Please note the following in this issue of the C.S. Lewis Society Update (10/24/07):
1. New Christianity vs. Atheism Debates
2. Next meetings of C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club: Miracles
3. Recent Articles Pertaining to C. S. Lewis
4. Other Events
1. New Christianity vs. Atheism Debates:
With the recent publication of Dinesh D’Souza’s acclaimed, new book, WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, public debates by D’Souza with prominent atheists have begun, and the atheists are not faring very well at all. The anti-theist campaigns of best-selling authors Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and others have largely gone unchallenged in any serious and highly visible way, with most elite media coverage giving the atheist jihadists an easy ride. To their great credit, Francis Collins, John Lennox and others have admirably and effectively debated Dawkins and company, but these few confrontations have been the exception and largely invisible in mainstream culture. D’Souza and his book are hence a welcome addition to the long overdue need to set the record straight in an informed and well-mannered way.
The first debate pitted D’Souza against atheist pundit/skeptic Michael Shermer and was held Oct. 15th by the Socratic Club at Oregon State University before an audience of 1,000. Here is the video from the debate which is posted on the atheist blog, “Critical Thinking”
The second debate involved D’Souza against militantly anti-theist Christopher Hitchens, and held on Oct. 20th at King’s College in New York City. Inebriated and even drinking on stage during the debate, Hitchens’s brand of arrogant bomb-throwing faltered badly as he was the clear loser. Here is an account of the debate in the New York Observer
Here also is information on the book, WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, by Dinesh D’Souza
2. The next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society Bay Area Book Club will be as follows:
http://www.lewissociety.org/bookclub.php
Book for Discussion:
MIRACLES, by C.S. Lewis:
Wednesday, October 31st, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Paul Ashby
Wednesday, November 14th, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Paul Ashby
In this truly great and profound book, written for both believer and skeptic, C.S. Lewis tackles a difficult subject: miracles. The question is easy enough–do miracles really occur? True to his style, Lewis analyzes it with the scrutinizing eye of a skeptic who has seen the light and wants to help others see it too. The scope goes far beyond miracles. In analyzing the probability of such events, Lewis examines Pantheism vs. Christianity, and the idea of a Nature that is completely independent of any outside interference (even God’s). His argument that the laws and ‘nature’ of Nature are not violated by miracles is convincing, as is his argument that miracles are, in fact, necessary. For Lewis, a miracle wrought by the Creator of mankind is really nothing extraordinary. Some miracles, such as the water being turned into wine, simply skip a step or two. Instead of water nourishing a vine that eventually produces grapes for wine, Christ merely eliminates the intermediary steps. Other miracles, such as Christ’s Resurrection, are simply a glance at what’s to come.
The meetings will be held at:
11990 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619 (atop the Oakland hills)
510-482-2906 phone
wine, soft drinks and other refreshments served
Here also are a number of articles that discuss MIRACLES and related issues:
“Do Miracles Occur?” by John-Erik Stig Hansen
“C. S. Lewis’ Teleological Argument,” by Houston A. Craighead:
“C. S. Lewis on Miracles” by Art Lindsley (pdf file)
“The Argument from Reason,” by Victor Reppert
“The Problem of Miracles: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective,” by William Lane Craig
“A Jurisprudential Analysis of Hume’s ‘In Principle’ Argument Against Miracles,” by Paul K. Hoffman
MIRACLES in available in paperback
Here also is the schedule of future Lewis Society book club meetings:
http://www.lewissociety.org/bookclub.php
Here also is information on C.S. Lewis:
http://www.lewissociety.org/aboutlewis.php
We hope that you and/or others you know will be joining with us! (Please feel free to forward this update to others.)
3. A Sampling of Recent Articles Pertaining to C. S. Lewis:
“My Stepdad, C.S. Lewis,” by Douglas Gresham (Guardian Unlimited)
“3 Plays Showcase Britain’s Brand of Sentimentality,” by Matt Wolf (International Herald Tribune)
“C.S. Lewis vs. Sigmund Freud,” by Eric Schansberg (Acton Institute)
“Prisons Agree to Return Religious Materials to Chapel Libraries,” by Katherine T. Phan (Christian Post)
“Shadowlands: A Magnificent Portrait or Late-flowering Love and Loss,” by Charles Spencer (London Telegraph)
“The Wood Between the Worlds,” by Michael Parson (London Times)
“Harry Potter Author Reveals Books’ Christian Allegory, Her Struggling Faith,” by Elena Garcia (Christian Post)
“Britney Spears Can Read” [at least Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe] (Hollywood Gossip)
4. Other Events:
http://www.lewissociety.org/events.php
“C.S. Lewis: Man and His Work: A 21st Century Legacy”
Sponsored by L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC
October 26-27, 2007
http://www.sebts.edu/CSLewis/
“C.S. Lewis Festival: To Narnia and the North”
Petoskey, MI
October 26-28, 2007
November 3, 2007
http://www.cslewisfestival.org/
“C.S. Lewis Conference”
Sponsored by Hope Lutheran Church
Atascadero, CA
January 25-27, 2008
(More details to follow)
“Sixth Frances Ewbank Colloquium on C.S. Lewis & Friends”
Sponsored by Taylor University, Upland, IN
May 29-June 1, 2008
http://www.taylor.edu/academics/supportservices/cslewis/colloquium/
“Charles Williams and His Contemporaries”
Sponsored by The Charles Williams Society
Sr. Hilda’s College, Oxford, England
July 4-6, 2008
http://www.geocities.com/charles_wms_soc/events.html
David J. Theroux is the Founder and President of the C.S. Lewis Society of California and The Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif.
