Narnia Fans » C.S. Lewis Foundation

Please note the following in this issue of the C.S. Lewis Society Update (9/26/07):

1. Religious Books Banned in Federal Prisons
2. Film News
3. Next meeting of C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club: Reflections on the Psalms
4. New Journal and Books
5. Other Events

1. Religious Books Banned in Federal Prisons:

In the name of “fighting terrorism,” federal Bureau of Prisons bureaucrats are banning any religious books in prisons not on the Bureau’s short, restricted list of approved books. Among the books banned are ones by C. S. Lewis, Rick Warren, Paul Tillich, Karl Barth, Moses Maimonides, Charles Schuller, Harold Kushner, and many, many other authors. The wholesale censorship has ordered federal prison chaplains to comply based on the premise that library materials should be “free of discrimination, disparagement, advocacy of violence and religious radicalization.” The purge resulted from a 2004 report by the Office of the Inspector General in the Justice Department that recommended that prisons take steps to avoid becoming recruiting grounds for militant Islamic and other religious groups, the New York Times reported.

New York Times

Washington Post:

USA Today:

Topeka Capital-Journal

A class action suit has been filed by two prisoners in upstate New York, one a Christian and the other an Orthodox Jew.

Needless to say, C.S. Lewis was a very strong opponent of literary censorship, as he discussed in a number of his books, including PRESENT CONCERNS.
Amazon.com

2. Film News:

A. A feature film is being made of the marvelous autobiographical book, A SEVERE MERCY, by the author and scholar Sheldon Vanauken (Professor of History and English, Lynchburg College). The book recounts the story of Vanauken and his wife Davy’s friendship with C.S. Lewis, their conversion to Christianity and their facing her tragic illness and death. The film is being produced by Origin Entertainment:
http://aseveremercythemovie.com/

Sheldon Vanauken (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Vanauken

B. The beginning of filming for the third book in the Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, has been pushed back to Summer 2008 in order to accommodate the schedules of the actors. As a result, the film is now scheduled for release in May 2010. (Michael Apted is the director.) Meanwhile, the production of Narnia book THE SILVER CHAIR has been placed on the priority list by the producers at Walden Media as a result of an impending strike next June by the Writers’ Guild, Directors’ Guild, and Screen Actors’ Guild.

C. A handsome movie poster for the next Narnia epic film PRINCE CASPIAN has recently been released, “A New Age Has Begun,” showing a May 16th premiere date for the film:
http://www.cinematical.com/media/2007/09/caspian-teaser.jpg

3. Next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club:
http://www.lewissociety.org/bookclub.php

Book for Discussion:

REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS, by C.S. Lewis:

Wednesday, October 3rd, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Lucia La Rocca

Wednesday, October 17th, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Lucia La Rocca

In one of his most enlightening works, C.S. Lewis shares his ruminations on both the form and the meaning of the Psalms. In the introduction he explains, “I write for the unlearned about things in which I am unlearned myself,” so from neither a scholar’s nor a Christian apologist’s stance Lewis takes on a tone of thoughtful collegiality as he writes on one of the Bible’s most elusive books. Characteristically graceful and lucid, Lewis cautions that the Psalms were originally written as songs that should now be read in the spirit of lyric poetry. Drawing from daily life as well as the literary world, Lewis begins to reveal the mystery that often shrouds the Psalms. REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS also includes an appendix featuring the full text of selected Psalms and a listing of all the Psalms mentioned and discussed.

“Illuminating and rewarding reading.” –Christian Herald

“For the last thirty years of his life no other Christian writer in this country had such an influence on the general reading public as C.S. Lewis.” –Times Literary Supplement

The meetings will be held at:

11990 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619 (atop the Oakland hills)
510-482-2906 phone
wine, soft drinks and other refreshments served

Here also are a couple short articles that discuss REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS and related issues:

“Reflections on the Psalms: Quotations and Allusions,” by Arend Smilde
http://www.solcon.nl/arendsmilde/cslewis/reflections/e-psalmsquotes.htm

“Reflections on the Psalms,” by Will Vaus:
http://www.willvaus.com/reflections_on_the_psalms

REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS in available in paperback

REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS on CD:

Here also is the schedule of future Lewis Society book club meetings:
http://www.lewissociety.org/bookclub.php

Here also is information on C.S. Lewis:
http://www.lewissociety.org/aboutlewis.php

We hope that you and/or others you know will be joining with us! (Please feel free to forward this update to others.)

