Afternoon Seminar/Workshop Course Descriptions
Please review the following descriptions, then select your afternoon track on the last page by indicating your first, second and third choice of seminar or workshop for each week.
(Courses listed as continuous over both weeks may be taken for one week only.)
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OX-1 – Lewis Agonistes: Wrestling with the New Age and the Arts; Rehabilitating Beauty – with Louis Markos
The New Age offers not only a theological challenge to Christianity but threatens to compete with her for the soul of America’s youth. But if the New Age is viewed as a type of yearning in the modern soul for a return to a meaningful universe, to a cosmos filled with its Father’s presence, then the New Age becomes an invitation for the Church to widen its reach, to identify and speak to yearnings that point back finally to a Triune, Incarnate God. Of all the writers of the 20th century, Lewis was perhaps the greatest apologist for beauty. He understood the cause of the modern aversion to beauty was a rather desperate defense mechanism to protect our jaded, agnostic age from that terrible Beauty that dwells together with Goodness and Truth in the heart of the Creator and his creation. We will survey the causes and nature of our modern “Cult of the Ugly,” and then counter that cult through analysis of the Space Trilogy, Chronicles of Narnia, and Till We Have Faces. Finally, with the help of Lewis, we will fashion an aesthetics of incarnation, one that will not only speak to the potential of the arts to bear a heavy weight of meaning but that will champion the arts as a far greater friend than foe to the beleaguered apologist living in a postmodern world.
Louis Markos (PhD, U of Michigan) is a Professor in English at Houston Baptist University, where he teaches courses on British Romantic Poetry, Literary Theory, the Classics, Victorian Poetry and Prose, C. S. Lewis, Mythology, Epic, and Film. Dr. Markos is the author of Lewis Agonistes: How C.S. Lewis can Train us to Wrestle with the Modern and Postmodern World and of articles published in Christianity Today, Touchstone, Christian Scholar’s Review, and Mythlore. He has also produced two lecture series with the Teaching Company (on C. S. Lewis and Literary Theory), is a popular speaker in Houston, and has spoken widely on C. S. Lewis and related issues. He is committed to the concept of Professor as Public Educator and believes that knowledge must not be walled up in the Academy but must be disseminated to all who have ears to hear.
OX-2 – Medical Ethics – with David Cook
In an increasingly complex world of high tech medicine and new discoveries in genetics and biotechnology, Christians need to understand these developments, frame responses based on Biblical values and express truth to the whole of society by appealing to the common morality Lewis recognized and expressed. The need to be salt and light must be matched with a prophetic voice which challenges Western society by rejecting materialistic, mechanistic, and deterministic values and rather to live in the ways that God created and intended for humanity and human well being and flourishing.
David Cook is the Holmes Professor of Faith and Learning ( Wheaton College), Fellow of Green College ( Oxford) and Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics (Southern Seminary). He teaches medical ethics, theology and philosophy at the doctoral and undergraduate level. He has had his own radio and television series and broadcasts with the BBC. His main books are The Moral Maze, Blind Alley Beliefs, Dilemmas of Life and Question Time. He speaks nationally and internationally and is a Fellow of the Trinity Forum, the Center of Applied Christian Ethics, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity and a member of the Archbishops’ Medical Ethics Advisory Group and the UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority.
OX-3 – Surprised by Grace: The Anatomy of Trauma and Faith – with Theresa Blakley & Mary Anne Poe
This workshop explores the anatomy of trauma, including the physiological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual impact on the individual, family, and the community. Coping with, and recovering from, personal trauma raises questions about the self and challenges one’s sense of safety and well-being in the world. Personal trauma can create a crisis of faith and an epiphany of God’s grace. Trauma experiences have a “ripple-effect” starting with the individual, and moving through families, neighborhoods, communities, and societies. The presenters will give an insider’s view of a personal trauma and offer the possibility of surviving with blessing and peace. Session one will feature an examination of the phenomenon of trauma; session two will focus on personal and social implications of trauma; session three will explore the effects of trauma on one’s faith and that of the faith community and will conclude with a reflective group experience.
Theresa Blakley is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Union University with expertise in trauma and complicated grief and bereavement processes. She earned a PhD from Barry University School of Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with practice experience in child protective services, foster care, and adoptions. She has done individual and group therapy with persons living with HIV/AIDS and has conducted research on women, trauma and AIDS. She worked with street children in Cape Town in the 1980s and as a human relief coordinator with refugees crossing into South Africa from Mozambique.
Mary Anne Poe , MSSW, ACSW, MDiv, has been a professor at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee since 1996. She is currently Chair of the Department of Social Work. Mary Anne has served in pastoral leadership in Kentucky and Minnesota. She has published articles on the role of the church and community in advocating for vulnerable persons and is on the editorial board of the journal, Social Work and Christianity. She teaches courses on social and economic justice, social diversity, and human behavior in the social environment.
OX-4 – C.S. Lewis: A Festival of Joy! – with Rodger Murchison & Debbie Williams
In Augusta, Georgia, a month-long C.S. Lewis: A Festival of Joy, inspired 8,000 children and adults with the works of C.S. Lewis. As children walked through the magical wardrobe into the wintry wonderland, they were surrounded by the sights and sounds of a virtual, interactive Narnia. The whole community was enlivened by lectures, drama, music and dance, each highlighting one of Lewis’ brilliant writings. This seminar provides the impetus and organizational materials that can guide the coordination of a C.S. Lewis festival in your community. Participants will receive a notebook and DVD with information about planning a budget, raising financial support, involving the community, coordinating churches, publicity material, children’s programming, resources for lecturers and drama productions, and directions for reconstructing a virtual Land of Narnia.
Rodger Murchison has served as the Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care at First Baptist Church of Augusta, GA, since 1987, where he also provided leadership to the joint venture of four leading Augusta churches in conducting the C.S. Lewis Festival of Joy. For 15 years he worked at Southern Seminary as Assistant to the President, Assistant to the Provost and Theology Dean and Director of Capital Funding. Rodger earned his D.Min. degree at Princeton Theological Seminary, his thesis being “Grief and Faith: A Study of Effect.” Sabbatical study has taken Rodger to Regent’s Park College Oxford, England. He is active as a leader in the local community, having served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity and Ronald McDonald House, and currently serving as chairman of the Augusta Housing Authority.
Debbie Williams, an event coordinator, dance instructor and lifelong crafter is a graduate of Emory University. A member of 1st Baptist Church, Augusta, Debbie has served on the staff of several Georgia churches as Educational and Youth Director. Her enthusiastic love of children and young people has led her to direct many children and youth musicals as well as to train several youth teams in drama, puppetry, interpretive dance and clowning for mission trips to South America. Using her experience and creativity, she brought the Land of Narnia to life for over 4000 children and adults who walked through the fur coats hanging in the magical wardrobe into the wintry wonderland. She loves to dream and create that she might inspire others to live and learn.
