Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Review Of Further Up And Further In: Orthodox Conversations With C. S. Lewis On Scripture & Theology, Gale Watkins

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Edith M. Humphrey, Further Up and Further In: Orthodox Conversations with C. S. Lewis on Scripture & Theology (Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2017). 301 pages. $28.00. ISBN 9780881415971.

The Spectrum Of Human Nature From Anthroposophy To Radical Difference From God In Owen Barfield, C. S. Lewis, And Karl Barth, Stephen Thorson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Among many achievements, Barth redefined the problem of objectivity in theology as well as proposed a theological anthropology of continuing influence. The question of objectivity also exercised the minds of C. S. Lewis and his close friend, Owen Barfield, during that same decade, leading to their own versions of idealist anthropology. Although Lewis claimed that the resulting epistolary controversy between them was a “major turning point” in his life,6 scholars of Lewis’s life and works, including biographers, have largely ignored this hint, and skipped this part of his intellectual conversion.7 Their debate began over objectivity in human knowledge, especially in …

In Memory: Walter Hooper (1931-2020), Steven A. Beebe

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

No abstract provided.

Review Of Apologetics And The Christian Imagination: An Integrated Approach To Defending The Faith, Corey Latta

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of: Holly Ordway, Apologetics and the Christian Imagination: An Integrated Approach to Defending the Faith (Steubenville, Ohio: Emmaus Road, 2017). 195 pages. $22.95. ISBN 9781945125386.

Review Of Preparing For Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings From C.S. Lewis, Gina Dalfonzo

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of: C. S. Lewis, Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings from C. S. Lewis (New York: HarperOne, 2017). xi + 215 pages. $17.99. ISBN 9780062641649.

Review Of How To Pray: Reflections And Essays, David N. Beckmann

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of: C. S. Lewis, How To Pray: Reflections and Essays (New York: HarperOne, 2018). 157 pages. $22.99. ISBN 9780062847133.

Review Of From Atheism To Christianity: The Story Of C.S. Lewis, Kevin Belmonte

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of: Joel D. Heck, From Atheism to Christianity: The Story of C. S. Lewis (St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 2017). 214 pages. $14.99. ISBN 9780758657237.

The Psychology Of Hell: Privation, Exclusion, And Banishment As Symbols Of Hell In The Life Of C.S. Lewis, Reggie Weems

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

These few examples demonstrate that Lewis’s fundamental view of Hell was primarily influenced by Christ but also shaped by Christian history and literature. This does not mean that his choice of the particular words "privation, exclusion and banishment" is solely dependent on biblical, historical, or literary influences. It may very well be that Lewis employed these particular expressions because they represented certain traumatic Hell-on-earth experiences endured in his formative years—events that personalized the doctrine and added significant, practical weight to his academic, theological, philosophical, and literary understanding of its horrifying reality.

"The Packed Reality Of Heaven": C.S. Lewis's Imaginative Re-Education Of The Modern Pilgrim, Monika B. Hilder

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

How to think of Heaven then, which Lewis says “is, by definition, outside our experience,” when the fact is that “all intelligible descriptions must be of things within our experience” is a question that Lewis took seriously, especially since the scriptural imagery “[a]t first sight . . . chill[ed], rather than awake[ned], [his] desire.” He asked how a “typical modern” like himself might interpret the heavenly concept of glory. The first idea of fame suggested to him hellish competition; the second idea of brightness suggested the “ridiculous” image of becoming “a kind of living electric light bulb.” Indeed, he contends …

Review Of Reasoning Beyond Reason: Imagination As A Theological Source In The Work Of C. S. Lewis, Nikolay Epplée

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of: J. T. Sellars, Reasoning Beyond Reason: Imagination as a Theological Source in the Work of C. S. Lewis (Eugene, 2011). 256 pages. $29.00. ISBN: 9781608995035.

Review Of C. S. Lewis And Friends: Faith And The Power Of Imagination, David Robinson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of: David Hein and Edward Henderson, eds., C. S. Lewis and Friends: Faith and the Power of Imagination (London, 2011). 159 pages. $18.00. ISBN: 9780281062249.

Review Of The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith And The Discipleship Of The Mind, P. H. Brazier

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Alister McGrath, The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind (Downers Grove, 2010). 210 pages. $22.00. ISBN: 9780830838431

"There Is No Emperor": Merlin And The Ideal State In That Hideous Strength, L. S.B. Maccoull

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

C. S. Lewis’ Merlin has been brought forward from the sixth century. In the world he knew, though there was no longer a Roman Emperor in the West, there certainly was an Emperor reigning in Constantinople who could be called upon for aid. A closer look at Lewis’ depiction of Byzantium reveals what role the positive qualities he attributed to the city played in the development of his own views regarding the nature of the realm (or world) we should strive to realize here on earth.