4. New Journal and Books:

A. NEW JOURNAL: The C.S. Lewis Foundation has recently launched the new online journal, IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH: A Journal of Christian Scholarship. The journal is edited by Scott Key, Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at California Baptist University.
http://www.cslewis.org/journal/?page_id=2

B. NEW BOOKS: The following new books are noteworthy:

1. DISCOVERING GOD: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, by Rodney Stark (HarperOne, October 2007):
Amazon.com
“In this wide-ranging investigation, Stark detects sacred reality–not pious deception–at the heart of transcendent beliefs shared by Aborigines and Anglicans. In their myths of the high gods, Stark contends, early tribal peoples glimpsed divine truths obscured in later civilizations when pharaohs and emperors lent government support to temple priesthoods more interested in maintaining a comfortable lifestyle than in serving God. The eventual emergence of a religious marketplace in ancient Rome opened a wide range of metaphysical options. Yet in a culture of religious pluralism, the insistent claims of tightly knit communities of Jews and Christians appeared threatening to Roman leaders, who defended the status quo by persecuting adherents to these unsettlingly intense faiths. Yet it is in these revelatory faiths–and not the meditative religions of Eastern Asia–that Stark discerns the fullest manifestation of God. . . . [S]erious students of religion will recognize this as an essential sourcebook.” — Booklist

2. WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, by Dinesh D’Souza (Regnery, October 2007):
Amazon.com
This new book looks at Christianity with a questioning eye, but treats atheists with equal skepticism. The result is a book that will challenge the assumptions of both believers and doubters and affirm that there really is, indeed, something great about Christianity.
* Why Christianity explains what modern science tells us about the universe and our origins–that matter was created out of nothing, that light preceded the sun–better than atheism does
* How Christianity created the framework for modern science, so that Christianity and science are not irreconcilable, but science and atheism might be
* Why the alleged sins of Christianity–the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Galileo affair (“an atheist’s fable”)–are vastly overblown
* Why atheist regimes are responsible for the greatest mass murders of history
* Why atheists fear the Big Bang theory and the “anthropic principle” of the universe, which are keystones of modern astronomy and physics
* How Christianity explains consciousness and free will, which atheists have to deny
* Why ultimately you can’t have Western civilization–and all we value from it–without the Christianity that gave it birth.

3. THE SPIRITUAL BRAIN: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul, by Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary (HarperOne, September 2007):
Barnes and Noble
Do religious experiences come from God, or are they merely the random firing of neurons in the brain? Drawing on his own research with Carmelite nuns, neuroscientist Mario Beauregard shows that genuine, life-changing spiritual events can be documented. He offers compelling evidence that religious experiences have a nonmaterial origin, making a convincing case for what many in scientific fields are loath to consider-that it is God who creates our spiritual experiences, not the brain. The authors also explore recent claims of a “God gene,” “God helmet,” and claims that our brains are “hardwired” for religion. The authors argue that these attempts are misguided and narrow-minded, because they mistakenly reduce spiritual experiences to material phenomena.

Here also is an interview with Professor Beauregard, who is the Director of the Laboratory of Neuropsychology at the University of Montreal in Canada:
Harper Collins

4. ACTS FOR EVERYONE, PART 1, by Tom Wright (September 2007)
The distinguished New Testament scholar, N.T. (“Tom”) Wright has authored an accessible yet in-depth commentary for everyone to understand the Book of Acts. The book combines wit, insights and wisdom, and is part of the series he has been authoring which also includes books on Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, etc.
Amazon.com

4. Other Events:
http://www.lewissociety.org/events.php

“The Crisis of the University: Freedom, Tolerance and the Pursuit of Truth”
Sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
October 5-6, 2007
http://www.cslewis.org/programs/ff/2007/index.html

“C.S. Lewis: Man and His Work: A 21st Century Legacy”
Sponsored by L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC
October 26-27, 2007
http://www.sebts.edu/CSLewis/

“C.S. Lewis Conference”
Sponsored by Hope Lutheran Church
Atascadero, CA
January 25-27, 2008
(More details to follow)

“Sixth Frances Ewbank Colloquium on C.S. Lewis & Friends”
Sponsored by Taylor University, Upland, IN
May 29-June 1, 2008
http://www.taylor.edu/academics/supportservices/cslewis/colloquium/

“Charles Williams and His Contemporaries”
Sponsored by The Charles Williams Society
Sr. Hilda’s College, Oxford, England
July 4-6, 2008
http://www.geocities.com/charles_wms_soc/events.html

From Steve Elmore of the C.S. Lewis Foundation:

The C.S. Lewis Foundation is pleased to announce the Southeast Regional C.S. Lewis Conference. Come join us in Nashville on May 5 as we engage the world of C.S. Lewis in the good company of Lewis scholars Joseph Pearce, Stan Mattson and Andrew Lazo. Together we will explore Lewis’ life and works, discovering the essential role of faith in our own quest for joy.

