Monthly Archives: June 2016

Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions, with the Right Question Institute

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

After a teaching foundations course (theory), my first college course in teacher prep was “Teaching Methods.” Ever since, I have loved the diversity of ways that we can draw a group of people to a moment of discovery. I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged academic, critical thinking, curiosity, On Writing, Question Formulation Technique, Right Question Institute, Teaching | 4 Comments

Changing Signs of Truth: Thinking about Postmodernism with Stan Grenz and Crystal Downing

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I will always be indebted to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) for its culture of developing the Christian intellect. It isn’t that I had come from a brain-less community. My undergrad studies were rigorous, if anything my church culture had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Camus, Crystal Downing, Derrida, Foucault, Generation X, Lévi-Strauss, philosophy, Postmodernism, Sartre, Stanley Fish, Stanley Grenz, Star Trek, Teaching, theology, Theology of Culture | 27 Comments

How to Read Literature Like a Monk

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Golden Echo (Archive):
Brother Monday’s lectio largely consists of beer labels and TV guides I mentioned last Monday that I sometimes apply the monastic method of lectio divina (sacred reading) to the first few times I read…

Posted in Reflections | 2 Comments

Treading Upon the Sacred: A Guest Post on Writing by Judy Carlson

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Readers of A Pilgrim in Narnia know that I like to feature indie and small-press authors from time to time. Judy Carlson’s The White Knight, the Lost Kingdom, and the Sea Princess was published by Nordskog in 2015. Here she reflects upon … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Guest Blogs | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Judy Carlson, literature, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, On Writing, Past Watchful Dragons, publishing, The White Knight, writing | 5 Comments

A Call for Literary Patrons

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I still have not found the words—or the time to search very hard—to describe the sublime experience of my research and conference trip to the Midwest these past couple of weeks. I spent nearly five days in archival and secondary … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Reflections | Tagged academic, friendship, literary friendship, literature, PhD, Reading, research, theology, University, writing | 26 Comments

Reclaiming the Ideals of Academia: A Reflection from the Lewis and Friends Colloquium

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on Sunlit Fields:
I just spent a very refreshing weekend in the good company of friends and colleagues at Taylor University’s Lewis and Friends Colloquium (June 2-5). I’ve been to various conferences in the past relating to the…

Posted in Reflections | 2 Comments

When Screwtape Haunts in Eden: Testing the Possibilities of the Screwtape-Ransom Universe

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Thanks to the smooth voice and broadcasting know-how of C.S. Lewis kingmaker William O’Flaherty, I am able to share with you the audio of my recent talk at the C.S. Lewis and Friends Colloquium at Taylor University in Upland, IN. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, fantasy, Fictional Universes, Ransom Trilogy, research, Screwtape, Taylor University, The Screwtape Letters, William O'Flaherty | 21 Comments

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

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I have just had the great experience of teaching Jane Austen’s great romantic novel Pride & Prejudice. I am sure I gushed, which is not at all fitting for a professor of graduate students. I could not help it: it … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Donald Sutherland, equality, Keira Knightley, love, marriage, Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice, The Four Loves | 22 Comments

TTL 17: “The Son of Lancelot.” — by Brenton D. G. Dickieson

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on The Oddest Inkling:
Here is Post #17 in the Series on Taliessin through Logres! It’s a long one, but a good one. Please visit the INTRODUCTION to this series first, and here is the INDEX to the…

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged Arthuriana, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Dante, H.G. Wells, intertextuality, Milton, Out of the Silent Planet, Paradise Lost, Perelandra, Sorina Higgins, That Hideous Strength, The Silver Chair | 6 Comments

Eve of Perelandra, by James Lewicki

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I have complained of the cover art of C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet in my blog, “Worst Book Description Ever.” While I like some of the crazy science fiction art of the period, this cover of Perelandra on the right … Continue reading →