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Please note the following in this issue of the C.S. Lewis Society Update (11/21/07):

1. More Christianity vs. Atheism Debates
2. Next meetings of C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club: The Screwtape Letters
3. New Books for Christmas
4. Other Events

1. More Christianity vs. Atheism Debates:

The new Christianity vs. atheism debates will continue on November 30th when Christian author Dinesh D’Souza and atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett meet on the subject “God is a Manmade Invention,” at 7 p.m. in the Cabot Auditorium at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

On December 5th, D’Souza will then debate Skeptic magazine editor Michael Shermer on “Is Christianity Good for the World?” at 7 p.m. in the Marvin Center at George Washington University, and then again on December 9th at 2 p.m. in the Beckman Auditorium at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif.

To date, anti-theist Richard Dawkins has not accepted D’Souza’s offer to debate.

Here are a number of recent article by D’Souza:

“Does the Ghost in the Machine Have a Soul? An Argument for the Spirit Hinges on the Freedom of Choice”

“Atheism, Not Religion, Is the Real Force Behind the Mass Murders”

“The Atheist Who Came In From the Cold”

Dinesh D’Souza is the author of the best-selling new book, What’s So Great About Christianity

2. The next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society Bay Area Book Club will be as follows:

Book for Discussion:

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, by C.S. Lewis:

Wednesday, November 28th, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Frank Green
Wednesday, December 12th, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Frank Green

A best-selling masterpiece of satire and dedicated to his friend J.R.R. Tolkien, this classic book by C.S. Lewis has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of the evil Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below” who holds an administrative post in the governing bureaucracy (“Lowerarchy”) of Hell. At once comic, deadly serious, and highly original, Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man known only as “the Patient.” THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is the most engaging account of temptation — and triumph over it — ever written.

The immense success of the book when it was first published resulted in C.S. Lewis appearing on the cover of Time Magazine. More recently, cartoonist Bill Watterson named the fictional first-grade teacher in his “Calvin and Hobbes” after the devil Wormwood. In the animated video to U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”, a copy of THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is seen falling from Bono’s hand. In the 2006 book The Top Ten, a compilation of “top ten novels” lists by different writers, David Foster Wallace names THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS as the greatest novel in history. A sold-out stage production directed by Jeffrey Fiske was produced in New York City in 2006, and a widely acclaimed revival production by Fiske opened on October 16th.
http://www.fpatheatre.com/

And a film version of the book is now underway, co-produced by Ralph Winter (X-Men, Star Trek, Fantastic Four) and Douglas Gresham (Lewis’s stepson), for release at Christmas 2008.

“Mr. Lewis has contrived to say much that a distracted world greatly requires to hear.”
–Times Literary Supplement

“If wit and wisdom, style and scholarship are requisites to passage through the pearly gates, Mr. Lewis will be among the angels.”
–The New Yorker

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 numerous articles and excerpts re THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS:

“THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS” by Wikipedia

“Excerpts from THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS”

“THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS”, by Will Vaus

“Screwtape: What’s Going On?”, by Bruce Edwards

“Wicked Good: THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS on Page and Stage” by John J. Miller

“THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS foreword,” narrated by John Cleese of Monty Python (YouTube)

“THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS Letter 1,” narrated by John Cleese of Monty Python (YouTube)

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is available in paperback.

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is available free online.

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS on CD.

Here also is the schedule of future Lewis Society book club meetings.

Here also is information on C.S. Lewis.

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

3. New Books for Christmas:

C. S. Lewis, My Godfather: Letters, Photos and Recollections
By Laurence Harwood

There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind
By Antony Flew and Roy Abraham Varghese

Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief
By Rodney Stark

What’s So Great About Christianity
By Dinesh D’Souza

The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul
By Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary

The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible
By Robert J. Hutchinson

Acts for Everyone, Part 1
By N.T. (Tom) Wright

The Dawkins Delusion: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine
By Alister McGrath

The Gods of War: Is Religion the Primary Cause of Violent Conflict?
By Meic Pearse

Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony
By Richard Bauckham

The Historical Reliability of the Gospels, 2nd Edition
By Craig L. Blomberg

Kingdom Triangle: Recover the Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit’s Power
By J. P. Moreland

Passionate Conviction: Modern Discourses on Christian Apologetics
Edited by Paul Copan and William Lane Craig

4. Other Events:

“Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Dorothy Sayers”
Sponsored by the Dorothy Sayers Society
St. Anne’s, Soho, England
December 17, 2007
conference@sayers.org.uk

“Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Dorothy Sayers”
Sponsored by the Dorothy Sayers Society
St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey
London, England
January 15, 2008
conference@sayers.org.uk

“C.S. Lewis Conference”
Sponsored by Hope Lutheran Church
Atascadero, CA
January 25-27, 2008
http://www.pseudobook.com/cslewis/?page_id=49

“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

“Oxbridge 2008: The Self and the Search for Meaning”
Sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation
Oxford University, July 28 – August 2, 2008
Cambridge University, August 3-8, 2008
http://www.cslewis.org/programs/oxbridge/2008/index.html

Please advise me with any questions.

Best regards,

David

David J. Theroux
Founder and President
C. S. Lewis Society of California

http://www.lewissociety.org

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On The Narnia Film Project.

JS: Why did it take so long for films of Narnia to be made?

DG: My theory? The Holy Spirit of God held them off until the time was right.

JS: Do you think the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series helped Hollywood realized there was an opening for Narnia?

DG: Not really, we had a film deal in place long before they ever started on those two projects, It came to nothing in the end, but we had to wait until the
rights were free before we could move on.

JS: The time certainly was right for the Narnia films in terms of the technology to bring them to life as well as the fact that general film going audiences (beyond just the fans of Jack’s books) wanting more fantasy films. That was pretty much what you were waiting for, correct?

DG: No not really, I had already been trying to get good films made for many years before we actually got the first one done. It was in fact the Holy Spirit of God that held things up all those years until the time was absolutely right for LWW to appear before the public. It is true enough that we could not have made the movie that we did as little as a year earlier than we did, and indeed our teams pushed the available technology right to the edges of its performance envelope in making the movie. It is also true that to some extent Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series and the advent of J.K.Rowlings work did call attention to fantasy in film, but this was a market that I had already seen to be existent years before. In fact years before Peter made LOTR, and years before Rowlings even wrote her first book! I was all fired up and enthusiastic long before the time was right, and God had to yank my reins pretty hard to slow things down. For me, to be told to just shut up and wait, is one of His hardest instructions to obey.:-)

JS: Yes, I’m familiar with the early ideas for the Narnia film (the modernized version set in LA, with Edmund being tempted with a burger and milk shake instead of Turkish Delight). I take it that it is a case of “the less that is said about it”, the better?

DG: Absolutely. Looking back now though, it is rather gratifying to have been proven to be right to stick to my guns, through considerable pressure, on how the LWW movie should be written and made.

JS: Though I must say I don’t think that version could have even been done. Mostly for their reason all the names are too British to pass off as American. (I’ve never meet any one in the states with the name Edmund, Digory or Eustace)

DG: Interestingly, the US is the only place today where I do occasionally run into such names, the exception being Digory, but just wait till we make The Magician’s Nephew.

JS: Have you ever seen the old BBC mini-series versions of the Narnia books?

DG:Yes.

JS:What is your opinion on them(and please be honest)?

DG:With the budget they had and the technology available at the time they did a pretty good job other than the monumental miscasting of one or two of the characters.

JS:Why did they never do the other three books in the series?

DG: I have no idea.

JS: I’ve heard rumors they didn’t do The Last Battle or The Magician’s Nephew as of the seven books they were the most “Christian”. Are the rumors this true?

DG: Obviously not because they aren’t.

JS: I know that both Jack and Tolkien had very low opinions of what Disney had done with various fairy tales. … How do you think Jack would have felt about Disney releasing the new films?

DG: To straighten things out, Disney is the Distributor of the films, and they have actually (so far anyway) been extraordinarily good to work with. Disney have the best distribution network in the world and they are good at it, so I hope Jack would have no qualms about them distributing the movies.

JS: On the note of Disney, what are your feelings on seeing Aslan next to such characters as Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog on Disney websites and at stores?

DG: I don’t really feel anything about it as I have never seen it. I think Jack would have rather like Kermit, I know I do.

JS:I know a lot of fans were concerned about Disney releasing the films, primarily that the themes would stay intact, do you think their concerns were valid?

DG: As I said above Disney only distribute the films. A lot of people got their knickers in a knot over it all but you tell me, were their concerns valid (I am presuming that you have seen the movie)?

JS: I did see the movie of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I don’t think the concerns were valid. Just a case of reading way to much on the internet. I had the feeling though that the films would be accurate to the books and contain the same imagery and themes simply because it would have been impossible to tell the Narnia stories with out those aspects. ( That and you were co-producing and serving as creative consultant. I didn’t think you’d let them work around those parts).

DG: Part of my responsibility is to try to ensure that no matter how much the stories are changed to fit into film format (and major changes can be vital) the essential theme of the original book always remains the theme of the movie.

JS: How did you feel about Disney releasing them? Were you concerned at all about it?

DG: I had a good talk with Dick Cook and Mark Zoradi about it and decided that it was the right thing to do.

JS: What did you think about the merchandise?

DG: Well as co-producer it was (and is) one of the things I am in charge of so I really had better not comment other than to say that I think our team did a pretty good job.

JS: I do think the merchandising was handled well. Not too much, and not to little. I was quiet glad to finally have Narnia action figures to reenact my favorite parts with (or just to display Aslan next to my Gandalf from LOTR on the top of my book shelf where I keep my books by JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis.) I must commend you all for handling it so well.

DG: Thank you, but I was disappointed at how the merchandise was distributed and marketed and have to accept that I was something of a neophyte at that stage (to be perfectly honest I had very little knowledge of what I was doing) but I have learnt a lot and I hope to do better with Prince Caspian.

JS: What’s your opinion of having Narnia characters and various things about the world at Disney theme parks?

DG: As that is another of my areas of responsibility I am obviously for it.

JS: Filmgoers and fans compared the Narnia films with the Lord of the Rings adaptations in terms of quality, do you think this was a fair comparison?

DG: I think we did better than they did—obviously. But really that is a bit like comparing bulldogs with ballerinas.

JS: It’s been confirmed that all seven books will become films. What’s your opinion on this?

DG: That really is a silly question, almost everybody knows that my ambition has been for a long time to make all seven Narnian Chronicles, Jack’s Science Fiction Trilogy and Till we Have Faces into great movies.

JS: I knew full well you wanted to do all seven Narnian Chronicles as films, I’ve only just heard about Screwtape, but I never knew anything about wanting to do the Space Trilogy or Till We Have Faces as movies! ( Note to readers: this is what happens when you trust in WIKIPEDIA.) That’s awesome! I take it you have no word on how those projects are going yet?

DG: Screwtape is in pre-production and we have a very talented young writer wrestling manfully with the screenplay (a very difficult one to write). We have the core of the team in place and are progressing slowly. The Cosmic Trilogy and Till We Have Faces are as yet merely dreams and hopes in my mind, but if you know anybody who has a few hundred million dollars to spare and a real desire to make some great films, please give him or her my email address.

JS: Wait. What about The Great Divorce or Pilgrim’s Regress. Are there any intentions with those ones for film adaptations?

DG: I have had some talks about The Great Divorce, but nothing has come of that yet, and Pilgrim’s Regress is way down on the priority list.

JS: I guess I (and some other NarniaFans as well) will have to reserve spaces on DVD shelves to put the films inspired by Jack’s novels next to the LOTR Extended Editions!

DG: Its a nice thought.

Come back next week when we discuss the film of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe!

David J. Theroux, the Founder and President of the C. S. Lewis Society of California has e-mailed us with the latest updates on many upcoming events that you’re all invited to attend! I hope that some of you have the chance to visit these events and join Lewis Societies, or even have the opportunity to start one in your own area if one does not exist. Here’s the update:

Please note the following in this issue of the C.S. Lewis Society Update (7/17/07):

1. Christian Groups Are Also Growing in Europe
2. Separation of Charity and State
3. Next meeting of C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club: Film Showing
4. Other Events

1. Christian Groups Are Also Growing in Europe:

Accounts of the rapid spread of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have become commonplace. Now, a July 14th, front-page article in the Wall Street Journal reports how Christianity is also growing in Europe as a result in part of the elimination of government funding for established national churches.

“In Europe, God Is (Not) Dead,” by Andrew Higgins

Especially among the young and after decades of decline, Christianity is on the rise as “monopoly churches” feel the taste of competition from leaner, more responsive, church groups emphasizing traditional spiritual faith. Baylor University sociologist and historian Rodney Stark is the key scholar to uncover this trend, based on his extensive examinations of religious changes since before the days of Jesus. Professor Stark has shown that private religious markets are far more effective in facilitating spiritual health than government-imposed or subsidized systems. His Pulitzer Prize-nominated book, THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY, traces the early Christian Church’s remarkable growth in the first three centuries as its being a voluntary movement based on spiritual enterprise and charity. But when the Roman Emperor Constantine began the process of nationalizing the Christian movement, shifting massive imperial funds from pagan temples into Christian organizations, the vibrant, pious, grassroots Christian movement was altered into a “Church of Power” vs. a “Church of Piety.” Professor Stark’s book FOR THE GLORY OF GOD then traces this rivalry through Christendom’s history, including the recurring rebellions within and without the Church leading up to religious wars, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and much more. The “Church of Power” bred corruption, tyranny, the Crusades, etc., while the “Church of Piety” fought for science, natural law and natural rights; the abolition of slavery, oppression, and witch hunts; and the salvation of all people.

THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY, by Rodney Stark

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, by Rodney Stark

2. Separation of Charity and State:

In his brilliant classic, DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, Alexis de Tocqueville discussed the extensive and highly effective system of voluntary charitable and other social organizations in early America. As with the early Christian movement, most early Americans were directly involved in their communities based on their Christian faith, and being independent of government power was key to this success.

Similarly, C.S. Lewis wrote critically of government involvement in charity in his essay, “Is Progress Possible? Willing Slaves of the Welfare State,” which is included in Lewis’s book, GOD IN THE DOCK:

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37b88e73403b.htm

Now, Syracuse University economist Arthur Brooks has further advanced our understanding of the dynamics of charity in his widely acclaimed, new book, WHO REALLY CARES? For example, he shows that:

(1) People who practice religion, live in traditional nuclear families and reject the notion that the government should engage in income redistribution are the most generous Americans to both religious and non-religious charities. People who oppose government income redistribution donate four times as much money each year as do redistribution supporters, and on average, people of faith give more than 50% more money each year to non-church social welfare organizations than secularists do.

(2) Secularists who believe fervently in government welfare-state programs give far less to charity. They want everyone’s tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don’t provide them with enough money.

(3) By every measure of well-being, people who are religious and attend church regularly are more happy, healthy, sociable, caring, charitable, constructive, and involved.