Also featuring professional dance and music performances, a new Disney film documentary on Lewis’ life, and a special Narnia program for children. Don’t miss this day of learning, worship, and fellowship for the whole family! Register now! Visit our website www.cslewis.org or call toll-free 1-888-CSLEWIS.

“Faith Set Free: C.S. Lewis and the Quest for Joy” also includes performances by the Ad Deum Dance Company of Houston with guest vocalist Stacy Jagger and screening of new Disney documentary C.S. Lewis: Dreamer of Narnia. May 5, 2007.

More Conferences/Seminars:

C.S. Lewis Summer Conference, San Diego, California – “Finding the Way: C.S. Lewis as Pilgrim Guide in an Age of Pluralism” – Together with leading Lewis scholars Paul Ford, Malcolm Guite, and Diana Glyer plus Lambs Players, Steve Mays and Christians of every communion, we will study C. S. Lewis’ writings to discern what it means to be faithful to Christ in a world of increasing religious and philosophical diversity. Enjoy a full program of teaching, worship and performance in this beautiful city by the Pacific! June 28-July 1, 2007.

C.S. Lewis Summer Seminars-in-Residence at The Kilns, Oxford, England. Week-long, small-group seminars addressing relevant themes in C.S. Lewis’ former home in Oxford. July 7-13, 15-21, & 28 – August 3, 2007.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, will speak on the topic “Bios Through Logos: Seeing God in the Human Genome” at the C.S. Lewis Foundation Summer Institute at Williams College.

Collins led the completion of the 13-year-long Human Genome Research project, and developed techniques to map and identify genes responsible for diseases such as cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, Huntington’s disease and Hutchison-Gilford progeria syndrome.

Collins’ talk at the C.S. Lewis Summer Institute befits the conference theme: “Love Among the Ruins: the Renewal of Character and Culture.” Seminars will be held from Friday to July 16.

In addition to seminars on Lewis, art history, popular culture and other subjects, there will be workshops in the visual arts, dance, theater and creative writing. There will also be a Children’s Track that will focus on a theme from Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia,” and a “College Briefing” for college-bound high school juniors and seniors.

The theme of the conference will be developed through several artistic performances, including an evening concert by the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, as well as performances by the Shakespeare Theatre Festival and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

For more information or to register, visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.cslewis.org, or call toll free (888) 235-3947.

The C.S. Lewis Foundation, which has sponsored “C.S. Lewis Summer Institute” conferences in Oxford and Cambridge, England, since 1988, is “crossing the pond” for the first time this summer with a conference at Williams College (MA), themed Love Among the Ruins: On the Renewal of Character and Culture.

The 10-day event (July 7-16, 2006) will feature internationally-recognized authors, artists, and academics such as Joseph Pearce, Malcolm Guite, Dick Staub, Armand Nicholi, James-Emery White, and many more. The conference schedule also includes a trip to see the Boston Symphony perform at the nearby Tanglewood outdoor theater, and numerous other arts performances, lectures, seminars and workshops.

For more information or to register, visit the conference website, call toll-free at 1-888-CSLEWIS, or email registrar@cslewis.org.

In a move calculated to put the triennial C.S. Lewis Foundation Summer Institute within easy reach of the bulk of its constituency, the foundation will hold its upcoming week-long Summer Institute at Williams College in Williamston, Mass., from July 7 – 16, 2006. More than 2,000 alumni have participated in one or several of the previous six triennial “Oxbridge” summer institutes held by the foundation in Oxford and Cambridge, England, over the past 18 years. But never before has the foundation offered this weeklong feast for spirit, imagination and intellect in North America.

This year’s Institute, entitled “Love Among the Ruins: the Renewal of Character and Culture,” will address the renewal of character and culture at the individual spiritual, intellectual and active level, and also at the wider community and civic levels, in a mix of engaging and challenging presentations.

“We are trying something new this year,” says Stan Mattson, Ph.D., founder and president of the Redlands, California-based C.S. Lewis Foundation. “By holding our Summer Institute in the United States rather than in England, as we have done for the past nine years, we hope to reach out to those who have wanted to attend but could not do so before. This is a unique opportunity to refresh mind and spirit amid our daily, relentless engagement with prevailing culture.” The Foundation’s past conferences in England have typically drawn more than 700 attendees each week, mainly from the states.

