C.S. Lewis Initiative

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C.S. Lewis Initiative

Studying the contributions of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and other Inklings at George Fox University

09/06/2026

Registration is now open for "Discovering Narnia: Intellect and Imagination in C.S. Lewis," a brand new course at George Fox University for Spring 2027.

The course explores The Chronicles of Narnia from fresh and unexpected perspectives, considering the ideas, imagination, and influences behind Lewis’s beloved series. The course combines lectures, honors-style seminars, and visits from leading international guest speakers.

THEO 285A/485B | Wednesdays, 6–9 p.m.
Open at either the 200- or 400-level | No prerequisites
Limited to 20 students

Enroll at class.georgefox.edu.

09/05/2026

We’re officially SOLD OUT for in-person attendance at the 2026 Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference.

But there are still two ways to join us:

1. Join the waitlist — if additional in-person spots become available, we’ll release them to those on the list.

2. Join us virtually — livestream registration is open, giving you access to the conference from anywhere in the world.

September 24–27 at George Fox University — four days devoted to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Inklings, and their world, with leading scholars and enthusiasts from around the globe.

We’re thrilled by the response to this year’s conference. Thank you!

Register virtually or join the waitlist using the link or QR code below.

09/03/2026

For those who can’t make it to Oregon in person, we have good news: livestream registration is now open for the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference!

Join us online September 24–27 for four days devoted to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Inklings, and their world—with enthusiasts and leading scholars from around the globe.

Livestream tickets are available now! Register using the link or QR code below.

09/01/2026

What happens when we turn to the Inklings for help reading the Bible?

C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their circle drew deeply on Scripture in their devotional, scholarly, and imaginative writings. Yet most of them had no formal training in biblical studies or theology. So how reliable are they as guides for Christian readers—and what criteria should we use when learning from them?

Using Dr. Leslie Baynes’s recent scholarship as a springboard, host Dr. Bruce R. Johnson (General Editor, Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal) brings together Dr. Leslie Baynes (Missouri State University), Dr. Jennifer McNutt (Wheaton College), Dr. Robert Garcia (Baylor University), and Dr. Michael Christensen (Northwind Seminary) to explore the Inklings and the Bible from multiple perspectives.

Join us for Are the Inklings Reliable Guides for the Bible? at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference, September 24–27 at George Fox University. Register while spaces remain!

08/30/2026

What do fauns, centaurs, sea voyages, and ancient epics have to do with The Chronicles of Narnia?

More than you might think. Classical literature shapes Narnia far more deeply than is often recognized. In this interactive workshop, Dr. Austin Freeman (Houston Christian University) will explore Lewis’s classical formation and trace classical themes and structures throughout the Chronicles – from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as “True Myth” to the epic resonances of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Then it’s your turn. Participants will work in small groups to hunt for classical influences across all seven Chronicles and compare their discoveries.

Join us for Classical Literature in The Chronicles of Narnia at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference, September 24–27 at George Fox University. Register while spaces remain!

08/27/2026

What can we discover about C.S. Lewis when we can search everything he wrote at once?

For the first time, Lewis’s entire surviving corpus – more than four million words – has been collected and digitized. In this hands-on workshop, Justin Keena will demonstrate two new tools built on this remarkable dataset: a powerful search engine and an analytics suite designed specifically for exploring Lewis’s writings.

Participants will see how these tools can uncover verbal, literary, and stylistic patterns across Lewis’s complete output – and learn how researchers can sift through millions of words quickly and efficiently in pursuit of quotations, connections, and new lines of inquiry.

Come prepared to steal ideas for your next article or book. As Keena admits, there are far more discoveries waiting in the data than he can possibly pursue himself.

Join us for New Digital Tools for Lewis Scholars at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference, September 24–27 at George Fox University. Register while spaces remain!

08/24/2026

What did C.S. Lewis say to the people of Iceland during the Second World War – and what does a British intelligence operation have to do with it?

This unique workshop features a long-lost wartime radio broadcast by C.S. Lewis. Just months before his first BBC talks – the foundation of Mere Christianity – Lewis recorded “The Norse Spirit in English Literature,” a message to the people of Iceland on behalf of the Joint Broadcasting Committee, a shell operation of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

Discovered by Dr. Harry Lee Poe in 2015, the broadcast survives on 78 rpm discs originally flown to Iceland for transmission. Participants will hear Lewis’s voice while following the transcript as Poe tells the remarkable story of the recording’s discovery and explores Lewis’s reflections on Norse literature and mythology – themes that would later echo through The Chronicles of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, and That Hideous Strength.

Join us for this rare opportunity to hear a little-known piece of Lewis history at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference, September 24–27 at George Fox University. Register while spaces remain!

08/20/2026

How do you turn the friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien into a comic?

This visual workshop explores how graphic nonfiction can reimagine the friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Drawing on his acclaimed 2024 graphic biography The Mythmakers, Dr. John Hendrix (Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts) takes participants behind the creative process of bringing Lewis and Tolkien—and their worlds of myth, story, and friendship—to life on the page.

Through illustrations, comics, and video, Hendrix will explore how art and scholarship can work together to make intellectual history visually compelling and accessible to new audiences.

Join us for this unique workshop at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference, September 24–27 at George Fox University. Register while spaces remain!

07/27/2026

More than 100 papers accepted after double-blind peer review.

The 2026 Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference will feature one of the largest and most diverse gatherings of Lewis scholarship ever assembled. Scholars from around the world will present new research in theology, philosophy, literature, history, biblical studies, mathematics, moral psychology, education, and more.

Just a small taste of what's coming...

"The Abolition of Man Versus The Green Book: A New Verdict"

"The Problem of Joy: A Reexamination of C.S. Lewis's Wife in the Context of "

"C.S. Lewis in Dialogue with N.T. Wright"

"Seven Genders in That Hideous Strength and Lewis's Epistemology"

"Is Mary Magdalene Human? Dorothy Sayers as Biblical Interpreter of Jesus' Female Friends"

"Beyond Good and Evil? C.S. Lewis and Nietzsche on Moral Psychology"

"Was Owen Barfield Really an Inkling?"

"The A.I.bolition of Man: Can C.S. Lewis Help Save My Comp 1 Class in the Age of Digital Necromancy?"

And that's only the beginning.

Whether your interests lie in apologetics, imagination, philosophy, biblical interpretation, medievalism, Tolkien, education, ethics, or Lewis's enduring relevance in the age of artificial intelligence, there will be something here to surprise, challenge, and inspire.

With only a few places remaining, registration is nearing capacity. We cannot wait to welcome scholars, students, and Lewis and Tolkien enthusiasts from around the world to George Fox University this September (24th–27th) for four unforgettable days of learning, conversation, and friendship.

See you in Oregon.

07/18/2026

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Alister McGrath as a keynote speaker at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference, where he will deliver his lecture, “When Science Becomes Apologetics: Lewis's Most Overlooked Strategy.”

Dr. Alister McGrath (DPhil, University of Oxford) was born in Belfast in 1953 and won a scholarship to Oxford University in 1971 to study the natural sciences. Although he arrived at Oxford as an atheist, he discovered Christianity and quickly came to see C.S. Lewis as a travelling companion on the road of faith.

A distinguished theologian, historian, and one of the world's foremost C.S. Lewis scholars, McGrath served as Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford before becoming Oxford's Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion in 2014. He is the author of the award-winning biography C.S. Lewis: A Life and will publish a major new monograph on Lewis's views on science and religion with Oxford University Press in 2026.

Join us September 24–27, 2026, in Oregon for what promises to be an unforgettable gathering of Lewis and Inklings enthusiasts. Registration link in the comments.

Note: Dr. McGrath's keynote lecture will be delivered via video recording.

Address

414 N Meridian Street
Newberg, OR
97132

Website

https://www.georgefox.edu/cs-lewis-initiative/index.html, https://www.georgefox.edu/cs-lewis-initiative/conference.html

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