(4) The working poor give far more than the middle class and those who receive welfare.

“Eye-opening Statistics from WHO REALLY CARES?”

“Charity’s Political Divide,” by Ben Gose (Chronicle of Philanthropy)

WHO REALLY CARES?, by Arthur Brooks

THE VOLUNTARY CITY: Choice, Community, and Civil Society
Edited by David T. Beito, Peter Gordon and Alexander Tabarrok
Foreword by Paul Johnson

3. Next meeting of the C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club:

Film Showing and Discussion:

C. S. LEWIS: DREAMER OF NARNIA

Wednesday, July 25th, 7:30 p.m.

This new 75-minute film about C.S. Lewis is an excellent and entertaining documentary on the man behind the enormously popular book series, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. Produced by Walden Media and Walt Disney Productions, the film features interviews with Lewis’s stepson Douglas Gresham; actor Sir Ben Kingsley; science fiction writer Ray Bradbury; Lewis experts Paul Ford, Stan Mattson and Colin Duriez; and many others who either knew Lewis or have had their lives touched in a special way by him. Sections of the CHRONICLES are read by English schoolchildren or portrayed with animation cleverly devised from the Pauline Baynes illustrations. The score is first-rate, and the narration by “Lewis,” in the form of a letter written to children, is marvelous.

The meeting 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

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA book series

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (4 DVD extended disc set, including “Lewis: Dreamer of Narnia”; 150 min. for extended director’s cut version of film)

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. Other Upcoming Events:

http://www.lewissociety.org/events.php

The 38th Annual Mythopoeic Conference (Mythcon XXXVIII), “Becoming Adept: The Journey to Mastery”
Sponsored by the Mythopoeic Society
University of California, Berkeley, CA
August 3-6, 2007

http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon38.html

“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 College at Wake Forest, Wake Forest, NC
October 26-27, 2007

http://www.sebts.edu/CSLewis/

David J. Theroux, the Founder and President of the C. S. Lewis Society of California has e-mailed us with the latest updates on many upcoming events that you’re all invited to attend! I hope that some of you have the chance to visit these events and join Lewis Societies, or even have the opportunity to start one in your own area if one does not exist. Here’s the update:

In this Issue of C.S. Lewis Society Update:
1. Upcoming Films
2. Important New Books
3. Next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club
4. Other Upcoming Events

1. Upcoming Films:

With the enormous film success of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” based on the first volume of C.S. Lewis’s beloved 7-volume series, “The Chronicles of Narnia,” plans are underway at Walden Media to produce the following films based on other Lewis novels, for public release as follows:

“Prince Caspian” — mid-2008
“The Screwtape Letters” — Christmas 2008
“Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’” — mid-2009
“The Silver Chair” — mid-2010

In addition, the Duncan Group is in post-production for the forthcoming program for PBS:

“Myth, Imagination & Faith: A Spiritual Journey through Literature”

Featuring the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis, this new documentary will explore the central theme of “the true myth” with experts and scholars weighing in from various perspectives. The show plans to follow in the traditions of both the acclaimed programs, “The Magic Never Ends” and the PBS special “The Question of God.”

2. Important new books:

* The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950-1963
Edited by Walter Hooper
HarperSanFrancisco, 2007

The final installment of the three-volume collected letters of C. S. Lewis, this volume contains the letters Lewis wrote during the last part of his life, spanning his time at Cambridge, his brilliant creation of the land of Narnia and the children’s series that followed, and his struggle with his wife Joy’s serious illness and death. Editor and friend Walter Hooper calls him “one of the last great letter-writers” — the last of a generation who did not lift a telephone receiver when he had something to say or tap out e-mails on a computer keyboard. Some of the recipients richly merited his ink: the detective novelist, theologian and Dante translator Dorothy Sayers; St. Giovanni Calabria of Verona (correspondence in Latin); T.S. Eliot; the sci-fi maestro Arthur C. Clarke; and the American writer Robert Penn Warren. In these letters, Lewis swaps quips in Latin and Greek and quotes Spenser, Statius, Beowulf, Horace, Wordsworth, Terence and Augustus. Other letters were from cranks, whiners and down-and-out charity cases; he answered them all.

* The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community
By Diana Glyer (Professor of English, Azusa Pacific University)
Kent State University Press, 2007

The creators of Narnia and Middle Earth, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien were close friends and professional colleagues. They met frequently with a community of fellow Christian writers at Oxford in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, all sharing their works-in-progress. The group became known as the Inklings. Diana Glyer invites readers into the heart of the group, examining diary entries, personal letters and manuscripts.

* C.S. Lewis: Life, Works, and Legacy (4 volumes)
Edited by Bruce L. Edwards (Professor and Associate Dean, Bowling Green State University)
Praeger Publishers, 2007

This splendid, four-volume reference set on the life and works of C. S. Lewis includes such contributors as Devin Brown, Wayne Martindale, Victor Reppert, Lyle Dorsett, Perry Bramlett, Diana Glyer, Marjorie Lamp Mead, Colin Duriez, and many other Lewis scholars.

