C.S. Lewis Initiative

10/07/2026

How do we admire Lewis while taking his full humanity seriously? Dr. Paul Hoard, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, reflects on this question in a thoughtful piece inspired by our recent conference. Thank you, Paul, for continuing the conversation!

On C.S. Lewis, Master Signifiers, and the Difference Between an Idol and a Man

09/26/2026

“You can’t get me a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” - C.S. Lewis

Thanks to Adam McInturf for attempting to supply conference goers with books long enough. The tea shall have to be found elsewhere, perhaps at our tea party tomorrow at 4 pm!

09/22/2026

For those who can’t make it to Oregon this week, we have good news: livestream registration is open for the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference!

Join us online September 24–27 for four days devoted to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Inklings, and their world—with enthusiasts and leading scholars from around the globe. Can’t watch live? All plenary sessions will be recorded and available to watch at your convenience through October 5.

Livestream tickets are available! Register using the link or QR code below.

09/18/2026

The full 76-page program for the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference is now available as a PDF!

Even if you haven’t registered, have fun browsing the talks, workshops, and special events. There’s plenty here to pique your curiosity.

Attendees will receive a printed copy in their conference materials at registration. Find the PDF link in the comments.

09/16/2026

Hot off the press! Six short papers presented at the inaugural Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference in 2024 have been developed into full-length essays and are now available to download free:

• Hannah F. Roux: “‘Lewis Dodged’: T. S. Eliot’s Silence, C.S. Lewis’s Critique (1931–1947)”
• Sarah R.A. Waters: “‘Expressing the great myths’: Hugo Dyson and Shakespeare in C.S. Lewis’s Conversion Narrative”
• Joe Ricke: “Screwtape in Wartime”
• Annie Crawford: “The Mythos of Gender in Till We Have Faces”
• Charlie Reeder: “Tracing Sehnsucht: Longing for the ‘Hidden Country’”
• Brian C. Roden: “A Moving Image of Eternity: Exploring C.S. Lewis’s Philosophy of Time”

These six contributions were selected from all the submissions to join the keynote essays in *Age of Discovery*, the conference proceedings published as a special supplement to Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal.

The complete volume is freely available online through the generosity of the C.S. Lewis Initiative at George Fox University, the journal’s academic home.

Follow the link in the comments to download it for free!

09/15/2026

Hot off the press! Jahdiel Perez’s brand-new essay, “The Tragicomedy of C.S. Lewis the Bald: Reflections on an Unpublished Play,” is now available to download free.

Perez first presented this material at the inaugural Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference in 2024, and the original talk remains available on YouTube. He has now developed it into a full essay for *Age of Discovery*, the conference proceedings published as a special supplement to Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal.

The complete volume is freely available online through the generosity of the C.S. Lewis Initiative at George Fox University, the journal’s academic home.

Follow the link in the comments to download it for free!

09/14/2026

Hot off the press! Steven A. Beebe’s brand-new essay, “C.S. Lewis, the Expert Communicator,” is now available to download free.

Beebe first presented this material as a keynote lecture at the inaugural Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference in 2024, and the original talk remains available on YouTube. He has now developed it into a full essay for *Age of Discovery*, the conference proceedings published as a special supplement to Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal.

The complete volume is freely available online through the generosity of the C.S. Lewis Initiative at George Fox University, the journal’s academic home.

Follow the link in the comments to download it for free!

09/13/2026

Hot off the press! Holly Ordway's brand-new essay, “What did Tolkien Really Think about Narnia?,” is now available to download free.

Ordway first presented this material as a keynote lecture at the inaugural Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference in 2024, and the original talk remains available on YouTube. She has now developed it into a full essay for *Age of Discovery*, the conference proceedings published as a special supplement to Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal.

The complete volume is freely available online through the generosity of the C.S. Lewis Initiative at George Fox University, the journal’s academic home.

Follow the link in the comments to download it for free!

09/13/2026

Hot off the press! Michael Ward’s brand-new essay, “Signifying Nothing? Narnia, Inanity, and A. L. Rowse,” is now available to download free.

Ward first presented this material as a keynote lecture at the inaugural Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference in 2024, and the original talk remains available on YouTube. He has now developed it into a full essay for *Age of Discovery*, the conference proceedings published as a special supplement to Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal.

The complete volume is freely available online through the generosity of the C.S. Lewis Initiative at George Fox University, the journal’s academic home.

Follow the link in the comments to download it for free!

09/11/2026

Registration is now open for "Discovering Narnia: Intellect and Imagination in C.S. Lewis," a brand new course at George Fox University for Spring 2027.

The course explores The Chronicles of Narnia from fresh and unexpected perspectives, considering the ideas, imagination, and influences behind Lewis’s beloved series. The course combines lectures, honors-style seminars, and visits from leading international guest speakers.

THEO 285A/485B | Wednesdays, 3–5:40 p.m.
Open at either the 200- or 400-level | No prerequisites
Limited to 20 students

Enroll at class.georgefox.edu.