Wade Center

Latest Episodes:

Philip Yancey, "Undone" Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives, industries, and even spirituality across the globe. In this week's episode, critically acclaimed author Philip Yancey sits down with Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing to discuss his new book called "Undone." Published by our close friends over at The Rabbit Room, Yancey's book "renders 17th century poet John Donne's meditations on suffering into modern English, revealing that Donne's world of the plague was not so very different from our own." Donne was a significant influence on C.S. Lewis, especially his views and writings on suffering and his book The Problem of Pain. This is a conversation you don't want to miss! And we encourage you to grab a copy of Yancey's book.

Manalive by G.K. Chesterton Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

In Orthodoxy (1908), G.K. Chesterton shares his idea to write a romance in which an Englishman travels around the world and sets foot on a foreign land only to discover that he returned home. "How can we contrive to be astonished at the world and yet at home in it?" Published only four years later in 1912, Manalive is that story. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss Chesterton's novel about Innocence Smith, the man who breaks all the conventions but none of the commandments.

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton Jul 28, 2023

Show notes

Only G.K. Chesterton could write a detective novel about undercover poet cops bravely battling anarchists as a way of explaining the problem of evil and the revelation of God in nature. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to unpack all the twists and turns in The Man Who Was Thursday—a book that is equal parts profound, existential, exhilarating, and perplexing.

A Close Reading of "The Lord of the Rings" w/ Dr. Corey Olsen Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

Today's culture favors convenience and speed. Even finding the time to slow down and read a physical book feels impossible. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Dr. Corey Olsen, the Founder and President of Signum University, to discuss his long-running podcast on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, specifically his close reading of The Lord of the Rings. What can we learn about Tolkien, his writing, and our favorite characters by intentionally slowing down to analyze the words which Tolkien himself so carefully selected and knit together into the fantasy masterpiece we all know and love?

How to Read History or "De Descriptione Temporum" by C.S. Lewis May 26, 2023

Show notes

How should we read, interpret, and apply history? How can historical misconceptions doom us to repeat the mistakes of the past? Is everything always getting better, or is it possible for new inventions and new ideas to be retrogressive--to take us a step backward? In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss C.S. Lewis's inaugural lecture at Cambridge University for The Chair of Mediaeval and Renaissance, Literature entitled, "De Descriptione Temporum" or "A Description of the Times." They discuss how, in typical fashion, Lewis didn't waste this opportunity to simply say "thank you" for the promotion. Instead, he laid out his vision of history: how to read ancient literature, how to interpret history, and how the the avoidance of studying dead periods can actually enslave us to the past.

"An Experiment in Criticism" by C.S. Lewis Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

These days everyone is a critic. The internet is filled with—some might say "fueled" by—criticism of movies, books, art, society, everything. Over six decades ago, C.S. Lewis recognized and warned us that the wrong kind of critical posture can turn us not only into cynics but into cultural and ideological puritans. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss Lewis's book on this very topic titled, An Experiment in Criticism (1961). How does Lewis define good criticism? What makes differentiates a good reader from a bad one? And how can we apply the principle of receptivity to not just literature but life?

"Letters to Children" w/ Marjorie Mead Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

Long before the internet was invented people wrote letters to C.S. Lewis and he wrote back, sending them meaningful, insightful, and compassionate letters. In this week's episode Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Marjorie Mead, Co-Director of the Wade Center to discuss a book of Letters to Children (1985). Marjorie reveals how the book was conceived, how some of the letters were found, and how Lewis's letters to children can still minister to us today--especially if we've grow up too much like Peter and Susan in The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Wonders of Creation w/ Dr. Kristen Page Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

The works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are filled with magical lands, walking trees, and talking animals. They elicit wonder in our hearts not just for fictional places but for the real world around us. In this week's episode Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down to interview Dr. Kristen Page about her recent book The Wonder of Creation: Learning Stewardship from Narnia and Middle-Earth (2023). Stay tuned until the end to learn how you can get a discounted (and signed) copy of Dr. Page's book.

Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

Even though he constantly reminded readers that he wasn't a theologian or a biblical scholar, C.S. Lewis wrote an entire book on how to read and reflect on the Psalms. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss Lewis's often overlooked and under-read book, Reflections on the Psalms (1958). Lewis deftly covers many of the problems that faithful Christians throughout the ages encounter in the Psalter. Why are so many Psalms violent and vindictive? Why does God expect to be constantly praised? If so much of the NT contrasts Jesus's teaching with the letter of Law, how is it "sweeter than honey?"

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, Part 2 Dec 30, 2022

Show notes

In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to finish unwrapping the many memorable witticisms, penetrating insights, and enchanting metaphors contained within the final chapters of Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. Additionally, this is both our final episode of 2022 and the final episode of our bi-weekly format. In 2023, we will shift to a monthly release schedule with episodes going live on the final Friday of the month. Make sure to check out videos with Crystal and David through our forthcoming Wonders of the Wade series over on our YouTube channel.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected