Reflections on God … Man … Life
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…. Read more »
I don’t comment on my birthday every year, but I do want to take some time today to reflect on God’s blessings as I consider my 72nd birthday. First and foremost, I am grateful to the Lord for His unfailing love and compassion toward me. I have had highs and lows spiritually in my life, and at one time I almost succeeded in walking away from Him. Yet He never gave up on me. This particular Scripture rings true on… Read more »
Is the study of history an endangered species? We read about the sad state of affairs in higher education with respect to history programs. Many universities are either scaling back on the history major, combining it with something else, or removing it from their offerings entirely. The say, of course, that this is due to declining enrollments in history programs. They are correct in that assessment. And that is what is so sad about it all. The university where I… Read more »
C. S. Lewis in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, made a statement that startled many when he said, “I do not much believe in the Renaissance as generally described by historians. The more I look into the evidence the less trace I find of that vernal rapture which is supposed to have swept Europe in the fifteenth century.” And in a letter to his friend Sister Penelope in 1952 he leaves no doubt with respect to his views of the… Read more »
Readers of this blog know that I have been working (along with my co-author Jamin Metcalf) on a proposed book dealing with C. S. Lewis’s views on history. One begins researching and writing an academic book usually without any promise that it will see publication. We academics don’t normally receive any up front funding based on future royalties principally because royalties for such books are not equivalent to royalties earned by “popular” authors. We write from a deep desire to… Read more »
In my quest to write a book about C. S. Lewis’s views on history, I’ve laid out potential chapters for the proposed book. The very first chapter, I believe, needs to establish Lewis’s credentials as someone whose views on history should be taken seriously. Some, I know, would say that since he primarily taught English literature that this might be a hill too steep to climb. Yet, as a historian myself, I know quite well that history and literature are… Read more »
C. S. Lewis’s path to Christian faith was helped along mightily by certain authors. In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, he tells of his discovery of G. K. Chesterton’s writings and says specifically, “I read Chesterton’s Everlasting Man and for the first time saw the whole Christian outline of history set out in a form that seemed to me to make sense. You will remember that I already thought Chesterton the most sensible man alive ‘apart from his Christianity.’ Now,… Read more »