3. Next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club:

Book for Discussion:

PERELANDRA, by C.S. Lewis (from his acclaimed Space Trilogy)

“Mr. Lewis has a genius for making his fantasies livable.”
–NEW YORK TIMES

“Lewis, perhaps more than any other twentieth-century writer, forced those who listened to him and read his works to come to terms with their own philosophical presuppositions.”
–LOS ANGELES TIMES

“If wit and wisdom, style and scholarship are requisites to passage through the pearly gates, Mr. Lewis will be among the angels.”
–NEW YORKER

“Writing of the highest order. PERELANDRA is, from all standpoints, far superior to other tales of interplanetary adventures.”
–COMMONWEAL

Meeting moderator/leader: Tom Price
Wednesday, May 30th, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 13th, 7:30 p.m.

The second in C.S. Lewis’s acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength, PERELANDRA continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Elwin Ransom as he journeys to a new world, Perelandra, and meets a human native, a glamorously beautiful woman who is the equivalent of Eve. The book is a a truly magical tale, completely unique in the science fiction genre. Pitted against the greatest of human weaknesses, temptation, Ransom must battle for good on Perelandra when it is invaded by pure evil. Will Perelandra succumb or will it throw off the yoke of corruption and achieve a spiritual perfection as yet unknown to man? The outcome of Dr. Ransom’s mighty struggle will alone determine its fate.

The meetings will be held at:

11990 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619
510-482-2906 phone
wine, soft drinks and other refreshments served

Here also are articles that discuss PERELANDRA:

“PERELANDRA,” Wikipedia

“PERELANDRA, by C.S. Lewis,” reviewed by Peter Schakel, The Literary Encyclopedia

“C. S. Lewis: Science and Scientism,” by Henry F. Schaefer III

PERELANDRA is available in paperback and 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. Other Upcoming Events:

http://www.lewissociety.org/events.php

Dorothy L. Sayers Society Annual Convention
Sponsored by the Marion E. Wade Center
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
June 13-17, 2007

http://www.wheaton.edu/wadecenter/news/news.html

The 26th Annual Chesterton Conference: “The Man Who Was Today”
Sponsored by the American Chesterton Society
University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
June 14-16, 2007

http://www.chesterton.org/rediscover/conference.html

“Opposition Is True Friendship: Love, Friendship and Philosophy in C.S. Lewis’s World”
Sponsored by the Southern California C.S. Lewis Society
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Monrovia, CA
June 16, 2007

C.S. Lewis Summer Conference: “Finding the Way: C.S. Lewis as Pilgrim Guide in an Age of Pluralism”
Sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation
San Diego, CA
June 28-July 1, 2007

http://www.cslewis.org/programs/sumconference/2007/index.html

The 38th Annual Mythopoeic Conference (Mythcon XXXVIII), “Becoming Adept: The Journey to Mastery”
Sponsored by the Mythopoeic Society
University of California, Berkeley, CA
August 3-6, 2007

http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon38.html

“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 College at Wake Forest, Wake Forest, NC
October 26-27, 2007

http://www.sebts.edu/CSLewis/

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.

Producer Ralph Winter was recently interviewed by Infuze Magazine and they asked him about the status of The Screwtape Letters.

What’s happening with C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters?

It’s in development with Fox and Walden Media. Fox has owned the property for decades. They bought it in the 50s. There was management at Fox that wanted it and bought it, and they’ve owned it for decades.

So what’s the current status?

We’re signing deals right now. We’re finishing the Fox option deal, we’re finishing my deal with Walden. Doug Gresham’s deal is done.

Does the movie have a green light?

Not yet. We’ve been talking to Randall Wallace about writing and directing. We need to have more discussions with Fox and Walden about that, and make sure that Randy’s still available. Everybody wants to make this movie; I think it’s going to happen, I just don’t know what the timetable is right now.

We’re very excited about that. With the right script, dealing with temptation and that whole upside down world, it could be a very, very interesting movie. And it’s going to be dark. This isn’t a light, happy, Narnia piece.

The C.S. Lewis name alone should be enough to draw people into the theaters.

We’ve been telling people that for years, and they wouldn’t believe it. And now that Narnia has happened, they’re a lot more open to it. (Laughs.)

C.S. Lewis’s stepson, Douglas Douglas Gresham, grew up with Narnia. The Horse and His Boy was even dedicated to him and his brother. Douglas has since become the creative and artistic director of the C.S. Lewis Company. He was the co-producer of 2006 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and is currently at work on the sequel of Prince Caspian.

He has twice taken time from his busy schedule to answer questions from the Philippine Order of Narnians, and here are some excerpts (Some parts were taken from the first interview):

On Lewis for an International Audience

TPON: It would seem that CS Lewis wrote Narnia more or less for a readership that was mostly either British or American. But its appeal has certainly crossed many boundaries. With Narnia turning into a movie franchise, readers in many countries are discovering Lewis for the first time. What aspects of the books are most difficult to translate for an international audience?