OX-5 – Mirrors of the Divine: Beauty, Goodness and Truth through the Looking Glass of Oxford's Great Artworks – with Karen Mulder
Each session will explore Oxford’s rich and enriching works of art in the collections of the Ashmolean and Oxford University museums, as well as in artists’ studios. The dialogue will interweave considerations of beauty, goodness and truth as demonstrated or contested by Michelangelo, Raphael, Pre-Raphaelites like Burne-Jones, John Ruskin, J.M.W. Turner, and contemporary artists who have thoughtfully contributed to this enduring discourse. Seminar is targeted for all levels of curiosity.
Art historian Karen L. Mulder is the DuPont Fellow of Architectural History at the University of Virginia, and received the Menil Scholarship of Visual Art at Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and the Arts. Her reviews on contemporary ecclesial art, artists of faith, and art or architectural criticism appear in American Arts Quarterly, Material Religion, Square Halo Books, and various Christian forums such as the Calvin College Institute on Worship, Christians in the Visual Arts publications, and the Rutherford Institute’s Findings e-zine. She has enjoyed orbiting the Foundation as a trustee, plenary speaker, seminar leader and arts coordinator at various triennials since 1991.
OX-6 – The History of the Book and the Libraries at Oxford – with Donald Davis
This seminar will provide a brief overview of the history of the book in ancient, medieval, and modern times. Among topics considered will be the role of books in society, the materials available for writing and printing, the techniques employed in production of books, preservation and repositories for books, and literacy and the use of books. Visits to tour buildings and to view book collections of noteworthy and world famous Oxford libraries are being scheduled, as possible—including the Ashmolean Museum, Merton College, Magdelen College, and the old Bodleian Library. The result will be a renewed appreciation of the written cultural record of the human race. [A $20 course fee per person will apply to cover the cost of library tours.]
Donald Davis has taught at the University of Texas at Austin since 1971, in the School of Information as Professor of Library History and, more recently, in the Department of History. A native Texan, but educated at UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has taught courses on the history of archives, books, and libraries, in addition to worldwide consulting and professional activity. Editor of Libraries & Culture (quarterly, University of Texas Press) since 1977, he has produced, in addition to numerous articles, chapters, reviews, etc., several volumes including American Library History: A Comprehensive Guide to the Literature (1989), Encyclopedia of Library History (1994), and Dictionary of American Library Biography, 2 nd Supplement (2003).
OX-7 – Circulating Classicism: Walks Through the Progress of Architecture at Oxford – with Marga Jann The city of Oxford is a virtual classroom layered with architectural styles that complement, compete against or spoof their precedents. Conferees will ponder the shifting value of architectural beauty and Ruskinian morality as they sample the buildings that shaped and perpetuate Oxbridge’s collegiate identity. Oxford walks include Roman battlements, Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre, elaborate Victorian facades and interiors, wry modern gargoyles, and the decorative steel-beamed wonder of the University Museum. Cambridge destinations include the medieval Round Church, Kings’ College Chapel, and Quinlan Terry’s postmodern spin on classicism at Downing College. Participants only need curiosity, good walking shoes, and fleetness of foot to humor architectural commentator Marga Jann ( Stanford University).
Marga Jann, AIA is a French-American architect. She received her B.A. with Honors from Swarthmore College and her M.Arch. from Columbia University. More recently she has pursued a M.St. at Cambridge University in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment. After working with Gwathmey Siegel Architects in New York, she traveled to Paris on a Fulbright Fellowship and started the firm Poetic License. She has been a research fellow at the Beaux-Arts and has lectured on her work at numerous universities throughout the world. In Paris she coordinated the Department of Environmental Design at Parsons School of Design; additionally she has taught design studios at Ponts et Chaussées and Stanford University, where she is currently a Design Critic/Lecturer in Architecture. Her work includes numerous Christian mission projects in the developing world, often done in the context of academe where they serve as models for social entrepreneurship and spiritual outreach.
OX-8 – Hospitality: Cultivating a Heart for Encouraging Others – with Teresa Kipp
Hospitality is ultimately an expression of love. In our fast paced world, an open home is a rare gift. The first session will discuss hospitality in the early church and how our homes can become places of refuge and safety. With an emphasis on encouraging the human spirit, we’ll learn how to plan for special occasions. The final session will provide preparation for hosting missionaries and caring for the seriously ill. Each day the format will consist of lecture, followed by refreshments and discussion, and ending with hands-on projects.
Teresa Kipp grew up in a home full of love, laughter and creativity. Interested at an early age in how our surroundings affect us, she obtained a degree in interior design, specializing in historical restoration. Understanding the human need for beauty, rest and encouragement, it has been her delight to serve the Kingdom through the avenue of hospitality. From quiet dinners to large parties, from hosting missionaries to caring for the seriously ill, from classes on homemaking skills for young women to coordinating weddings, Teresa has a wealth of experience to share.
OX-9 – The Inklings: Lewis, Tolkien, Williams, Barfield, and Friends – with Colin Duriez
The Inklings were an Oxford group of literary friends, mainly Christians, who met between 1933 and 1963. For many years they read out work in progress, with the group offering criticism, often hard-hitting. Through the Inklings’ most celebrated members – J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis – the fruit of those discussions, often held in smoky local pubs, have impacted the world. The informal group, however, was made up of many interesting regular and intermittent members. The seminars will feature the major and lesser Inklings, the changing character of the group over the years in the context of the times, and the themes, concerns, writings and achievements of the remarkable club .
Colin Duriez is author of a number of books on C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Inklings, including A Field Guide to Narnia, The C.S. Lewis Encyclopedia, The C.S. Lewis Chronicles (forthcoming September 2005), The Inklings Handbook (with David Porter), Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship, and Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. He has lectured on Lewis and Tolkien in many countries, and has appeared as a commentator on BBC television and on extended version DVDs of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and Dr Armand Nicholi’s PBS series The Question of God, on Lewis and Freud.
OX-10 – How to Get Published: The Ins and Outs of Academic Publishing – with Don King
How do academic journals work? Should I write the editor before I submit a manuscript? What is the peer review process like? What is a “blind review”? Should I limit myself to academic journals or should I try to publish in “popular” journals? Should I try to get a book review published before trying a scholarly essay? What about getting a scholarly book published? If these and related questions interest you, then this seminar is designed for you. Together we will explore the nuts and bolts or the ins and outs of academic publishing. Specifics tips and guidelines will be shared regarding both the writing and submitting of book reviews and scholarly articles. In addition, we will follow the process of one manuscript from submission through initial peer review to revision to follow-up peer review to acceptance to publication. Early career faculty members at small liberal arts colleges, mid-career faculty members at larger colleges and universities, and non-attached academics will find this seminar beneficial.
