Tag Archives: spiritual theology

The Grand Miracle, Or Easter in Everyday Life with C.S. Lewis (75th Anniversary)

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

On this Holy week near the close of WWII, C.S. Lewis preached a sermon called “The Grand Miracle” at St. Jude on the Hill Church in London. The talk was published two weeks later in The Guardian–following the last episode … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Christmas, dive, Easter, Galatians 2:20, Miracles, self-death, spiritual theology, St. Jude on the Hill, surrender, The Grand Miracle, The Great Divorce, The Guardian, theology | 6 Comments

I Passed my Viva!

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I am very pleased to announce that I have successfully defended my PhD at the University of Chester! The viva voce was strong, with critical feedback and some verbal sparring. Overall, though, it was a great experience, with some levity … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christian spirituality, L.M. Montgomery, Narnia, PhD, PhD dissertation, PhD Research, phd students, PhD thesis, spiritual theology, spirituality, theology and literature | 55 Comments

Thoughts on the Eve of my PhD Viva

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

As I announced at the end of May, I have completed my PhD thesis at the University of Chester and I have been awaiting my defence date. The viva voce, or just Viva, is this terrifying affair where two scholars … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Chester, PhD, PhD Research, research, spiritual theology | 49 Comments

On the Critical Missing Piece from the Best Part of Gary Selby’s Earthy Spirituality: C. S. Lewis and Incarnational Faith

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I am about to defend my Ph.D. thesis on the “spiritual theology” of C.S. Lewis as part of a larger research project on Lewis and the spiritual life. I am on the lookout, then, for books and articles about Lewis … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged A Fellowship of Differents, A Life Observed, American evangelicalism, Christian spirituality, Devin Brown, Earthy Spirituality: C. S. Lewis and Incarnational Faith, evangelicalism, Gary Selby, Joe Rigney, John Bowen, Lewis on Christian Life, Martin Luther King, PhD Research, Scot McKnight, spiritual theology, spirituality, The Hidden Story of Narnia, The Spirituality of Narnia, Theology of Culture, Will Vaus | 14 Comments

“The Rood of Time,” a Poem by Sørina Higgins

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

For the last couple of years, I have been reading women Christian poets. As my devotional poetry has been so soaked in the work of John Donne and George Herbert, some of this is my curiosity about how women approach … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christian spirituality, Dorothy L. Sayers, George Herbert, John Donne, Joy Davidman, L.M. Montgomery, Poetry, Ruth Pitter, Salvador Dali, Sorina Higgins, spiritual theology | 3 Comments

Bethlehem as the Hingepoint of History: C.S. Lewis’ Christmas Revolution Poem

Posted on December 25, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

It is difficult to see this poem in the Christmases that most of us are subjected to. I think that’s why C.S. Lewis became a bit of a Christmas curmudgeon in his latter days. But in the midst of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christmas, cruciformity, Jerry Root, Poetry, spiritual theology, the cross, The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis, The Turn of the Tide | 7 Comments

The Stumbling, Grunting, Teeth-Gritted, Exhilarating Race to the Finish

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I am hardly someone who has the right to use a marathon as a metaphor. Or any sports analogy, really (see here for proof). I have never run anything approaching a marathon. I can do the two miles and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged academics, C.S. Lewis, PhD, PhD Research, spiritual theology, writing | 27 Comments

The Shape of the Cross in C.S. Lewis’ Writing: My Oct 23rd Talk at the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I’m pleased to announce that I will be giving a talk at the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society next week (Tues, Oct 23rd, 8pm for 8.15pm start at Pusey House). The Society was very kind to fit me in on my … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged C.S. Lewis, cruciformity, Dymer, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Mere Christianity, Oxford, Oxford C.S. Lewis Society, self-death, spiritual theology, The Great Divorce, The Pilgrim's Regress, The Problem of Pain, theology, Till We Have Faces | 7 Comments

This Time of Year, This Time of Life

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

As a house full of educators and students, normally this week our family is having first first days, second first days, and third first days. My son’s first day of high school was yesterday. He was off to school, nervous … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged academic, archival research, Bodleian, Bodleian Library, C.S. Lewis, Oxford, Oxford C.S. Lewis Society, PhD Research, Planet Narnia, research, spiritual theology, Teaching, University, UPEI | 11 Comments

On Embracing my Inner Nerd, Or Erasing the Division between Head and Heart (Throwback Thursday)

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

This summer I introduced an occasional feature I call “Throwback Thursday.” This is where I find a blog post from the past–raiding either my own vault or someone else’s–and throw it back out into the digital world. This might be an … Continue reading →