Douglas Gresham: It is very interesting that despite the fact that Jack was originally writing for only a British audience (the Americans came as a later after-thought), the Narnian Chronicles appeal to everybody no matter what their culture or background. There is no difficulty at all in translating or perhaps transporting would be a better term, all of Jack’s story lines and themes across all cultures and seemingly across all times. I think this is because the issues that he deals with in Narnia, and the ways in which he deals with them, are common to all people no matter where they live, or their cultural origins.

TPON: On a personal note, do you think CS Lewis would have enjoyed a visit to the Philippines if he had the chance?

Douglas Gresham: Yes indeed, I think he would have found the Philippines both beautiful and fascinating as do I.

TPON: On an even more personal note, would you mind horribly if we called him Jack the next time we email you?

Douglas Gresham: No of course not, it was the name that he preferred.

On Lewis for Today’s Youth

TPON: You gave an interview once and this quote was very interesting: “One of the things that happened is that the great concepts that people have lived by were thrown out in the 20th century as if we thought they were outmoded or out of date, and as a result our society is crumbling all around us. Now the new younger thinkers are beginning to grope around looking for new answers. What we need are all of those virtues of personal commitment, courage, honesty and honor that we had thrown away but are there to be found in the tales of Narnia.” CS Lewis, of course, addressed this issue a lot in his works. Do you think today’s youth face any particular stumbling blocks to “groping around looking for new answers?”

Douglas Gresham: No I don’t. One great advantage that we have over the forces of evil, is that they are incapable of originality, they cannot create or come up with anything new, so time and time again throughout the history of Man the Devil keeps trotting out the same tired old lies and temptations over and over. Our great failing is that we look for “new answers” instead of looking back over the centuries and realising that the issues faced by the men of the Old Testament are, at root, precisely the same issues that we have to deal with today and that Jesus came here to deal with all of those. All we have to do is study what he said and then put it into practice. The answers to all our dilemmas and temptations are all there, all we have to do is learn them and use them. Looking for “new answers” to old questions is symptom of our pride and arrogance. The better way is to look back, re-discover the old answers that Jesus gave us two thousand years ago, and then use them.

On the Accuracy of Portrayals of Lewis

TPON: What’s the most common misconception people seem to have about CS Lewis?

Douglas Gresham: That he was a dour academic who kept himself apart. He was actually a consciously joyful redeemed Christian who surrounded himself with good and brilliant friends. A man full of humour and warmth. He was a great companion and full of fun. He was also a man who was never afraid to show his Christianity in practical ways whenever the opportunity arose.

TPON: What’s your opinion about the portrayal of Lewis and you in Shadowlands? [Editor’s Note: The movie Shadowlands, adapted from a play of the same name, showed how CS Lewis and Joy Gresham met. It starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.]

Douglas Gresham: The portrayal of me was very good but Jack’s role as done by Tony Hopkins was not in the least like Jack.

TPON: What’s your favorite among the seven [Narnia] books?

Douglas Gresham: Which ever one I am Reading when somebody asks that question.:-)

TPON: What character can you easily identify with yourself?

Douglas Gresham: Lots of them in part, but perhaps Shasta in The Horse and His Boy the most.

TPON: Of today’s authors, do you think any has work which has similarities to CS Lewis’?

Douglas Gresham: No (though many have tried).

TPON: Aside from Narnia, what’s your favorite book?

Douglas Gresham: “Ingathering” by Zenna Henderson.

On Bringing Narnia to Film

TPON: We know that Andrew Adamson and Walden Media have been very respectful of the original material. In theory, though, how much veto power do you hold over the script?

Douglas Gresham: We create the scripts in a collaborative manner, I meet with the writers and Andrew, and we go carefully through every line, honing and refining until we are satisfied that what we have is right. I have as much “voice” in this process as anyone on the team who are all very respectful of my knowledge and expertise.

TPON: The biggest criticism of the LWW film seems to be that there isn’t enough of Aslan in it, and Aslan doesn’t seem to be as all-powerful as he is portrayed in the books. Any thoughts on that?

Douglas Gresham: Yes, two thoughts. One is that no matter how much of Aslan we might want to put in a movie we are, as always, constrained to some extent by budget realities. To make a Lion for Aslan who looked anything less than perfect would be terrible, so we tend to try to make every hair of his mane and every move that he makes as close to perfect as we can. You have seen the result on screen. Now I am not about to tell you how much it costs to produce that quality of CGI, but let’s just say that it is not cheap. Somewhere along the line one has to decide how much money is to be spent on what, and to put more of Aslan in the movie means to put less of other things. We had to try for a good balance and I think we achieved it very well.

On the topic of Aslan being all-powerful (but restraining his power), just how would one portray that in a movie? Remember this? 1 Kings 19:11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Aslan in the LWW, is the still small voice (except when he roars).

TPON: Many people are into the Narnia stories particularly because of the themes that are behind them. What do you think are the most important themes of Prince Caspian that absolutely must be in the movie?

Douglas Gresham: That one I will wait to answer till after the movie is released. I am not about to give anything away at this stage.