On the faculty of Montreat College since 1974, Don W. King is Professor of English, and he serves as Editor of the Christian Scholar’s Review. He has published articles in The Canadian C. S. Lewis Journal, Christianity and Literature, CSL: The Bulletin of the New York C. S. Lewis Society, Christian Scholar’s Review, SEVEN: An Anglo-American Literary Review, among others, and contributed articles on Lewis’ poetry to The C. S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia. King is also author of the book C. S. Lewis, Poet: The Legacy of His Poetic Impulse. In the summer of 2004 he led seminars at The Kilns on the poetry of Lewis, Ruth Pitter, and Joy Davidman Gresham.
OX-11 – Seminar on Christian Higher Education – David Dockery
Presidents of colleges and universities with an historic Christian identity have a series of challenges and opportunities in the 21 st Century. In addition to the normal expectations of financing Christian education during a period in which denominations are abandoning their traditional involvement in higher education, presidents must also lead schools to think creatively in a way that not merely equals secular education models, but exceeds them. At a time when the higher education enterprise has fallen under particular scrutiny by the public, Christian institutions have a unique opportunity to provide the extra dimension of moral and intellectual grounding within a caring community that the secular academy has abandoned. Being self-consciously Christian may prove to be the most promising future for the liberal arts-based institutions that have flirted with a secular identity. Dockery will lead the group to explore these and other critical issues for presidents and top administrators of Christian colleges and universities of all Christian traditions.
David Dockery has served as president of Union University since 1996. During that period, enrollment has increased from 1,975 to nearly 3,000. In 2004 he completed the Building a Future Campaign by raising over $66 million. Dockery is known as a scholar-president for writing or editing twenty-five books and contributing chapters to over twenty-five others. Prior to coming to Union, Dockery served as vice-president for academic affairs and dean of the school of theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also has served as an editor with Broadman-Holman, as a member of the faculty of Criswell College, and as a pastor in New York City. He serves on many boards, including the chairmanship of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
OX-12 – Poetry as a Subversive Vocation – with Brad Davis
The poetry workshop is designed for both those who attend one session and those who attend all three.
Session #1, “Memory, Invention, & the Truth” – the relationship between autobiography and making poems; Session #2, “Three Horizons: Scripture, Self, & Everything Else” – the place of the poet in the world as one who struggles with God and for goodness’ sake; Session #3, “Fear & the Beauty of Holiness” – the risks (and rewards) of pointing in one’s poetry toward an “even greater than” beyond the natural and cultural beauty in which we are immersed. For lovers of poetry and poets of all skill levels.
Winner of the 2005 Sunken Garden Poetry Prize, author of two books of poetry (Though War Break Out, Short List of Wonders), Brad is director of the Writers Studio at Pomfret School ( Pomfret, CT). He studied at Gordon College, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry (MDiv), and Vermont College (MFA). Brad has also taught poetry writing at Eastern Connecticut State University. He is editor of “The Broken Bridge Review,” an annual that will debut in 2006 focusing on emerging writers.
OX -13 – The Good, the True and the Beautiful in Politics – with Michael Bates
Can politics and politicians be good and true? This workshop will explore the underlying principles which can be called upon to guide the follower of Jesus in the world of politics. Participants will be invited to discern the principles through exploring examples which illustrate the case for and against beauty and truth in the political arena. The principal case study will be William Wilberforce, the eighteenth century British parliamentarian who successfully abolished slavery in Britain. The political arena thrives on debate in order to arrive at truth, and this session will seek to invoke the model of political discourse, if not the means, in order to discover the good, the true and the beautiful in the political realm.
Michael Bates is Director of Consultancy & Research with Oxford Analytica. A graduate of Wadham College, Oxford, he spent twelve years in the UK financial services industry specializing in insurance and occupation pension schemes. Elected in 1992 to the UK Parliament, he served for five years as a Member and three years as a Minister (Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury and HM Paymaster General). He has been a contributing author to government analyses. Michael is a board director of Oxford Analytica International Group Inc, and also a non-executive director of eStandardsForum Inc and Congregational and General plc. He takes a close interest in events on the Korean peninsula and is Chairman of the Anglo-Korean Educational Trust.
OX-14 – Ecstatic Customers: How the Good, the True & the Beautiful Attract People to Products & Services – with Greg Bunch
What responsibility do followers of Jesus have to customers? This workshop will show how developing great products and services is a way to love your neighbor, imitate the Creator and create true wealth. Participants will study writings from Plato to Paul to Peter Drucker. They will examine strategies and tactics successfully employed by some of the leading brands in the world including American Express, Craftsmen, Harley-Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, IDEO, KFC, and PepsiCo. And, they will learn how to apply breakthroughs in neuroscience to new product development and brand building. This highly interactive workshop will give participants an opportunity to prototype a product or service.
Greg Bunch is the president of Masterplan International Corporation, a strategy-execution consultancy that specializes in helping people lead wisely and well by understanding their customers and employees. Companies he has advised include Abbott Labs, American Express, Amgen, Discover, ETS, Harley-Davidson, H-P, Houghton Mifflin, IDEO, Kraft, PepsiCo, ThomasNelson, YUM!, and Zondervan. Prior to this he was a partner in Brandtrust, a brand strategy firm based in Chicago. He has also been a pastor and a CEO coach. He is an alderman in West Chicago, IL. Greg serves on the board of Parable Franchising and The Center for Faithwalk Leadership. He holds degrees from Wheaton College and Harvard University.
OX-15 – Worship: A Change of Tune? – with John Featherstone
And what if we dared examine contemporary worship in the light of ‘the good, the true and the beautiful’? How satisfied should we be? This seminar aims to examine the role of the arts (especially music) in today’s church. Through lively exploration of the theme, use of examples, open discussion and experiment, it will seek to question our assumptions, call to action and offer practical suggestions. It will focus on the source and aims of creative worship, its expression and repertoire, its strengths and weaknesses and its relation to 21st Century culture. Open to all who worship, this seminar may be of special interest to musicians, those active in leadership, and all those who hanker for a change of tune.
John Featherstone is a British singer-songwriter and composer of contemporary religious music who has been living and working in France for the last 15 years. John’s bilingual musical output (12 albums to date) is characterised by its diversity of style and its intense desire to communicate a coherent biblical worldview. He tours widely in Europe, being invited to sing and speak by both Protestant and Catholic communities. His choral works include a trilogy of cantatas on the theme of the birth, life and passion of Christ and CREDO, a cross-over work for two choirs and contemporary chamber group which celebrates the central truths of the Christian faith. He is choir director for the Vaux sur Seine Evangelical Theology Faculty.
OX-16 or CAM-1 – Think about Such Things: The Good, the True and the Beautiful in the Bible – with Ben Patterson (repeated)
According to philosopher Mortimer Adler, the True, the Good and the Beautiful are the key ideas we judge by; intimately related to the ideas we act on: Liberty, Equality and Justice. From the standpoint of Scripture, the Good, the True and the Beautiful are also key critical spiritual and moral coordinates needed to navigate through a dark and fallen world. Paul tells us to think about such things (Phil 4:8), which is what we will do in this seminar. We may discover that the Bible’s perspective on these ideas is more radical and counter-cultural in today’s church than it was in ancient paganism.
