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Joel |
June 19, 2023 |
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Don W. |
April 18, 2023 Virtual Book Launch - Inkling, Historian, Soldier, and Brother: A Life of Warren Hamilton Lewis Drawing from Warren Lewis’s unpublished diaries, his letters, the memoir he wrote about his family, and other primary materials, this biography by Don W. King is an engaging story of a fascinating life, period of history, and of the warm and loving relationship between Warren and his brother, C.S. Lewis. |
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David |
March 15, 2023 C.S. Lewis on Writing and Writers Lecture & Book Signing Wade Co-Director David C. Downing discusses the selection he compiled on C.S. Lewis's advice and insight on the art of writing. |
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Jeffrey |
January-March 2023 2023 Hansen Lectures by Jeffrey Barbeau on "C.S. Lewis and the Romantic Imagination" Dr. Jeffrey Barbeau explores the influence of nineteenth-century Romanticism on the writings of C.S. Lewis in the 2023 Hansen Lectureship series, "C.S. Lewis and the Romantic Imagination." |
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Visit the Wade Center's YouTube page for more video recordings of past events. |
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"Recreating Mary Magdalene: Her Story through the Eyes of the Wade Authors" with Jennifer Powell McNutt
May 9, 2025
Across the centuries and traditions, Christians have struggled to convey a clear, biblical account of Mary Magdalene and her significance for the Christian faith. How might C.S. Lewis, Dorothy L. Sayers, and George MacDonald inform a faithful retrieval of her? Dr. McNutt explores how the Wade authors reflect the complexities of reading the biblical narratives about Mary Magdalene and help the church to see her significance for today.
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2025 Hansen Lectureship Series by Aubrey Buster on "C.S. Lewis and the End of the World"
January 30, 2025
Dr. Aubrey Buster, Associate Professor of Old Testament, explores how C.S. Lewis’s fiction and theological writings serve to imagine the end of the world in the 2025 Hansen Lectureship series.
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MYTHMAKERS: THE REMARKABLE FELLOWSHIP OF C.S. LEWIS AND J.R.R. TOLKIEN, Book Talk & Signing with John Hendrix
October 28, 2024
Award-winning author and illustrator John Hendrix talks about Mythmakers, his new graphic novel on the spiritual friendship of Lewis and Tolkien.
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“From Enemies to Allies: The Unlikely Friendship of Lewis & Tolkien” with Diana Pavlac Glyer
October 4, 2024
This lecture explores how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien became fast friends and effective collaborators, and what can we learn from their example.
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2024 Hansen Lectureship Series by Richard Hughes Gibson on "The Way of Dante"
Dr. Richard Hughes Gibson, Professor of English, reveals the profound influence of the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri on Dorothy L. Sayers, Charles Williams, and C.S. Lewis in the 2024 Hansen Lectureship series, “The Way of Dante.”
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"C.S. Lewis on War and Enemy Love"
September 7, 2023
Drawing from their current book project, The Odious Necessity: C.S. Lewis on War and Warrior Virtue, Marc LiVecche and Eric Patterson speak on Lewis and his reflection on the nature of war, chivalry, the chivalric ideal of the just warrior, and enemy love.
