I haven’t written many blog posts lately, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been lazy. I just want to make sure I have something worthwhile to say. So, today, I am providing an update on what has been keeping me busy during this season.
One of my projects was the development of a course at my church on writers C. S. Lewis admired. If you have seen previous posts, you know I focused on George MacDonald, G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Dorothy L. Sayers. That course is now completed and ready to teach beginning in September.
For the past few weeks, I’ve delved deeply into Lewis’s many essays in the process of teaching another course (beginning in January) on the wisdom contained in those essays.
The hard part has been deciding which ones to highlight, but I’ve narrowed the list to some of the most essential ones. I begin with essays on theology and apologetics, then on to some key articles on education, followed by numerous ones dealing with the interaction of Christians with society. This foray has been particularly edifying. Dissecting each essay has only increased my appreciation for Lewis’s thoughts and how he communicated them.
Then there is that more monumental endeavor—writing another book. I’ve mentioned this as well in previous posts, but the end of this project now looms. Proofs have been inspected and corrected. Endorsers are being recruited. Publication should be in the next couple of months. As a reminder, the topic is history, but more specifically, how Lewis viewed history. My co-author and I have documented Lewis’s personal credentials as a historian, have investigated his understanding of historical periods, and have zeroed in on one of the primary errors historians make, an error called “historicism.” Further, we have explored the significance of having a historical imagination and then how Lewis used his grasp of history even in his fiction.
As soon as I have a cover for the book to show you, I will do so. And you can depend on me to go more deeply into what you can expect in the book.
Complementary to that, I will be one of the speakers at a Lewis conference in Romania this coming November. My chapter on historicism will be the subject of my presentation.
This has been a most productive season on the Lewis “front.” I am grateful to the Lord for providing these opportunities.