This year’s program includes internationally acclaimed speaker Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health; Atessa Afshar, one of few Iranian Muslim women working in fulltime Christian world ministry; Malcom Guite, chaplain and fellow of Girton College in Cambridge, England; Thomas Howard, prolific author and professor of English emeritus at St. John’s Seminary College in Boston; Jeanne Murray Walker, Institute Writer-in-Residence and professor of English at the University of Delaware; James Como, professor of rhetoric at City University of New York and author of C.S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table; Joseph Pearce, professor of English literature at Ave Maria University and noted biographer of modern Christian literary figures; James Emery White, president-elect and professor of Theology and Culture at Gordon-Conwell Seminary; Nigel Goodwin of the London based Genesis Arts Trust; Ben Patterson, Chaplain of Westmont College, Santa Barbara; Dick Staub, award-winning broadcast journalist and nationally-recognized author; Karen Mulder, art historian of the University of Virginia, and Armand Nicholi, Jr., clinical professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who has served on the Harvard Medical School Faculty for 26 years and recently hosted the PBS documentary series on Lewis and Freud.

In addition to seminars on Lewis, the Inklings, the Great Books, popular culture, and other subjects, there will be workshops on the visual arts, dance, theatre, and creative writing. There will also be a Children’s Track that will focus on a theme from Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, and a “College Briefing” for high school juniors and seniors. Artistic performers include Michael Kelly Blanchard, accomplished songwriter and soloist with 10 albums to his credit, and Tony Lawton, founder of The Mirror Theatre Company, renowned for his powerful one-man performance of C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce. Thomas Brooks, chair of the Department of Music at Gordon College, conductor of the Gordon College Choir and Chamber Singers, co-director of music at the historic Park Street Church in Boston, and president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, will conduct the Institute choir. For the past three years, Dr. Brooks has conducted the Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island All-State Music Festival. An evening concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at their famed summer home at Tanglewood is included, as are performances by the Shakespeare Theatre Festival – Merry Wives of Windsor – and the Williamstown Theatre’s performance of the musical comedy Anything Goes.

For more information or to register, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.cslewis.org, or call toll free 1-800-CSLEWIS.

About the C.S. Lewis Foundation: Founded in 1986 by a small group of Christian scholars who were inspired by the life and legacy of renowned English professor, author and speaker C.S. Lewis, the C.S. Lewis Foundation is dedicated to advancing the renewal of Christian thought and creative expression throughout the world of learning and, by extension, the culture at large. The Foundation owns and maintains “The Kilns,” Lewis’ long time residence in Oxford, England, now home to the C.S. Lewis Study Centre. For more information, please visit www.cslewis.org.

Third Annual Southwest Regional Retreat of the C.S. Lewis Foundation and The Hill Country Institute for Contemporary Christianity

“Aslan on the Move: Narnia Revisited”

Date: November 18 – 20, 2005

Location: Camp Allen Episcopal Retreat Center, Navasota, Texas

What to bring: A love for God, curiosity, questions, an eagerness for learning, a desire for Christian fellowship, and an appreciation of spiritually uplifting entertainment.

Dear friends,

This year’s retreat will feature commentary on C.S. Lewis’ wonderful collection of stories for both children and adults, The Chronicles of Narnia are a wonder of delight for both young and old, and, as in 2004, we will offer programs for both adults and children.

Our speakers for the adult portion of the weekend will be Dr. Louis Markos of Houston Baptist University and Dr. Paul Ford of St. John’s Catholic Seminary in Camarillo, California. They will lead us into the wonderful world of Narnia and explore the characters, themes and timely lessons Lewis developed in this Christian fantasy world, where Aslan moves and breathes unexpected life. You need only bring a desire to learn, live, and grow. Lewis believed we needed more good Christian stories to be told, and we can use his insights and skill to bless others as we learn about Christian storytelling with purpose and continue our own spiritual journeys.

Like all C.S. Lewis Foundation and Hill Country Institute conferences and retreats, “Aslan on the Move: Narnia Revisited” will feed us spiritually, challenge us intellectually, and entertain us wholeheartedly. Additional entertainment will be featured throughout the weekend, including the new biographical movie C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia, produced by Faith and Values Media, which was premiered at Oxbridge 2005 in Cambridge, England. We will also worship together in a morning meditation time to open our day on Saturday morning and a worship service to conclude the retreat on Sunday morning.

Camp Allen is the ideal setting for a peaceful retreat that succors body, mind, and soul. Nestled in the rich pine forest of Navasota, Texas, northwest of Houston, it offers walking trails, canoeing, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities for your enjoyment during free time.

“Aslan on the Move: Narnia Revisited” will surely provide you and your family with the perfect respite before the frenzy of the holiday season.

