book? How does he use biblical imagery and stories? Why does The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe seem so inherently Christmassy?

For Jem Bloomfield: https://quiteirregular.wordpress.com/

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#187 Jem Bloomfield: Paths in the snow

Dr Jem Bloomfield, assistant professor of literature at the University of Nottingham and author of Paths in the Snow, unpacks the Christmas references as well as key elements, such as the stone table and the titles of the Pevensie children, within The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Was JRR Tolkien justified in his unease about the appearance of Father Christmas? Why is the White Witch painted as the antithesis of Father Christmas not Aslan? What can we learn from Lewis this Christmas? 

For Jem Bloomfield: https://quiteirregular.wordpress.com/

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
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+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#188 Jem Bloomfield: Christmas in Narnia

How integral was the incarnation for JRR Tolkien? Does Christmas feature in The Lord of the Rings legendarium? How did the Tolkien family celebrate Christmas? Dr Holly Ordway, author of Tolkien’s Faith, shares her thoughts on what Christmas meant to Tolkien and explores a recently discovered poem of his, Noel, which is one of his most overtly Christian works. Listen next week to hear about the imaginative world Tolkien invented when he wrote to his four children as Father Christmas!
+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
+ Support the podcast from the USA
+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#189 Holly Ordway: What did Christmas mean to JRR Tolkien?

For 23 years JRR Tolkien wrote to his four children as Father Christmas. Dr Holly Ordway, author of Tolkien’s Faith, explores Tolkien's creative, humorous writing around Father Christmas and his companions, including his Polar bear assistant, snow-elves, the Man in the Moon and goblins! How does Tolkien combine fantasy and reality? Are there any familiar Tolkien themes in these letters? 

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
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+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#190 Holly Ordway: Tolkien's Father Christmas letters

Is CS Lewis relevant today? Can he speak to a post-Christian culture? We hear from Meg Thomson, producer of Freud’s Last Session, a film starring Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud and Matthew Goode as CS Lewis, Dr Jem Bloomfield, an assistant professor at the University of Nottingham and author of Paths in the Snow and Justin Brierley, author of The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God. They joined Ruth on a programme called Free Thinking, which was originally broadcast on the BBC in December 2023 and focused on CS Lewis and his impact today. It was presented by Dr Chris Harding, a cultural historian of Japan, India and East-West connections, based at the University of Edinburgh and was produced by Ruth Watts. The BBC have kindly given us permission to republish the clips featured in this show, but we highly recommend you listen to the full programme.

Free Thinking airs on BBC radio 4 on Fridays at 9pm and you can also listen online or on podcast via BBC sounds. To listen to the whole episode of this special CS Lewis Free Thinking on BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0gy290n

For more on Freud's Last Session, listen to director Matthew Brown speaking to Ruth on episode 163: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-163-matthew-brown-what-would-sigmund-freud-and-cs-lewis-discuss/17843.article

For more on New Atheism, check out https://www.premierunbelievable.com/, particularly this episode on Coming To Faith Through Dawkins with atheist Alex O'Connor and Professor Alister McGrath: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/unbelievable/unbelievable-coming-to-faith-through-dawkins-part-2-is-there-a-new-new-atheism-alister-mcgrath-and-alex-oconnor/16306.article

To hear further insights from Dr Jem Bloomfield on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on episode 188: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/the-cs-lewis-podcast/the-cs-lewis-podcast-188-jem-bloomfield-christmas-in-narnia/18656.article

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
+ Support the podcast from the USA
+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#191 New Atheism, Sigmund Freud and Narnia: Does CS Lewis still matter?

Lewis' life was not a bed of roses. However, he was still able to find joy in dark situations. For example, discovering beauty and friendship in Ireland's Country Louth while his brother Warnie was being nursed there for alcohol addiction. Rev Paul Clayton-Lea, author of CS Lewis and the Wee County shares some fascinating personal stories from the Lewis brothers in a talk given at the CS Lewis Group at Ulster’s spring mini symposium. The event was entitled ‘CS Lewis and the Land of His Birth: Re-rooting Lewis in Ulster & the Island of Ireland’.

For the CS Lewis Group at Ulster: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/cs-lewis

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
+ Support the podcast from the USA
+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#192 Warnie, alcoholism and Country Louth

What did Warnie and Lewis get up to while holidaying in County Louth? How did he encounter leprechauns, fairies and the Holy Ghost? Plus, we hear about some of the key women in Lewis' life: Mrs Moore, Joy and their housekeeper Vera Henry. Rev Paul Clayton-Lea, author of CS Lewis and the Wee County shares the second half of his talk given at the CS Lewis Group at Ulster’s spring mini symposium and answers audience questions. The event was entitled ‘CS Lewis and the Land of His Birth: Re-rooting Lewis in Ulster & the Island of Ireland’.