Other Past Events
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Kristen |
November 30, 2022 Book Launch for Wonders of Creation by Kristen Page Dr. Kristen Page explores the beloved fictional landscapes of Narnia and Middle-earth as a means of discovering what we might learn from C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien about the real life landscapes in the world in which we live. |
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Ruth Haley |
April 20, 2022 "Finding God in the Darkness: Spiritual Formation through Depression and the Dark Night of the Soul" Ruth Haley Barton, Transforming Center Founder and Board Chair, discusses ways that spiritual formation practices, informed by insights from the Wade Center authors, help address the challenges of depression among Christians. Inaugural lecture for the The Stephen & Marjorie Mead Endowment for Spiritual Formation. |
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Malcolm |
March 29, 2022 "Reflection on the Psalms” Among the leading Christian poets of our time, Malcolm Guite presents the inaugural lecture for the Wade Center’s Bakke Endowment for Intellectual and Imaginative Engagement in partnership with Wheaton College’s Aesthetics Lecture. |
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Mark A. Noll |
January-March 2022 2022 Hansen Lectures by Mark Noll on "C.S. Lewis and America" In the 2022 Hansen Lectureship series, “C.S. Lewis and America: Lessons for Today from the Early American Reception of C.S. Lewis’s Books,” Mark Noll explores the early American reception of C.S. Lewis and his works amongst Roman Catholics, Protestants, and evangelicals. |
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November 4, 2021 Book Launch for The Undiscovered C.S. Lewis The Undiscovered C.S. Lewis: A Collection of Essays by Celebrated Lewis Scholars in Memory of Chris Mitchell contains essays which not only include many new discoveries and fresh insights into C.S. Lewis’s life and work, but also map out a trajectory for future studies. |
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Patti |
October 28, 2021 Book Launch for Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan From Patti Callahan, the New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, comes another enchanting story that pulls back the curtain on the early life of C.S. Lewis. |
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Kenneth G. Elzinga |
September 27, 2021 "C.S. Lewis and Freedom: Christianity's Famous Apologist Meets Adam Smith" Kenneth G. Elzinga, Robert C. Taylor Chair in Economics at the University of Virginia, gives this lecture co-sponsored by the Wade Center and The Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics at Wheaton College. |
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Michael |
June 17, 2021 "After Humanity Virtual Book Launch" with Michael Ward In his book, After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man, Michael Ward sheds light one of Lewis’s important but difficult works. |
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David |
April 22, 2021 “Looking for the King Virtual Book Talk” Watch this fun and engaging discussion of Wade Co-director David C. Downing's Inklings novel, Looking for the King, set in 1940 England. |
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Kristen Page |
2020-2021 Hansen Lectures “Creation’s Call: Stewardship Lessons from Middle-earth and Narnia” Kristen Page uses the fictional landscapes of Tolkien and Lewis to aid in developing a greater appreciation for God’s creation and the stewardship of our world. |
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Jerry Root |
November 18, 2020 Book Launch for Splendour in the Dark: C.S. Lewis's Dymer in His Life and Work with Jerry Root Author and Professor of Evangelism Jerry Root and Wade Center Co-director David C. Downing discuss this fourth volume in the Hansen Lectureship series. |
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David & Crystal Downing and Jerry Root |
October 15, 2020 "Tackling Tough Topics with Lewis and Sayers" Three specialists on the Wade authors discuss how C.S. Lewis and Dorothy L. Sayers tackle topics that may create resistance to faith in Christ. |
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Steven Beebe |
September 22, 2020 Steven Beebe Virtual Book Talk C.S. Lewis experts David C. Downing and Jerry Root sit down with author and educator Steven Beebe to discuss his latest book, C.S. Lewis and the Craft of Communication. |
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Gina Dalfonzo |
September 10, 2020 Dorothy and Jack Virtual Book Launch Watch the virtual launch of Gina Dalfonzo's book, Dorothy and Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis. |
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David Downing | November 14, 2019 "When is a Dragon More Than a Dragon: the Imaginative Worlds of Lewis and Tolkien" In this inaugural lecture, Dr. David C. Downing explores how the differing spiritual journeys of C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien influenced their creative processes. |
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David Downing | November 1, 2019 "Exploring C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce" Dr. David Downing, co-director of the Wade Center and Lewis scholar, discusses C.S. Lewis’s spiritual fantasy about what might happen if inhabitants of hell were allowed to visit the outskirts of heaven. |
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Jim Beitler | September 10, 2019 "Seasoned Speech: Rhetoric in the Life of the Church" Dr. Jim Beitler, associate professor of English at Wheaton College, seeks to renew interest in and hunger for an effective Christian rhetoric by closely considering the work of five beloved Christian communicators. |