"A Dreadful Thing": C.S. Lewis And The Experinces Of War, Timothy J. Demy

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

From a Christian perspective, war entails the death and killing of people who are all created in the image of God and therefore have inherent dignity and incalculable worth. And yet, even after experiencing war at firsthand, C. S. Lewis believed that war is sometimes justifiable and necessary.

Like others of his generation, Lewis was deeply affected by the experience of war. He lived through the First and Second World Wars, serving as an officer on the Western Front between November 1917 and April 1918. His brother Warren (“Warnie”) was a career officer serving in the British army in both …

A Friend's Death: C.S. Lewis' Disagreement With St. Augustine, Jason Lepojärvi

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Lewis did nothing to conceal his admiration of—and theological pedigree to—Augustine: as he wrote, Augustine “is a great saint and a great thinker to whom my old glad debts are incalculable.”3 This is why the only time he explicitly disagrees with Augustine on an important point concerning love, he does so “with trembling.”4 Lewis’ sentiments in having to disagree with Augustine may be comparable to Stanley Hauerwas disagreeing with Lewis. It is difficult, Hauerwas wrote, “to criticize a writer who has done so much good as C. S. Lewis.”5 The purpose of the present article is to evaluate the gentlemanly …

Jack Lewis And His American Cousin, Nat Hawthorne: A Study Of Instructive Affinities, D. G. Kehl

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

When he was a student at Oxford University, C. S. Lewis wrote to a friend expressing his great admiration of and enthusiasm for the novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne, particularly The House of the Seven Gables and Transformation (British title of The Marble Faun). This study examines the parallels between these two kindred spirits and their works, focusing on their similar worldviews, their personal backgrounds and lifestyles, and the "Ultimates" they both pondered. It discusses common themes in their works, such as myth, scientism, and "the great power of blackness." Their respective attitudes toward these issues and others, such as faith, …

Equipping Covenant Baptist Church To Defend The Bible In A Skeptical World, Harlan Grant Mclain

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis of this research project is “If Covenant Baptist Church members are taught the reliability of the Bible, they will be equipped to defend their faith to a skeptical world.” The goals of this doctoral thesis are two-fold: to train adequate believers regarding the Bible’s reliability in a skeptical world, and honor God in the process through the equipping ministry of the church in accordance with Ephesians 4:11-16. Seven lessons were researched, formulated, and presented to a small group of believers in Covenant Baptist Church who desired to become more confident in defending the Bible to a skeptic. Entrance …

Woke Religion: Effects Of Secularism And Progressive Politics On 21st Century Mainline Churches As Demonstrated Through The Worship And Witness Of College-Age Students, Brenda L. Widger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examines the impact of Woke messages on young adults when delivered in church worship services and at youth events. A mixed methods research approach is employed, with quantitative data collected through an anonymous online survey and qualitative data gathered in a live focus group. The online survey responses and focus group discussion are coded and analyzed, providing a thorough presentation of the perceptions of all participants. Young adults are the future leaders of the Christian church. With so many churches moving toward welcoming or affirming stances on Woke ideology, the sermons delivered from the pulpit and the topics …

Living Water: A Hermeneutical And Exegetical Approach, John Panicker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout Scripture, God refers to people, objects, words, and other things of the universe to help man understand him. In the New Testament, Christ used parables, metaphors, and signs to reveal himself and his salvation plan. The crown jewel among these symbols is the living water, symbolizing the Holy Spirit who is the ultimate source of salvation. God did not impose death on man, but man chose death over life by disobeying God’s command not to eat from the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil.” He decided to accept Satan’s seduction and counsel and willfully transgressed against his …

Restitution Is A Necessary Part Of Biblical Forgiveness: A Look At How The Bible Provides A Legal And Moral Solution For Transgressions Committed, Robert Andrew Pannier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the principle of restitution and how it is an essential part of biblical forgiveness. What makes this principle so important is that God wanted to ensure that there was no barrier to the unity of the body of Christ and unforgiveness related to a transgression can be a huge barrier as it creates resentment and anger. Since the ultimate goal of God is the unity of His creation, God provided a system where true forgiveness could be achieved, both from a legal standpoint, where a debt was repaid, and from a moral …