Author of several books, Serving God (The Grand Essentials), Waiting, Deepening Your Conversation with God, and a Prayer Devotional Bible, as well as contributing editor to Christianity Today and the Leadership Journal, Ben Patterson has been Campus Pastor at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, for the past three years. He served for six years as Dean of the Chapel at Hope College, Holland, MI. He also has been senior pastor at two churches, including founding pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, CA. Combining the heart of a poet with the mind of a theologian, we are privileged to have Ben as our Oxbridge 2005 Chaplain as he was in 1998 and 2002 as well.
OX-17 or CAM-2 – Remaking Popular Culture: Lewis and Tolkien as Models for a Spiritual and Artistic Renaissance of Church and Culture – with Dick Staub (repeated)
We live in a shallow popular culture that is generally, and by nature, diversionary and mindless. Yet Lewis and Tolkien are still respected by the next generation catching glimpses of the “one true myth” through their work. How can the good, the true and the beautiful emerge from a culture characterized by the good, the bad and the ugly? This workshop will analyze the power as well as the aesthetic and spiritual poverty of popular culture, and then will examine the church’s tendency towards withdrawing from, fighting or mirroring culture. We will explore how Lewis and Tolkien exemplify a better way: the rediscovery of the deep, culturally enriching faith that combines spiritual devotion, intellectual vitality and artistic creativity.
Dick Staub is an award-winning broadcaster & writer who understands faith and culture and interprets each to the other. His interdisciplinary discussions are a rare blend of film, theology, music, serious fiction, celebrity-quotes, in-depth interviews with culture shapers and more. He is author of Too Christian, Too Pagan, the newly released Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters, and the forthcoming Finding Deep Faith in a Superficial Age. Prepare for laughs, the provocation of thought and some powerful and practical ideas for Christians in culture.
OX-18 or CAM-3 – The Well-Educated Mind: Self-Education in the Classical Tradition – with Susan Wise Bauer (repeated)
For centuries, men and women of the past gave themselves the riches of a classical education: reading, taking notes, discussing books and ideas with friends, and fitting their new knowledge into a structure of meaning. They had only two resources that modern readers often lack: elementary training in the three stages of learning, once part of American and English secondary education; and the self-confidence that they could learn outside of the confines of a classroom. Join humanities scholar Susan Wise Bauer for a week-long introduction to the classical tradition of learning, and discover why all true education is self-education. Find out about the three stages of reading and their essential role in enjoyable reading; learn why you need to deface your books in order to read properly, and why speed-reading can ruin a good evening with Don Quixote or The Confessions; discover why novels, autobiographies, and histories are more alike than different; get a brief but thorough (and entertaining) history of each genre; and join a Great Conversation that can go on for the rest of your life.
For over ten years, Susan Wise Bauer has taught writing and American literature at the College of William & Mary, where she has also done doctoral work in American Studies, with concentrations in the history of American evangelicalism and the American novel. Currently she is at work on a four-volume history of the world. Her most recent book, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (2003) is a guide to reading the classic works of fiction, poetry, history, autobiography, and drama. She has also co-authored The Well- Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, a bestselling guide to education in the classical tradition and has written a four-volume world history series for children, “The Story of the World.” Susan is also a contributing editor to Books & Culture and a frequent contributor to Christianity Today. She earned an M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and an M.A. in English from the College of William & Mary.
OX-19 or CAM-4 – Remythologizing Faith and Film – with Craig Detweiler (repeated)
In his short essay, “Myth Became Fact,” C.S. Lewis anticipated the triumph of cinematic meta-narratives like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and The Matrix. The postmodern shift has resulted in an explosion of filmic fantasies including the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia. This seminar will wrestle with the rise of cinematic myths in fantasy, sci-fi and comic book genres. What do these epic stories suggest about “The Good, the True and The Beautiful”?
Craig Detweiler is Assoc. Professor and Chair, Mass Communications Dept., Biola University, CA. He is the co-author of A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture. Films he has written include The Duke (Royalty goes to the dogs!) and the high-energy teen road trip, Extreme Days. He earned an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema/TV and an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary where he is working towards a Ph.D. in Theology and Culture. He serves as film editor for the Mars Hill Review.
OX-20 or CAM-5 – The Mystery of Mercy: A Workshop in Spiritual Formation – with Frederica Mathewes- Green (repeated)
What is mercy? Why should we ask for it? Doesn’t a repetition of “Lord, have mercy” sound like groveling? Can repentance be a means of healing? When should we show mercy to others, and when should we insist on justice? These and other questions will be explored in three workshop sessions, exploring spiritual disciplines, prayer and visual arts of the early church as resources for our growth. The first session will focus on practical encounter with mercy through prayer, particularly the “Jesus Prayer”; the second on icons, particularly the “Christ of Sinai” and the healing power of repentance; and the third on dealing with other people in humility and forgiveness, obeying Biblical commands to both “do justice” and yet “judge not.”
Frederica Mathewes-Green is the author of several books about early and Eastern Christian spirituality, including The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation, and The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer. She is a regular columnist with the multi-faith web magazine Beliefnet.com, writes movie reviews for National Review Online, and contributes commentaries to the National Public Radio program “Morning Edition,” often on the pro-life issue. She is “khouria,” or spiritual mother, of Holy Cross Orthodox Church near Baltimore, Maryland, where her husband, Fr. Gregory, is pastor. Her website is www.frederica.com.
OX-21 or CAM-6 – Body Narratives – A Movement Workshop – with Amy Yopp Sullivan (repeated) This seminar will explore how our bodies, our movements and our physical expressions can teach us, and also reveal our hearts and virtues. How do we embody our faith? How does the body speak in our lives and do we know what we are saying? Is the body part of sanctification and how does it become a collaborator as we “run the race”? Does the example of the incarnate God offer us a pattern for action as we live out our call to move toward holiness? Join in for lively discourse and comfortable, creative work as we test the faith we embody. We will learn in part by doing—that is to say, we will move and practice the kind of learning revealed in physical presence, action and performance. This workshop is for all participants who are eager to understand our call to faith in action... to learn more about action and to understand internal resources for consistent, committed living. The workshop is not dependent on skill, physical fitness or stamina; but rather, seeks to recover the beauty, freedom and radiance of whole faith, built from the pattern of the incarnation.
