Monthly Archives: February 2015

What I’m Reading Wednesday

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

My ten year old mocked me the other day. “Dad, how many books are you reading at one time?” I mocked him back, asking how many he was reading. He had to admit that he had a few on the … Continue reading →

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“Choosing Heaven: A Choice You Can Watch in the Making”: A Guest Sermon by Doug Jackson

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

As part of our ongoing occasional series on The Great Divorce, I have invited Doug Jackson to share a devotional reflection on this classic C.S. Lewis book. It takes the form of a homily, a sermon on the idea of heaven based … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

The Stories behind Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

I think that Pride & Prejudice is the best English novel, ever. Is that too much? Perhaps it is, but I’m a fan, and in the world of non-fantasy prose storytelling it is about as good as it gets for … Continue reading →

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Superior Equality in Love: A Thought from “Pride & Prejudice”

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

I have just had the great coincidence of finishing Jane Austen’s great romantic novel Pride & Prejudice in the season of Valentine’s Day. It is a story so well told in its original context, and yet so universally enticing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Fifty Shades of Bad Writing

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

This odd post will strike regular readers as a bit of a departure. A Pilgrim in Narnia covers a lot of areas, like children’s writing, myth, theology and philosophy, and fantasy literature–though not that kind. Fifty Shades of Grey is none of those. Not even close. … Continue reading →

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The Crash of Heart and Flesh, or Culture’s Confusion of Intimacy in 50 Shades of Grey

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Behind the hazy waves of light, distilled and fragmented with reds and blues and yellows and flashes of street and skin, one of the many storied voices of the 2004 film Crash says these words: “It’s the sense of touch. … Continue reading →

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Avoiding The Road. The 25th Anniversary.

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

For nine years I have avoided The Road. Perhaps longer. I did not need the book description to know that I would avoid reading it. I picked it up, held it in my hand, and I knew. There was a little … Continue reading →

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The Real Order to Read Narnia: A Third Way

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

When my son and I sat down to go through Narnia together, perhaps when he was 7 and 8, I had no doubt that we would read them as C.S. Lewis wrote them–the Published Order. That means starting with The … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 71 Comments