Yesterday, I was reading about the sociological study of religious conversions in Acts of Faith. Key points made were about the role of social networks (relationships) and the gradualism typical of most religious conversions.
Here is a two-part video I just stumbled upon documenting the conversion of C.S. Lewis, one of the most prolific and well-loved Christian apologists of the 20th century. (And author of the Narnia series.)
FROM ATHEISM TO THEISM:
FROM THEISM TO CHRISTIANITY:
Note the role of Lewis' friendships played and the gradualness of his conversion experience. (Neither of these in any way rules out the influence of the divine.) Lewis was greatly influenced by the writings of G.K. Chesterton (one of my favorite authors) and his close friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings).
These videos are clips from a PBS documentary called The Question of God. I watched this while I was still down in Orlando and it was an excellent contrast of the worldviews of Lewis and Freud. I have the book by the same name, but haven't read it yet. Both the documentary and the book are based off of a class taught by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Armand Nicholi.
Here are some more resources on C.S. Lewis from the PBS website:
C.S. Lewis and the Inklings — More information about C.S. Lewis's relationship with J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, and others.
http://personal.bgsu.edu/~edwards/lewis.htmlThe C.S. Lewis Foundation — The About Lewis section offers a detailed timeline of Lewis's life.
http://www.cslewis.org/about/Into the Wardrobe — An unofficial site that offers a new Lewis quote each day, along with numerous scholarly essays on Lewis's works, timeline of his life, and bibliography.
http://cslewis.drzeus.net/C.S. Lewis Chronicles — Glimpses into Lewis's boyhood home, favorite reading material and inspiration for his major works.
http://www.scriptorum.org/l.html
No comments:
Post a Comment