Amy Yopp Sullivan is Director of the DanceSpace and Associate Professor of Dance in the Department of Theatre Arts: SUNY-Stony Brook; Professional Choreographer and Dance Educator, Chancellor and President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching/SUNY; past Eli Lilly Teaching Fellow; Graduate of Gordon-Conwell Seminary; MFA from University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Ethel Martus Alumni Award/ U of NC at Greensboro; New York State Council for the Arts/Individual Artist’s Grant; Woman of the Year in the Arts/Brookhaven, New York; First Prize: Dance Performance/Institute for Creative Research; Faculty Initiate to Blue Key Honor Fraternity/Western Illinois University; Presidential Merit Award/Western Illinois University; Sunday School Teacher: “Gifts, Talents and Callings”/West Sayville Reformed Bible Church
OX-22 or CAM-7 – Mars Hill on the Printed Page and in the Public Forum: Winsome Engagement of the Culture – with Eric Metaxas (repeated)
Christians have for 25 years been unafraid to enter the political fray, but engaging the culture itself – lovingly and intelligently – is still something we’ve not yet managed to accomplish in any real measure. Specifically, there is a virtual silence of intelligent Christians in the realm of op-ed contributions in mainline newspapers and magazines, including campus newspapers. One seems to hear and read all other points of view, as well one should, but an informed, charitable and even humorous Christian voice is virtually nowhere to be found. It’s time this silence was addressed. The subject of this workshop will be freelance essay writing from a Christian perspective, with the specific goal of each student writing one or more intelligent, serious, engaging and publishable short essays on subjects of cultural interest – all intended for publication in op-ed pages of newspapers upon return home. Also participating, on Thursday in Oxford and Monday in Cambridge, will be the Rev. John C. Rankin, President of the Theological Education Institute (TEI) of Hartford, CT. He will speak on "The Six Pillars of Biblical Power” – to give, to live in the light, to make informed choices, to love hard questions, to love enemies, and to forgive. These pillars sum up all of biblical ethics, and provide true spiritual, intellectual, cultural and political power to represent the Good News in a pagan and secular world. His “Mars Hill Forums,” in which he engages the best and brightest of the secular left across the country in a brilliant, winsome and loving manner, are legendary.
Eric Metaxas has written humor for the New York Times, cultural commentaries for Chuck Colson’s Breakpoint, and books and videos for Veggietales -- three things generally not found in the same sentence. A sought-after emcee and speaker, he is the founder and host of Socrates in the City (a monthly Manhattan event of "entertaining and thought-provoking discussions” featuring such speakers as Sir John Polkinghorne, Os Guinness, and Peter Kreeft) as well as a debater at the Oxford Union. Eric has written over 30 award-winning children’s books, including bestsellers Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving and God Made You Special. Forthcoming is Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (but were afraid to ask) (October 2005). www.ericmetaxas.com
OX-23 and CAM-8 – The Intimate Landscape: Retracing the Walks of C.S. Lewis – A Drawing Workshop with Chris Anderson (continuous)
C.S. Lewis loved a good walk. In a letter to his brother Warnie, written from Magdalen College on Maundy Thursday, 1940, he describes in rich visual detail: “I walked around the ploughed field, halting for a longish soak in the pine-grove above Gorspath. A beautiful afternoon with a sky of what I would call spring-gray – long level clouds of white, silver, pearl, and dove-colour.” Oxbridge 2005's studio venue will retrace C.S. Lewis' steps through the greenspaces and gardens of his world at Oxford and Cambridge. Using simple, but classical techniques of pencil, pen, ink and watercolor washes, students will have the opportunity to sketch on location, as well as in the studio classroom. Each class will begin with a hands-on demonstration of techniques and a relevant reading from one of C.S. Lewis' letters. Beginners and experienced visual artists alike are welcome. There will be a $30 course fee to cover paint kit, paper and drawing boards. A list of other materials to be supplied by each workshop participant will be provided upon enrollment.
The work of New York painter Chris Anderson has been exhibited in the United States and abroad and is held in over fifty public and corporate collections. Chris has received numerous awards for her work, including fellowship grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Fulbright Commission, New York Foundation for the Arts, Artists Space, Vogelstein Foundation, New York State Council for the Arts, Austrian Chancellery of Art, Edward F. Albee Foundation, Millay Colony and The MacDowell Colony, among others. In addition to lecturing extensively as a visiting artist, she has taught studio art at Skidmore College, Regent College, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute of Art, The University of Maryland, Gordon College in Italy, and, as Fulbright Guest Professor, at the Berlin University of the Arts. Chris studied visual art at Scripps College (BA), Tyler School of Art in Rome, Italy, Pratt Institute of Art, and Claremont Graduate University (MFA ) www.chrisandersonart.com
OX-24 and CAM-9 – Merely Players Inc.: A Theatre Workshop with Nigel Goodwin & Barbara Whatley (continuous)
We will explore together, with improvisation, games, language and movement, the Conference theme 'Making All Things New – The Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the 21st Century.' We will examine what it means in the 21st Century to be lost, found and peaceful, with the working title of "Help, Hope and Hallelujah." We will use this idea with the Greek concept of the tragic and comic masks. This workshop is open to all age groups with any or no experience in Theatre, to those who see performance art as something they would like to be involved in, in order to enable both themselves and their gifting to be more developed from a Judeo-Christian perspective. Please come suitably dressed for action!"
Nigel Goodwin studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After working for several years in theatre, film, radio and television, he went back to study theology at All Nations Christian Seminary, followed by some years of study at the L'Abri Community in Switzerland under Francis Schaeffer and Hans Rookmaaker. He and his wife Gillian founded the London Arts Centre Group and, in 1982, Genesis Arts Trust was formed – an international ministry serving media arts industries globally. He regularly contributes articles on media/arts issues. Nigel is a member of the Board of Trustees of the C.S. Lewis Foundation, having been involved and committed to its vision since its inception
Barbara Whatley has worked for many years as a professional actor in London's West End theatres. She has toured with a number of productions as well as taking part in numerous Television programs. Apart from her professional life as an actor, she is a trustee of the Combined Theatrical Charities headed up by Lord Attenborough – these include the Actors Benevolent Fund and the Royal Theatrical Fund. Barbara's commitment to Christ and her love for people and the profession to which she is called and gifted gives her the opportunity to speak into the lives of many, who themselves affect us all through the media arts entertainment industries.
OX-25 and CAM-10 – The Good, the True and the Beautiful through The Great Books – with Charles Twombly (continuous)
Our wide-ranging conference theme gives us the opportunity to join in an enduring conversation uniting thinkers both ancient and modern. Our effort will be to come to terms with both the “permanent things” and the newness and transfiguration which Christian faith promises. Helping us in our quest will be carefully selected writings from Holy Scripture (especially Isaiah and Revelation) and the philosophical tradition (including excerpts from Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, among others). More recent writings (both supporting and challenging the classical Christian vision) will also have a say, including those by literary figures such as Herbert, Blake, Hopkins, Yeats, Kafka, and T.S. Eliot, and literary philosophers such as Nietzsche, Weil, and Iris Murdoch. Informing our discussion will, of course, be guiding insights from Inklings Lewis and Tolkien and their predecessors, e.g., MacDonald and Chesterton. (The Great Books Seminar Reader, containing all the readings, will be mailed to seminar participants several weeks prior to the conference, thus permitting prior reading and thought for those who would like a running start.)
Dr. Charles Twombly wears at least two different hats: he teaches philosophy and religion at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, a United Methodist women’s college which is the oldest degree-granting institution for women in the world (founded in 1836), and is also the Mentor in Theology for the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. He holds an AB degree from Westmont College, an M.Div. degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. degree from Emory University and has a life-long interest in the history of Christian thought, biblical studies, and theology and literature. He helped compile the Cosmos and Creation: Chance or Dance? Reader for the Cambridge ‘94 C.S. Lewis Summer Institute.
OX-26 and CAM-11 – Science & Theology Symposium – with Harry Lee Poe & James Buchholz (continuous)
At the surface level, we may think of ethics as the discipline concerned with how we measure goodness and truth, if such things actually exist. At a much more fundamental level, however, science must deal with whether goodness and truth are real standards or merely cultural constructs to achieve political goals. The future of scientific discovery is at stake. Is science value free? Does the scientific enterprise depend upon any values? How do goodness, truth, beauty, and other values inform, guide, and inspire scientific discovery? What are the implications of a growing culture of relativism for the future of science? Sir John Templeton’s concept of the “laws of life” and C.S. Lewis’s understanding of “the Tao” offer positive examples for a solution to the problem of distinguishing between the cultural expressions of values and the actual values behind the cultural expression. Several important clues to a solution have appeared in different disciplines in recent years. Physicists, chemists, and mathematicians have realized for some time that beauty does not belong to the arts alone, but that it presents a standard for evaluating scientific theory. The Science Symposium will explore these and related issues with guest speakers Ben Mitchell, Celia Deane-Drummond, Denis Alexander, Simon Conway Morris, and others.
Hal Poe is Charles Colson Professor of Faith and Culture at Union University in Jackson, Tennnessee, Hal Poe is author or collaborator on over 25 books, including Science and Faith: An Evangelical Dialogue and Designer Universe: Intelligent Design and the Existence of God, and his most recent See No Evil: The Existence of Sin in an Age of Relativism. He co-edited, with Stan Mattson, the science and religion papers from the 2002 C. S. Lewis Summer Institute that will be published as What God Knows: Time, Eternity and Divine Knowledge.
Jim Buchholz is Professor of Mathematics and Physics at California Baptist University, Riverside; Jim Buchholz has worked with the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) at the University of California, Riverside, for many years. In 2001, along with his colleague, Jeff Cate, Buchholz won a CTNS (Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences) Templeton Science and Religion Course Prize for the development of the course "Science and Faith".
OX-27 and CAM-12 – Philosophy Symposium – with Jerry Walls (continuous)
The three great ideals of Truth, Goodness and Beauty have been at the heart of the philosophical enterprise since the days of the ancient Greeks. Not only how these are understood, but the relations between them are key issues that define every worldview. While classical thought has seen the three great ideals as united, if not one, modern and postmodern thought has witnessed the fragmentation of Truth, Goodness and Beauty. The philosophy symposium will be addressed by philosophers from both sides of the Atlantic, who will pursue variations on these issues that are of concern to contemporary Christian thought. A special session will feature a reenactment of the famous Lewis-Anscombe debate of 1948 and an appearance by Professor Anthony Flew, who was present at the original debate. In keeping with Lewis's Socratic Club dictum that an argument "has a life of its own" the symposium set argument loose, confident that if rightly followed, it will help lead us to truth. (In place of the Th., 7/28 meeting, the Debate Reenactment will take place on Fri., 7/29 at 2:30 pm)
Jerry Walls is Professor of Philosophy at Asbury Seminary and Senior Speaking Fellow in the Morris Institute for Human Values, an organization whose goal is to take philosophical wisdom into the world of business and the broader culture. He is a member of the Dulles Colloquium of the Institute of Religion and Public Life. He has degrees from Houghton College, Princeton Seminary, Yale University and PhD in philosophy from Notre Dame. Among his books are Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy. and (with Scott R. Burson) C. S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer. Also he is editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Eschatology and coeditor, with Greg Bassham, of The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy, forthcoming.
OX-28 and CAM-13 – Lewis Remembered: Visits with Friends of C.S. Lewis – with Kim Gilnett (continuous)
What was it like to know C.S. Lewis as a friend? A stepfather? A benefactor? Meet with those who knew him best as family and friends of Jack Lewis reminisce about a man of integrity, scholarship, and humor. Gain an insider’s glimpse into formative influences on Lewis’ life. Consider how he integrated his Christian faith with work and personal pursuits. Beginning with a biography of Lewis’ life and conversion, each day’s discussion will introduce you to another of Lewis’ closest contemporaries.
Kim Gilnett serves as Marketing Associate for the School of Fine and Performing Arts, Seattle Pacific University; but his abiding passion as an Anglophile and true Lewisian has made him a highly experienced and engaging tour leader. His intent study of Lewis has afforded him the opportunity to meet a number of Lewis’ friends and scholars. He has spent over a decade of summers at The Kilns, where he has been actively involved in ensuring the historical accuracy of its restoration.
CAM-14 – Creative Writing Workshop – Telling the Story: Finding Our “Essential Speech” with Kathleen Norris
This workshop is about reclaiming the language of story, meaning language that is not abstract, or argumentative, but which relates experience in such a way that readers can better reflect upon their own experience. It is our essential, memorable speech that is easily lost in the noise of everyday life. Yet it is in our daily existence that we find it, as we walk our pilgrim way. No writing experience required; good “ears to hear” are essential.
Kathleen Norris is the author of four memoirs: Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, The Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, and The Virgin of Bennington, as well as several volumes of poetry, the most recent being Journey: New and Selected Poems, 1969-1999. She is an oblate of Assumption Abbey, Richardton, North Dakota, and currently she divides her time between western South Dakota and Honolulu, Hawaii.
CAM-15 – A Methodology to our Madness – with Susanna Caroselli
We will explore together the art of three different movements, experimenting with methods of analysis and interpretation and discussing the art in the context of concepts of Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. The three sessions will be: Romanticism (The Good), Realism (The True), and Abstract Expressionism (The Beautiful).
Susanna Bede Caroselli, SSG, received her education at Brown (A.B.) and Johns Hopkins (M.A., Ph.D.). After working at the Frick Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, she taught at Yale University, where she was acting director of the Religion and Visual Arts program at the Divinity School. She is currently Professor of Art History at Messiah College. Her publications include three books on Renaissance art and entries on religious art and iconography for The Encyclopedia of Christianity. She is a professed member of the Sisters of Saint Gregory, a religious community of the Episcopal Church.
CAM-16 – Circulating Classicism: Walks Through the Progress of Architecture at Cambridge –with Karen Mulder
The city of Cambridge is a virtual classroom layered with architectural styles that complement, compete against or spoof their precedents. Conferees will ponder the shifting value of architectural beauty and Ruskinian morality as they sample the buildings that shaped and perpetuate Oxbridge’s collegiate identity. Cambridge destinations include the medieval Round Church, Kings’ College Chapel, and Quinlan Terry’s postmodern spin on classicism at Downing College. Participants only need curiosity, good walking shoes, and fleetness of foot to humor architectural commentator Karen Mulder ( University of Virginia).
Art historian Karen L. Mulder is the DuPont Fellow of Architectural History at the University of Virginia, and received the Menil Scholarship of Visual Art at Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and the Arts. Her reviews on contemporary ecclesial art, artists of faith, and art or architectural criticism appear in American Arts Quarterly, Material Religion, Square Halo Books, and various Christian forums such as the Calvin College Institute on Worship, Christians in the Visual Arts publications, and the Rutherford Institute’s Findings e-zine. She has enjoyed orbiting the Foundation as a trustee, plenary speaker, seminar leader and arts coordinator at various triennials since 1991.
CAM-17 –The Christian Scholar and the Contemporary University – with Stan Mattson
This seminar is designed for Christian faculty serving within secular or Christian institutions of higher learning, as well as for advanced graduate students preparing to serve within the world of higher education. The seminar will explore the unique challenges and opportunities confronting the Christian scholar serving within the academy at a time characterized by passive resistance, at best, and outright hostility, at worst, towards any initiative that would seek to bring religiously informed thought into the mainstream of academic discussion for any purpose other than to treat it as an object of study. Is there such a thing as a vital and identifiable “Christian intellectual tradition” at work within the scholarly community today and, if so, where does it, and ought it, find expression within the halls of the academy? Beginning with a brief anecdotal assessment of each seminar participant’s encounter with the interface of faith and scholarship, the seminar will devote substantial discussion to the consideration of two principal works – Harry Blamire’s
The Christian Mind and Chris Anderson’s
Teaching as Believing: Faith in the University.
Founder and President of the C.S. Lewis Foundation, CA, and Managing Director of the C.S. Lewis Foundation ( U.K.), Dr. Mattson has undertaken a strategically significant work of Christian renewal in the neglected realm of contemporary higher education. An American social and intellectual historian, he has been a member of the teaching faculties of North Carolina State University, Gordon College, and the University of Redlands. He brings to the work of the Foundation extensive administrative and business experience which includes his former service as the CEO of a mid-sized commercial real estate development corporation, the headmaster of two Christian preparatory schools, and the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of Redlands. In conjunction with the work of the Foundation, Dr. Mattson finds time to lecture widely on the life and legacy of C.S. Lewis and related subjects on many campuses and churches across the nation.
CAM-18 – Social and Economic Justice – with Mary Anne Poe and Theresa Blakley
God’s justice is a central theme throughout Scripture beginning with the consequences of sin made evident to Adam and Eve and ending with the final judgment in Revelation. The historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament give insight to God’s concern for justice as the people of God violate God’s rules for right relationships. The Gospels tell the story of Jesus and a life “justly” lived and “unjustly” executed. The rest of the New Testament reveals how the people of God are impacted by the revelation of justice incarnate. This workshop will examine the biblical theme of justice and discuss current issues of social and economic justice in which Christians often find themselves either arguing on opposing sides or strangely silent. Participants will explore strategies for promoting the cause of justice in the world. Issues addressed will include racial and ethnic prejudice from Watts to Rwanda and Belfast to Sarajevo and the stewardship of material resources from Bel Air to the barrios. Day 1- Biblical/theological model for thinking about justice; Day 2- Current Issue- Racial and Ethnic Relations; Day 3- Stewardship of Material Resources.
Mary Anne Poe , MSSW, ACSW, MDiv, has been a professor at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee since 1996. She is currently Chair of the Department of Social Work. Mary Anne has served in pastoral leadership in Kentucky and Minnesota. She has published articles on the role of the church and community in advocating for vulnerable persons and is on the editorial board of the journal, Social Work and Christianity. She teaches courses on social and economic justice, social diversity, and human behavior in the social environment.
Theresa Blakley is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Union University with expertise in trauma and complicated grief and bereavement processes. She earned a PhD from Barry University School of Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with practice experience in child protective services, foster care, and adoptions. She has done individual and group therapy with persons living with HIV/AIDS and has conducted research on women, trauma and AIDS. She worked with street children in Cape Town in the 1980s and as a human relief coordinator with refugees crossing into South Africa from Mozambique.
CAM-19 – Maximizing the Good of Giving – with Calvin Edwards
Giving is good, but how good is open to design and improvement. It is good as an antidote to materialism, and it is good for those served by resources we provide. This seminar will explore both giving as a form of investing in God’s work as well as some of the challenges of effective giving. Expecting our gifts to bear fruit, just what kind of return should we expect, and how might it be maximized? Using lecture, discussion, assessment exercises, illustrations, Q&A, and case studies, designed to be enjoyable and engaging with a practical bent, the focus will be on biblically based "effective giving" and "giving planning.” [This session is designed either for major donors or persons who are very thoughtful and intentional about their giving.]
Calvin Edwards is Founder & CEO of Calvin Edwards & Company, a boutique consulting firm that advises high net worth families on their giving. The firm’s slogan – Maximizing the Good of Giving – expresses its purpose. Edwards has over 20 years experience working with nonprofit and financial institutions and has served as a trustee of the C.S. Lewis Foundation for five years. He was formerly part of senior management at Ronald Blue & Co., chief operating officer for non-profit Peter Lowe Int’l., Tampa, FL, Exec. V.P. at Walk Thru the Bible, and President of Good News Unlimited in Auburn, California. Along with an M.Div. and an M.B.A., Edwards is also a published author.
CAM-20 – C.S. Lewis & Sigmund Freud on Sexuality, Love and Happiness – with Armand Nicholi, Jr.
C.S. Lewis wrote extensively on the different forms of human love, on happiness and on sexuality. These seminars will review what Lewis writes about: 1) romantic love and how it differs from other forms of love; 2) the elusive and perplexing state of mind we call happiness and why unhappiness is so prevalent and 3) how we can best express the powerful and, in our culture, sometimes confusing instinct we call human sexuality. Each of these three themes will be contrasted with how our current, modern, secular culture understands them and how this culture has been strongly influenced by the writings of Sigmund Freud. Freud wrote that "sexual (genital love)... (is) the prototype of all happiness." Lewis strongly disagreed. He believed there are other more lasting sources of happiness. We will explore what each of them wrote on these basic life issue and take a quick glance how each of them lived their own lives in light of what they wrote.
Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., M.D. is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He has served on the Harvard Medical School Faculty for the past 25 years. He teaches a popular course at the medical school and an undergraduate course at Harvard College. This course serves as the bases for his recent book The Question of God: C. S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex and the Meaning of Life. He is editor and co-author of The Harvard Guide to Psychiatry, one of the leading textbooks on psychiatry used in universities and medical schools throughout the world.