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Sally (Brestin) Hale | August 1, 2019 Artist Talk of “Aslan” Artist Sally (Brestin) Hale tells the story and creative process behind her painting, "Aslan," that currently hangs in the Wade Center. |
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Andrew Barron | June 6, 2019 "The Jewish Imagination of Joy Davidman" A lecture by Dr. Andrew Barron, director of Jews for Jesus in Canada. This presentation traces Jewish themes and thought throughout Joy Davidman’s life and work. |
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David & Crystal Downing |
May 10, 2019 "C.S. Lewis and Dorothy L. Sayers: A Feisty Friendship" Drs. David and Crystal Downing, Wade Co-Directors, share excerpts from personal letters between Lewis and Sayers, and discuss the themes of giving and receiving Christian critique, and creativity. |
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Charles Huttar | April 3, 2019 "New Bodies in Narnia and Elsewhere" Dr. Charles Huttar, emeritus professor of English at Hope College, shares from his work on C.S. Lewis and the mythography of metamorphosis, |
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Patti Callahan | December 6, 2018 Events with Author Patti Callahan 1) Novelists panel discussion, and 2) a lecture on the book Becoming Mrs. Lewis with New York Times bestselling author, Patti Callahan. |
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Jerry Root | 2018-2019 Hansen Lectures on C.S. Lewis by Jerry Root Lecture series titled: "C.S. Lewis’s Dymer: A Splendour in the Dark" |
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K. Alan Snyder | October 18, 2018 "America Discovers C.S. Lewis" Dr. K. Alan Snyder, author of the book America Discovers C.S. Lewis, shares the results of his research into C.S. Lewis’s reception in the United States and influence on Americans. |
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Malcolm Guite & Michael Ward | September 25-26, 2018 Muriel Fuller Endowment Inaugural Events Dr. Malcolm Guite and Dr. Michael Ward discuss C.S. Lewis, Dante, and the creative arts in these 2 inaugural events for the Muriel Fuller Endowment for the Imagination and the Arts. |
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Stephanie Derrick | September 17, 2018 "C.S. Lewis and 1940s Oxford" Dr. Stephanie L. Derrick, an historian of religion in the modern era, considers some aspects about Lewis and the culture of Oxbridge from the 1920s through the 1950s that our collective memory has ceased to recall. |
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Mark Pike | July 12, 2018 "Narnian Virtues" Dr. Pike looks at how parents, teachers and friends engaging with the Narnia novels, can help children practice virtues like forgiveness, wisdom, curiosity, justice, and courage. Professor Pike is the Principal Investigator of the Narnian Virtues project. He is Professor of Education at the University of Leeds and holds a PhD in English in Education. |
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Jerry Root | June 17-20, 2018 "Communicating the Gospel C.S. Lewis-Style" The summer conference of the C.S. Lewis Institute featured 6 talks on Communicating the Gospel Convincingly, Conclusively, and Creatively. Jerry Root is Associate Professor and Director of Wheaton Evangelism Initiative, Billy Graham Center for Evangelism, Wheaton College. |
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Andrew Barron | June 7, 2018 "C.S. Lewis and the Jewish Imagination" Dr. Barron, Chief of Station at the Canadian branch of Jews for Jesus in Toronto, presents on how the works of C.S. Lewis have impacted his own journey and appeal to the Jewish imagination through theme and metaphor. |
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Joe Rigney | May 16, 2018 "C.S. Lewis on the Christian Life" Professor Rigney reveals the undercurrents of Lewis's insights that have shaped how his readers view spirituality, sin, and sanctification. The meeting point of reason and imagination is also explored. |
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Jonathan R. Eller | April 9, 2018 "'That High Truth': Lewis, Williams, Chesterton, and Ray Bradbury" Bradbury's mythopoeic tendencies and resistance to corrupting materialism are, perhaps, best studied by exploring his interest in the works of Lewis, Williams, and Chesterton. Lecture given by Jonathan R. Eller, Director of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies. |
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Jerry Root & Mark Neal | October 2017-April 2018: The Neglected C.S. Lewis Jerry Root and Mark Neal present four lectures on C.S. Lewis’s lesser known works of literary criticism. October 28, 2017 - An Experiment in Criticism and The Personal Heresy January 23, 2018 - The Discarded Image and The Allegory of Love April 19, 2018 - English Literature in the 16th Century and Selected Literary Essays |
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Andrew Lazo | March 15, 2018 "C.S. Lewis and the Myth of Love" Andrew Lazo shares from his research into the last novel of C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces, offering many clues to help in understanding both the overarching, and the underlying meaning and message of Lewis's life and work. |
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Ross Wilson | February 15, 2018 "An Evening with Artist Ross Wilson" Ross Wilson, a sculptor from Northern Ireland who created the C.S. Lewis sculpture in Belfast, talks about his work as it relates to place and faith. |
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Panel | September 26, 2017 "Panel Discussion on the film: Tolkien & Lewis: Myth, Imagination, & the Quest for Meaning" The film was shown at the Wade Center and followed by a panel discussion with Marjorie Lamp Mead, Rolland Hein, Jerry Root, and Bob Huck. |
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Joel Heck | June 27, 2017 "From Atheism to Christianity: The Story of C.S. Lewis" This lecture by Dr. Joel Heck focuses on the spiritual journey of C.S. Lewis, and includes content from his book of the same title. |
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Douglas Gresham | April 3, 2017 "Evangelism and C.S. Lewis" A conversation with Douglas Gresham and Jerry Root, accompanied with music by singer-songwriter Meg Sutherland. |
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Corey Latta | February 21, 2017 "C.S. Lewis and the Art of Imaginative Writing" Corey Latta speaks on C.S. Lewis's writing quality and process in his works, as well as his extensive and disciplined reading habits. |
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Paul Fiddes | January 24, 2017 "The Poetics of Desire in Thomas Traherne and C.S. Lewis" The Reverend Professor Paul S. Fiddes, a leading scholar of theology and literature, speaks on C.S. Lewis and Thomas Traherne. |
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Mark Pike | December 6, 2016: Lewis and Education lectures Dr. Pike speaks on C.S. Lewis’s educational vision and how it relates to current issues for parents, students, teachers and school leaders. Mere Education lecture Narnian Virtues lecture |
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Justin Dyer & Micah Watson | October 24, 2016 "C.S. Lewis on Politics and Natural Law" Justin Dyer and Micah Watson discuss their book, C.S. Lewis on Politics and the Natural Law. |
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Chris Armstrong | October 11, 2016 "The Intuitive Medievalism of C.S. Lewis" Dr. Chris Armstrong speaks on C.S. Lewis and medievalism. |
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Lyle Dorsett | Summer 2016 "The Spiritual Formation of C.S. Lewis" Six sessions given by Dorsett during a conference with the C.S. Lewis Institute. |
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Jerry Root & Mark Neal | December 3, 2015 "The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis" Dr. Jerry Root and Mark Neal speak on Lewis's nuanced understanding of the imagination and its role in leading us to truth. |
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Abigail Santamaria (Audio Only) |
October 12, 2015 "Joy: Poet, Seeker, and the Woman Who Captivated C.S. Lewis" Santamaria speaks on the surprising life of Joy Davidman and shares behind-the-scenes research stories from her many years of work on the biography of a woman who is best known today as the wife of C.S. Lewis. |
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Colin Duriez (Audio Only) |
April 30, 2015 "Inklings in Wartime" Duriez explores how C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and other Inklings identified modern warfare as a powerful image of the deeper battle between good and evil. |
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Paul Fiddes (Audio Only) |
January 20, 2015 "Ways of Exchange: ‘Co-inherence’ in Charles Williams and C.S. Lewis" Dr. Fiddes explores Williams’s idea of ‘co-inherence': The mutual indwelling of human persons in each other, in Christ, in the Church, and the triune God. |
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David C. Downing (Audio Only) |
September 19, 2014 "Journey to Joy: The Pilgrim's Regress Book Launch and Lecture" Pilgrim's Regress was the first book C.S. Lewis wrote after he became a Christian, and was his initial attempt to explain his own conversion to belief in God as well as the experience he termed “Joy.” |
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Douglas Hedley (Audio Only) |
February 3, 2014 "C.S. Lewis on Image and Imagination: Some Romantic Reflection" Dr. Hedley discusses Image and Imagination in C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces with particular interest in the nineteenth-century Romantic sources behind Lewis’s work. |
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Conference (Audio Only) |
November 1, 2013 "C.S. Lewis and American Culture Conference" A conference on C.S. Lewis's influential presence within American culture. Speakers include: Mark A. Noll, George Marsden, Alan Jacobs, and Trevor Hart. |
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Christine Fletcher (Audio Only) |
November 7, 2013 "Theology in Wartime: Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis" Fletcher examines Lewis and Sayers's writing during the WWII Era as a model for Christian Engagement. |
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Alister McGrath | Lectures & Radio Interview: Alister McGrath McGrath is the author of the biography C.S. Lewis: A Life (Tyndale 2013). March 19, 2013, WETN radio interview: McGrath Interview with Greg Wheatley (Audio Only) March 20, 2013, lecture co-sponsored with Tyndale Publishers: "C.S. Lewis: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet" March 22, 2013, Chapel message: "C.S. Lewis and the Enrichment of Our Faith" |
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Jonathan Kirkpatrick (Audio Only) |
February 28, 2013 "Bacchus in Narnia? C.S. Lewis and the Classics of Greece and Rome" Kirkpatrick explores how Greece and Rome dominated C.S. Lewis’s education and strongly influenced his thought and writings. |
C.S. Lewis Institute Free Study Courses on Three Lewis Books
The C.S. Lewis Institute offers three free study courses for audio and video download on Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, Letters to Malcolm, and Mere Christianity - ideal for small group study.
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Connect with the Wade Center
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By Mail:
Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187
See "Plan Your Visit" page for street address -
630.752.5908
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