TPON: Many are apprehensive about the portrayal of Calormenes in the Horse and His Boy, which seem to have a Middle Eastern flavor. It’s still far away, but do you have any idea how the Calormenes might be approached in the movies, given a post-9/11 audience?

Douglas Gresham: Yes I do, but I am not about to give that away either. However, I don’t think that the descriptions of the Calormenes do have a Middle Eastern flavour. I think you need to look further afield and further back. But in any case, taking offense is a personal choice, and if people want be offended by what I do in a movie that is their right and their responsibility. I will not pander to the likes, dislikes, preferences or prejudices of individuals who might be in our audiences, if you start to do that, sooner or later you wind up with artistic porridge.

Some Personal Questions

TPON: How was it like to grow up with CS Lewis?

Douglas Gresham: It was just my childhood, and I have nothing to compare it with so that is a very difficult question. In all it was a time of great learning and privilege.

TPON: What aspect of being raised by CS Lewis and Joy Gresham did you find most difficult?

Douglas Gresham: Their (from my viewpoint) untimely premature deaths.

TPON: Do you feel you have to follow in your stepfather’s footsteps?

Douglas Gresham: I don’t feel that I have to but I would love to be able to.

TPON: We’ve often read interviews where you would describe your stepfather, or your mother’s relationship with him. What do you remember most about your mother, as an individual?

Douglas Gresham: Her warmth of character, her wit, her almost incredible intelligence, her musical talent, her immeasurable courage and her love.

TPON: How is your involvement with Rathvinden Ministries? Has the busyness from the Film Production limited your role in any way?

Douglas Gresham: This question is now redundant as Rathvinden Ministries is no longer. Merrie and I were beginning to realise that all ministries have their allotted life-spans, as do we ourselves, and as we moved into our sixties, we were finding 17 bedrooms on 20 acres of land to be just too much work for us. If God’s way of telling you to slow down is allowing you to become ill, His way of telling you to stop may well be allowing you to die. Merrie and I were beginning to wear out so we decided the time was right to sell Rathvinden and move to somewhere that the sun shines a bit more often than it does in Ireland. So we now live in Malta and are waiting to see what the Lord has in mind for us here. As for me, the Lord seems to be keeping me pretty busy with the film industry, but His will comes first and if He decides to change that, so be it.

TPON: What’s the weirdest question ever asked to you?

Douglas Gresham: Wow, I can’t really remember , but I have had some pretty weird ones over the years.

TPON: Do you like Turkish Delight?

Douglas Gresham: Very much.

TPON: Having asked all that, we’d like to say how much we appreciate the work you’re doing with the CS Lewis Company, bringing the Narnia stories to audiences around the globe, among other things. It’s quite a blessing to us. We are all looking forward to Prince Caspian, and 2008 is going to be a long long wait. Some of our members are also eager to see a film version of Till We Have Faces ( ! ), but again, are willing to wait.

Douglas Gresham: Thank you. But to see a film version of Till We Have Faces would be easy; you find me the budget and I’ll make the movie.

TPON: Thank you again for your time and for being such a blessing to us all.

Douglas Gresham: You’re welcome. Blessings, Douglas.

Full interview recovered with the internet archive.

Ralph Winter Prods. is producing a bigscreen adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel “The Screwtape Letters” with Philip Anschutz’s Walden Media.

Pic will be produced via Walden’s Bristol Bay Prods. banner (“Ray,” “Sahara”).

Pic, which Walden hopes to release in 2008, is the company’s second Lewis collaboration following “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which grossed $744 million worldwide. The sequel to that pic, “Prince Caspian,” is due out next year.

Like “Narnia,” “The Screwtape Letters” — which is described as a midbudget, primarily live-action pic — embodies Christian themes.

First published in 1942, “The Screwtape Letters” takes the form of a series of missives from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his wannabe diabolical nephew, Wormwood. As a mentor, Screwtape advises his protege on the finer points of undermining faith and promoting sin. His instructions are interspersed with observations on human nature and Christian doctrine.

Since taking over the publishing of “The Screwtape Letters” in 2001, HarperSanFrancisco has sold almost 1 million copies of the trade paperback alone.

Producing are Ralph Winter, Randy Argue and Lewis’ stepson Douglas Gresham.

Susana Zepeda, prexy of Ralph Winter Prods., is co-producing and shepherding the project for the company.

Walden execs on the project are exec VP of production Alex Schwartz, senior VP of production Jackie Levine and creative exec Bonnie Solomon.

ICM negotiated the deal on behalf of Winter and Argue.

Adam Erickson tells us that in a recent interview with Refocus and Adam Erickson (myself), Ralph Winter revealed that they are currently in talks with Randall Wallace (writer of Braveheart) to write/direct “The Screwtape Letters” movie and for Walden Media to distribute. Exact details have not been worked out with the C.S. Lewis estate as of yet.

Readers and movie fans worldwide know the land of Narnia and the magical beings who dwell there. But many fans do not know the extraordinary creative force – C.S. Lewis – who created this beloved fantasy. “C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia,” originally aired on December 9, in primetime exclusively on the Hallmark Channel, and will release on DVD through Gaiam on March 28, 2006, with distribution into the CBA market through EMI Distribution.