CAM-21 – Open Doors, Open Windows: An Introduction to the Many Mansions of Lewis’ Life and Work – with Malcolm Guite
A seminar that will look at the range and depth of Lewis’ writing, from poetry to fantasy, to literary criticism, letter-writing, myth-making, autobiography and more. In addition to a brief account of his life and a summary of his key ideas, we will share and examine some particularly treasured passages from his works.
The Rev. Dr. Malcolm Guite is Chaplain at Girton College Cambridge. He teaches on the links between Literature and Theology for the MA programme of the Cambridge Federation of Theological Colleges, as well as lecturing at the Focus Christian Institute. He trained for the Priesthood at Ridley Hall in Cambridge and was ordained in 1990. He is involved with a number of projects linking theology and the arts including Theology through the Arts in Cambridge and the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He has published two collections of poetry (“Saying the Names” and “The Magic Apple Tree”) as well as journal articles on poetry, literary criticism and theology. He is the singer-songwriter for the Cambridge band “Mystery Train” and has been a life-long fan of C.S. Lewis.
CAM-22 – Teaching “The Chronicles of Narnia” across the Curriculum – with Linda Wendler
This seminar will focus primarily upon The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but will also include the entire series of “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Intended mainly for educators, this workshop will provide greater inspiration and innovative ideas for teaching this series of books to students, from elementary through high school. Deb Davis, Chair of Religion and an English teacher at the Pomfret School, CT, will present her experiences in teaching TLW&W to high school students at a private school over many years. Topics for this participatory workshop will include:
1. Literary links: key themes, central characters, Lewis’ worldview, archetypes, allegories, and the genre of fantasy.
2. Engaging and innovative methods to enhance students’ understanding and response to the text.
3. Dealing with censorship issues.
4. The movie and the book: a discussion of how the upcoming Walden film version of TLW&W will impact students’ motivation and reading of the book.
5. Curricular links: Ways to embed the teaching of Lewis’ Narnia books across the academic curriculum.
6. Resources for Enhanced Instruction: a compendium of internet and other resources for expanding understanding and lesson planning by the teacher.
Linda Fine Wendler was first introduced to the magic of Narnia as a student and teaching assistant for Dr. Clyde Kilby while a student at Wheaton College and as a manuscript assistant at the newly established Marion Wade Center. After teaching middle and high school English for four years, she served on the Education faculty at Northwestern College, MN, for 22 years, specializing in the areas of curriculum and instruction and later chairing the English Education program. Currently, Dr. Wendler is Associate Professor of Education at Chapman University College, San Diego, where she coordinates the single subject Credential program and the Master of Arts in Education degree program with an emphasis in reading. Besides her love for all things Lewis, her current area of publication is in making Shakespeare accessible to students.
CAM-23 – “A Fundamentally Christian Work”: Unlocking The Lord of the Rings – with Joseph Pearce
J.R.R. Tolkien described his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, as “a fundamentally Christian work” and insisted that the fact that he was a Christian was the most important of the “significant facts” governing the meaning of the book. These three seminars will unlock the Christian meaning of The Lord of the Rings through an appraisal of the man and his philosophy of myth, the latter being centered in a profound understanding of the role of grace in the creative process. Tolkien’s influential friendship with C.S. Lewis will be discussed, including its immense importance to their respective work. Apart from an in-depth discussion of The Lord of the Rings itself, the importance of other works including The Silmarillion and Leaf by Niggle will also be discussed.
Joseph Pearce is a world-recognized biographer of modern Christian literary figures; author of 14 books that have been published and translated into over eight languages, including bestsellers G.K. Chesterton: Wisdom and Innocence, Literary Converts, Tolkien: Man and Myth, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile, and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc. Writer in Residence and professor of literature at Ave Maria University, he also serves as Editor of the Saint Austin Review, a trans-Atlantic monthly cultural review, and as contributing writer to a number of newspapers and magazines in the U.K., U.S. and Canada; he is also an accomplished tutor, teacher and lecturer.
CAM-24 – Ecstatic Employees: How the Good, the True and the Beautiful Inspire People at Work – with Greg Bunch
What responsibility do followers of Jesus have to co-workers? This workshop will show how fostering healthy community at work is a way to love your neighbor, imitate Christ and provide meaning to business. Participants will study writings from Benedict to Hans urs von Balthasar to Ken Blanchard. They will examine strategies and tactics developed by companies known for the emotional engagement of their employees. And, they will learn how to apply breakthroughs in neuroscience to work settings. This highly interactive workshop will give participants a chance to develop their own leadership point of view.
Greg Bunch is the president of Masterplan International Corporation, a strategy-execution consultancy that specializes in helping people lead wisely and well by understanding their customers and employees. Companies he has advised include Abbott Labs, American Express, Amgen, Discover, ETS, Harley-Davidson, H-P, Houghton Mifflin, IDEO, Kraft, PepsiCo, ThomasNelson, YUM!, and Zondervan. Prior to this he was a partner in Brandtrust, a brand strategy firm based in Chicago. He has also been a pastor and a CEO coach. He is an alderman in West Chicago, IL. Greg serves on the board of Parable Franchising and The Center for Faithwalk Leadership. He holds degrees from Wheaton College and Harvard University.
CAM-25 – Making Films That Matter – with Jack Hafer
This course will discuss different aspects of filmmaking, but primarily the mentality that is needed. Specifically, we will examine the role of the Cultural Mandate in filmmaking; the role of worldview; how the filmmaker must incorporate both a modern and postmodern flavor; how the Christian filmmaker can and must incorporate darkness in the project; the calling to goodness, truth, and beauty in film; the different types of thinking in the church that must be overcome or included; a look at film ratings; examination of a Christian approach to film; finding, appreciating, and using goodness in secular films; how to help the church utilize film in its ministry, helping it see its role in the Great Conversation. In addition, the practical world of financing, producing and distributing the film will also be discussed, in a step-by-step process. Helpful resources in preparation for the class include Brian Godawa, Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films With Wisdom and Discernment, IVP;
Ken Gire, Reflections on the Movies: Hearing God in the Unlikeliest of Places, Cook Communications
Robert K. Johnston, Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue, Baker. And studies on worldview include Nancy Pearcey: Total Truth, Crossway; Albert Wolters: Creation Regained, Eerdmans.
Hafer is the producer of the award-winning feature film, To End All Wars (www.ToEndAllWarsMovie.com) starring Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle. It won Best Picture at the Heartland Film Festival, was awarded the Commander in Chief Medal of Service, Honor and Pride by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and showcased the 2003 Cannes Film Festival Cinema for Peace. He and his production company, Gummshoe Productions, represent a vast experience in the film & television studio business. As Vice President and General Manager of GMT Studios in Culver City, Hafer oversaw the complete operations of this state-of-the-art film studio, best known for film projects such as L.A. Story, Little Man Tate, Philadelphia Experiment, Predator and Tequila Sunrise.