To book a (free) ticket for the live event in Oxford with Professor Alister McGrath on Wednesday 5th February: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cs-lewis-you-never-knew-exploring-meaning-truth-and-technology-tickets-1205320709689?aff=oddtdtcreator

For CS Lewis Group at Ulster: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/cs-lewis
+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
+ Support the podcast from the USA
+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#193 Leprechauns, fairies and the Holy Ghost

What was Lewis' favourite Shakespeare play? Dr Sarah Waters, assistant professor of language and literature at Sterling College, Kansas, delves into Lewis' literary accessibility and theological insights, uncovering the timeless relevance of his work. What moved Lewis from disliking Shakespeare as a child to incorporating numerous references in his own work? Are there any obvious parallels between Shakespeare and Lewis?
Come and be part of an as live recording of The CS Lewis Podcast with Alister McGrath and Ruth Jackson on Wednesday, February 5 2025 at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. You need to book here to attend:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1205320709689?aff=oddtdtcreator

The event is entitled ‘The CS Lewis you never knew’. There will q and a, book signing followed by refreshments. This event at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford is part of their New Renaissance project. Wycliffe Hall’s Summer School delves deeper into C.S Lewis’ theology and explores his footsteps in Oxford and Cambridge. Find out more here: https://www.wycliffe.ox.ac.uk/summerschool2025 
For more on Sarah Waters: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9681-3361

For the volume of An Unexpected Journal that Sarah co-edited: An Unexpected Journal

For her article on Lewis, Lear, and The Four Loves - An Unexpected Journal

For Sarah on Lewis and Hamlet: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol43/iss1/4/

For Sarah's article on Lewis' rhetoric in Linguaculture: https://journal.linguaculture.ro/index.php/home/article/view/355

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
+ Support the podcast from the USA
+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#194 Sarah Waters: How Lewis grew to love Shakespeare

​How did William Shakespeare influence CS Lewis’ conversion to Christianity? Dr Sarah Waters, assistant professor of language and literature at Sterling College, Kansas, draws connections between Lewis’ faith journey and his engagement with Shakespeare’s works. How do Hamlet and The Winter’s Tale connect to his famous conversation with JRR Tolkien and Hugo Dyson? Were there particular insights Dyson offered Lewis that have previously gone largely unnoticed? Why have both Lewis and Shakespeare stood the test of time? 

For the ‘CS Lewis You Never Knew’ live event in Oxford: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cs-lewis-you-never-knew-exploring-meaning-truth-and-technology-tickets-1205320709689?aff=oddtdtcreator

For more on Sarah Waters: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9681-3361

For the volume of An Unexpected Journal that Sarah co-edited: An Unexpected Journal

For her article on Lewis, Lear, and The Four Loves - An Unexpected Journal

For Sarah on Lewis and Hamlet: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol43/iss1/4/

For Sarah’s article on Lewis’ rhetoric in Linguaculture: https://journal.linguaculture.ro/index.php/home/article/view/355 

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training 
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
+ Support the podcast from the USA
+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#195 Sarah Waters: Did Shakespeare play a role in Lewis' conversion?

How did "great myths" shape Lewis' understanding of Christian truth? Dr Sarah Waters, assistant professor of language and literature at Stirling College, Kansas, continues to explore the intriguing intersection between Shakespeare's literary genius and CS Lewis' spiritual journey. Sarah recently presented this paper at the 2024 Undiscovered CS Lewis conference, which was held at George Fox University. The title of Sarah’s paper was 'An Undiscovered Source in Lewis’ Conversion Narrative'.

For more on Sarah Waters: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9681-3361

For the volume of An Unexpected Journal that Sarah co-edited: An Unexpected Journal

For her article on Lewis, Lear, and The Four Loves - An Unexpected Journal

For Sarah on Lewis and Hamlet: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol43/iss1/4/

For Sarah's article on Lewis' rhetoric in Linguaculture: https://journal.linguaculture.ro/index.php/home/article/view/355

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545
+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website
+ For online learning https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training
+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events
+ Support the podcast from the USA
+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#196 How did Shakespeare influence Lewis' exploration of death, resurrection and the human condition?

My sister Susan,” answered Peter shortly and gravely, “is no longer a friend of Narnia.” 

 

Philip Pullman and JK Rowling have both criticised the way CS Lewis treated Susan at the end of the Narnia. Author David Marshall defends Lewis' decision not to have Susan enter heaven in the 'The Case for Aslan: Evidence for Jesus in the land of Narnia' and writes his own imagined next steps for Susan in the real world.

 

For 'The Case For Aslan', from Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Aslan-Evidence-Jesus-Narnia/dp/1947929216/ref=sr_1_1?crid=22S25FFJ3PXZR&keywords=the+case+for+aslan&qid=1661214444&sprefix=%2Caps%2C876&sr=8-1

For 'The Case For Aslan', from Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Case-Aslan-Evidence-Jesus-Narnia/dp/1947929216/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+case+for+aslan&qid=1661214557&sr=8-1

 

+ Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545

+ For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website

+ For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events

+ Support the podcast from the USA

+ Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

#69 We need to talk about Susan: David Marshall defends CS Lewis against Pullman and JK Rowling

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