All those in Chattanooga who love the writings of C.S. Lewis will soon have an opportunity to meet and hear one of the most renowned C.S. Lewis scholars in the country.
The Rev. Dr. Lyle Dorsett is the featured speaker of the first annual conference sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga.
It will be held March 2 and 3 at the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Convention and Trade Center.
Dr. Dorsett is acquainted with several who knew Lewis and has written a number of books about him: Seeking the Secret Place – The Spiritual Formation of C.S. Lewis, The Essential C.S. Lewis, and he is coeditor of C.S. Lewis – Letters to Children.
He is also well known for his biography of Lewis’ wife, Joy Davidman, entitled A Love Observed.
He was for some time the director of the Marion E Wade Center, at Wheaton College, which houses an important collection of Lewis’ papers, some of his own books, and even has the wardrobe that stood in Lewis’s boyhood home. He is now the Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala.
The conference is entitled “We Would Be at Jerusalem,” which is the last line of Lewis’ autobiography, Surprised by Joy. The title represents the focus of the conference, which will be on the spiritual life of Lewis.
While plenty of time will be had for talk about Lewis and his writings in general, most of the discussion will concern Lewis and Christian living, officials said.
Others addressing the conference with Dr. Dorsett will be Dr. Paul DeHart of Lee University and the Rev. David N. Beckmann, Vicar of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church and Moderator of the C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga.
The C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga was founded by members of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church of Chattanooga in January 2005 to bring together people in the local area who share for Lewis a special admiration, love, and an active interest.
At their monthly meetings, they usually spend time discussing books written by Lewis. The Society was founded by St. Andrew’s out of a desire to make a contribution to the greater Chattanooga community. It was also a way for people to understand the kind of Christian ideals held by the church. Lewis himself was a member of the Anglican Church and St. Andrew’s Anglican Church seeks to provide for Chattanooga the best of that tradition, it was stated.
Those who are fans of the movie Shadowlands will especially be interested in the final session of the conference, Rev. Beckmann said.
Dr. Dorsett, Joy’s biographer, will address the depiction of Mrs. Lewis in the movie.
For more information on the conference, you may visit the conference website: www.atjerusalem.org.
For more information on the local C.S. Lewis Society, visit www.standrewschattanooga.org and see the link there.
Or, you may call Rev. Beckmann at 825-1444.