Monthly Archives: June 2015

The Charm of Mystery: An Encouragement to Christian Teachers in Secular Schools

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Last week I posted a fun and thoughtful “schools out forever!” post for students. Thinking of the end of term got me to thinking about the teachers. Although I have done youth work and subbing in Christian environments, and work … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christian schools, Education, evolution, homosexuality, media, Pedagogy, science, Science vs. Religion, sex, stereotypes, Teaching, Theology of Culture, Westboro Baptist Church, worldview | 13 Comments

Hallows and Heaven by Sørina Higgins

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Oddest Inkling:
I wrote last week about my lovely morning researching an Arthurian work by Barfield in the Bodleian Library–my personal earthly paradise. Now I would like to share with you about the talk I gave…

Posted in Reflections | 4 Comments

The Term is Over: The Holidays Have Begun

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

As a tribute to all the students who have been sitting on the edge of their seats these last few days, staring out the window longingly at the green grass bending in early summer breezes, I thought I would post the … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes | Tagged Arthur Greeves, C.S. Lewis, children's literature, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, heaven, holidays, last day of school, letters, Narnia, Poetry, summer, The Last Battle, writing | 11 Comments

Terry Pratchett’s Topsy-Turvy Witches

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

At Mythcon last year, a bright young scholar said that she thought that Granny Weatherwax is the alter ego of Terry Pratchett—not in personality, but in her wry, upside-down, “limit evil” approach to life in this strange world. At least, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged Discworld, Granny Weatherwax, Macbeth, Mythcon, stereotypes, Terry Pratchett, Tiffany Aching, witches, Witches Abroad, writing | 14 Comments

Love Seeds Over Literature: A Remarkable C.S. Lewis Review of Arthur C. Clarke

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

On Wednesday I wrote about “How 1950s SciFi Superstars Helped C.S. Lewis Fall in Love with Science Fiction Again“–a blog that has been trending since. It was intriguing to see how the quality of Ray Bradbury’s writing, the generosity of Anthony Boucher’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes, Reviews | Tagged Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End, Dante, David Lindsay, Fictional Universes, First Men in the Moon, H.G. Wells, joy, Joy Davidman, letters, love, Olaf Stapledon, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, Voyage to Arcturus | 10 Comments

How Classic SciFi Superstars Helped C.S. Lewis Fall in Love with Science Fiction Again

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Without doubt, Ray Bradbury is one of the greatest 20th century genre fiction writers. His Fahrenheit 451 is one of the trinity of great dystopian novels of the generation (with Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World). The mind behind … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, News & Links, On Writing | Tagged 1984, All Summer in a Day, Anthony Boucher, Arthur C. Clarke, Fahrenheit 451, George Orwell, It Came from Outer Space, letters, Narnia, On Writing, Ransom Trilogy, Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction, SciFi | 32 Comments

Stopping Clocks with W.H. Auden: A Note for Martha

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

Martha must have been a larger than life lady at one time. As she lay quivering on the pale blue sheets, I could see there was extra skin on her emaciated arms. Where the breathing mask pressed against her face … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged 4 Weddings and a Funeral, C.S. Lewis, clocks, Death, Eleonor Rigby, Flavor Flav, hospitals, Hugh Grant, Stop All the Clocks, The Beatles, time, W.H. Auden | 15 Comments

“…In the Vacant Places” by T.S. Eliot

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

It is the weekend, and I am in the mood for a little treat. C.S. Lewis was a slow convert to T.S. Eliot’s poetry. In fact, Lewis was part of an entire club dedicated to mocking the modern poetry movement … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, literary criticism, Poetry, Reflections on the Psalms, T.S. Eliot | 40 Comments

‘Arch-natural Psalms’: The Poetry of The Great Divorce (Guest Post by David Llewellyn Dodds)

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

I am excited to present this intriguing study of The Great Divorce by David Llewellyn Dodds. I think David started working this out in the conversation section of a previous blog! As the ideas were coming together, I encouraged him to publish his … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Book of Common Prayer, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, David Llewellyn Dodds, g k chesterton, George MacDonald, Lilith, Pilgrim's Regress, Poetry, Reflections on the Psalms, Studies in Words, The Great Divorce, The Psalms, The Screwtape Letters, writing | 37 Comments

On Embracing my Inner Nerd, Or Erasing the Division between Head and Heart

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

The phrase, “doing your devotions,” still gives me the shivers. Early in my spiritual journey, my well-meaning leaders tried to instill a little religion in me. I was the Christian equivalent of Huckleberry Finn when it came to disciplines that … Continue reading →