Save these dates and go to www.campallen.org to register for the conference and to learn more about Camp Allen. For information on costs and to register, click on Online Registration for Selected Events. For additional information on the C.S. Lewis Foundation and the retreat, go to www.cslewis.org

Stan Mattson, Ph.D., president and founder of the C.S. Lewis Foundation, today announced that Pastor Rick Warren, renown best-selling author of A Purpose-Driven Life, has confirmed his participation in the upcoming C.S. Lewis Institute conference in Oxford and Cambridge, England, from July 24 through August 6, 2005.

Organized by the California-based C.S. Lewis Foundation, this conference is entitled “Making All Things New: The Good, the True and the Beautiful in the 21st Century. “Set in the medieval university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, Oxbridge 2005 will feature presentations by leading scholars and artists representing many Christian traditions and interests from around the world, in the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences, and interlaced with music, dance, theater and worship.

Pastor Warren’s presentations will be first, in Oxford, “The Good, the True and the Beautiful-To What End?” and second, in Cambridge, an informal interview by former national radio host Dick Staub.

“Pastor Rick Warren brings a wonderful pragmatic dimension to this conference,” explains Mattson. “Our desire is that people will return home and integrate what they receive in a meaningful way within the context of their own individual vocations and circumstances. Pastor Rick helps reinforce that probability with his special talent for translating important and lofty ideals into practical, easy-to-understand, actionable principles.”

Other speakers include Susanna Caroselli, Chuck Colson, David Cook, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Richard Foster, Dana Gioia, Malcolm Guite, David Lyle Jeffrey, Bishop James Jones, Peter Kreeft, Vishal Mangalwadi, Louis Markos, Alister McGrath, Kathleen Norris, Joseph Pearce, Tony Thiselton, Dean Trulear and Kallistos Ware.

Afternoon seminars feature topics on C.S. Lewis, the Inklings, contemplative prayer, peacemaking and reconciliation, political engagement, the Christian scholar in the secular academy, the Oxford libraries, medical and business ethics, social justice, cultural apologetics, science and theology, philosophy, architectural and art history. Workshops include creative writing, theater, dance, choral performance and the visual arts.

Special events include evensong service at Ely Cathedral, a traditional English country dinner dance at Chilford Hall, performances by the Riding Lights Theatre Company of York, England, Oxford City Orchestra, the Institute Chorale, dramatic portrayals of C.S. Lewis by British actor Joss Ackland and American actor Tom Key, and a final eucharistic service of dedication at Kings College Chapel. Optional day trips include Warwick Castle, The Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, Blenheim Palace, Lewis’ beloved home, “The Kilns,” (now owned and beautifully restored by the Foundation) and an evening of Shakespeare in the park.

For more information or to register for Oxbridge 2005, please visit www.cslewis.org, or call toll free 1-800-CSLEWIS.

About the C.S. Lewis Foundation: Founded in 1986 by a small group of Christian scholars, and inspired by the life and legacy of renowned English professor, author and speaker C.S. Lewis, the C.S. Lewis Foundation is dedicated to advancing the renewal of Christian scholarship and artistic expression throughout the mainstream world of learning and the culture at large. For more information, please visit www.cslewis.org

I sent an e-mail to the C.S. Lewis Foundation for feedback on the C.S. Lewis Summer Conference at the University of San Diego: The Fantastic Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Here’s the incredible response from Marlon Davies, an intern at the Foundation:

The Conference went smashingly! It was truly a magnificent weekend of fellowship, good company and quality learning. I have included a link to an article from Dick Staub, one of our featured guests over the course of the weekend. It will give you a window into one person’s experience. DickStaub.com

Overall, we received excellent praise and feedback about all our guests, especially scholars Peter Kreeft and Joseph Pearce, actor Tony Lawton and music artist, Fernando Ortega.

The C.S. Lewis Foundation will be facilitating a number of things throughout the next year. However, everything will be working toward, in anticipation, OxBridge 2005. You can view the archives of the 2002 OxBridge conference “Time and Eternity” at our site. This is similar in nature to the recent San Diego conference, but larger. The theme of 2005 will be “The Good, the True, and the Beautiful”. Our site will be updated this summer will much more information on the event. [July 24-August 5, 2005: Oxbridge 2005 Summer Institute - "The Good, the True and the Beautiful"] Also, any other events coming up will also be updated quite soon online.

Most notable will be the C.S. Lewis tall ship cruise. A beautiful way to see the British Isles and learn more about Lewis and his life and writings. This is put on in partnership with 1st century voyages.

For more information, visit: C.S. Lewis Foundation
and NarniaFans’ Festivals page