Andrew talks to the former Archbishop of Canterbury about Narnia and C.S. Lewis.
S6E42: “The Lion’s World” (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Drop-In
Quote-of-the-week
“I can only confess to being repeatedly humbled and reconverted by Lewis in a way that is true of few other modern writers”
The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, The Lion’s World
Biographical Information
Rowan Williams was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. The author of dozens of books, Williams is rightly considered one of the preeminent Christian theologians of our century. And of particular interest to our listeners, Williams is a longtime devotee to the works of the Inklings, and in particular C. S. Lewis.
Before he retired, he was Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, which is where I met him ten years ago during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Lewis’s death.
It’s a great honor and a personal pleasure to have him with us.
Biographical Information
Chit-Chat
“Our merriment… exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously”
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Toast
- Andrew was drinking Boddingtons
- His guest was drinking some red wine
Discussion
01. “The Lion’s World”
Q. When this episode airs, we’ll be in the middle of our annual Narnia Month. For those unfamiliar with your exploration of the Chronicles, could you tell us a bit about your book?
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02. “Mental mouthwash”
Q. When this episode airs, we’ll be in the middle of our annual Narnia Month. For those unfamiliar with your exploration of the Chronicles, could you tell us a bit about your book?
03. “Stories and theology”
I believe you encourage us to read Narnia as STORIES first, and then allow the theological implications to arise from situations and characters. Is this a helpful approach we can apply elsewhere, and how should we do that? Can we read culture that way too?
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04. “Three themes”
Q. In the conclusion, you point out your three themes: a redefinition of transcendence, a recognition of ourselves as rebels, and a reappropriation of God’s joyfully invasive grace. Almost a dozen years on, how are these themes still crucial to thoughtful readers and believers?
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05. “A member of the whole”
Q. Would you please speak about the unity and integration of the whole world?
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06. “Ransom Trilogy”
Q. We’re wrapping up Season Six, looking at Out of the Silent Planet. Could you share a few thoughts about the Ransom Trilogy?
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07. “Till We Have Faces”
Q. Lewis called Till We Have Faces, “far and away my best book”–what do you think of his assessment, and of that maddening and magnificent book?
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08. “Lewis, the theologian”
Q. Earlier this year, your wife Jane and I participated in a conference looking at the idea of Lewis as a theologian for the third millennium. As one of the foremost theologians in the world, how do you assess Lewis’s role as a theologian, especially given the rise of cultural apologetics?
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09. “Lewis, the letter-writer”
Q. Next season we’ll be tackling selections of Lewis’s correspondence, which I find compellingly charming, humble, witty, and insightful. What do you make of his varied correspondence?
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