The Hallmark Channel premiere of the docudrama movie coincided with the blockbuster theatrical release of Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” The release of “Beyond Narnia” on DVD will likewise coincide with the DVD release of Disney’s “Narnia” movie.

“We are proud to be distributing this extraordinary film,” states Sue Haney, VP of Retail Marketing at Gaiam. “Not only is it a compelling story of faith, but it provides a true understanding of the birth of Narnia and one of the greatest creative minds of our time.”

Motive Entertainment, the marketing company behind the unprecedented faith-based promotional efforts of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Passion of the Christ and The Polar Express, will be heading up the efforts of all faith-based marketing of the “C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia” DVD release. “After working for a year on the theatrical release of Narnia, we came to understand the incredible love which the faith community has for Narnia, and for Lewis,” says Paul Lauer, president of Motive. “We see ‘Beyond Narnia’ as the perfect companion DVD to the Narnia movie. This is the story behind the story, and behind the man who created the story.”

Motive’s efforts will include radio, publicity and advertising, as well as outreach to influencers at churches, ministries and schools. The efforts of Motive Entertainment will present and make available descriptive explanations of the Biblical symbolism in Narnia, and will work with the faith-based community to share and broadcast these messages.

The one-hour docudrama, which was filmed in many of the actual locations in England where Lewis studied, lived, and worked, is a dramatic reenactment of his life. It explores the inspiration behind his children’s literary masterpiece, “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and other works.

“In this wonderful, witty, dramatic movie, Lewis speaks to us of his life, friendship, love, spiritual journey, and his profound tales of Narnia,” says Janet Stokes of the Hollywood Film Advisory Board, which recently bestowed its “Award of Excellence” on the movie.

Writer/Director Norman Stone, who won an International Emmy and two BAFTA Awards for “Shadowlands,” wrote and directed the docudrama. Anton Rodgers, seen in Hollywood movies “The Merchant of Venice” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” stars as C.S. Lewis. Diane Venora, who has appeared in the films “Heat,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Surviving Picasso,” and on the Emmy-winning series “Chicago Hope,” co-stars as Joy Gresham.

“C.S. Lewis’ journey from skepticism to faith is a predominant theme in many of his works,” said Edward J. Murray, president and CEO of Faith & Values Media, the organization that produced the film. The docudrama, which was selected by the C.S. Lewis Foundation for its world-premier showing at their Oxbridge Festival at the University of Cambridge in England, “explores the events in Lewis’ life which not only led him to accept the existence of God, but to accept God as a central part of his life and his writings,” said Murray.

Watch the Trailer and Clips

LEWIS BACKGROUNDER:
A Journey From Skepticism To Faith

Like the characters in many of his works, Lewis’ faith was almost broken after extreme experiences of joy and sorrow, happiness and pain. But even through his most difficult test, Lewis found his way back to God.

In many ways, Lewis’ life was an inspiration for everything that he has written, including the “The Chronicles of Narnia.” His struggle to reconcile his faith with the existence of pain and suffering are recurrent in his life and in his works.

Early on, Lewis relied on his love for reading and learning in order to escape the grief he felt when his mother died. Having refused Christianity at an early age, Lewis continually rejected the existence of God upon witnessing first-hand the misery and deaths brought on by World War 1. After the war, Lewis returned to the solace of his studies at Oxford University, where he enjoyed debating with his colleagues about the validity of Christianity. Lewis maintained that God did not exist, yet he was also angry with God for not existing. After much reading, searching, and the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson, Lewis came to a belief in God and Christianity in 1931.

In 1950, Lewis began correspondence with Joy Gresham, an American poet and a fan of his work. Eventually, Gresham met Lewis in England and the two developed a friendship. In 1956, The British immigration service refused to renew Gresham’s visa. Rather than risk deportation for Gresham and her two sons, David and Douglas, Lewis proposed marriage. Although it began as a marriage in name only, Gresham’s intelligence and passion captured Lewis’ attention, and their relationship deepened. Soon after their civil marriage, Gresham was diagnosed with cancer. As the disease had spread throughout her body, the doctors held out little hope for her survival. It was then that Lewis realized just how much he loved her. In March, 1957, the two were married by an Anglican priest. Shortly after, Gresham died on July 13, 1960.

Gresham’s death shook Lewis’ faith. According to his stepson, Douglas Gresham, Lewis “…never lost his faith in the existence of God. He started to be tempted to doubt the nature of God. But to expect a man to come through the realization of his grief and to be happy? I’m not happy about it now and it’s what? Fifty years later. The grief of my mother’s death still hurts.”

“C.S. Lewis has long been considered one of the twentieth century’s most influential figures in both contemporary Christian thought and contemporary world literature,” said director Norman Stone. “Perhaps the time has come to rediscover the man who gave us such an amazing sweep of popular literature, and who has contributed so much to so many in terms of thinking and believing in a modern age. It is my hope to present Lewis’ inspiring story for believers and non-believers alike and to give viewers insight behind the Chronicles through ‘C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia.’”

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