C. S. Lewis

Aesthetics: A Christian Philosophy of Art (3/3)

November 12, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Aesthetics: A Christian Philosophy of Art (3/3)

What is the difference between art and propaganda? What makes some painters better than others? A Christian philosophy of art is desperately needed in our ugly and twisted culture. Francis Schaeffer, the Christian thinker of the 20th century, has valuable insights on how to judge art, as well as practical advise for art appreciation and Christian artists today. In this final installment, we bring together the final pieces of a Christian philosophy of art.

Aesthetics: C. S. Lewis on Judging & Enjoying Art (2/3)

October 8, 2020 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Aesthetics: C. S. Lewis on Judging & Enjoying Art (2/3)

In his book, An Experiment in Criticism (1961), C. S. Lewis suggests that instead of judging a book by how it was written, we should judge it on the kind of reading it inspires. If readers are deepened, continually drawn back to the work, only to find they love it more and more, then it is a good book. If not, then it is merely a book fit for entertainment, not a true piece of art. On Lewis’ view, beauty is transcendent, but art is personal. But what is Lewis’ view on the role that art fills in our lives? Is art something which helps develop us, or merely provide a kind of escape?

C. S. Lewis on Managing Our Appetites

September 2, 2019 Abby Petree Christianity, Worldview Comments Off on C. S. Lewis on Managing Our Appetites

In The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis argues that relativism will destroy the youth of our culture if they do not learn to manage their appetites. This cannot be done with the mind or the heart, but with the “chest,” with trained emotions.

Tolstoy: What Can Beauty Teach Us? (3/4)

August 15, 2019 Mark Stanley Podcast Comments Off on Tolstoy: What Can Beauty Teach Us? (3/4)

There are brief moments in our lives where we are thrust out of ourselves and granted to see life as exceptionally magnificent, but also too close to touch, and impossible to fathom. For some people, it is love, poetry, friendship or maybe a film which causes us to see our world as a beautiful and cohesive whole for a fleeting and mysterious moment. For Andrei, it is the sky over a battlefield, a few notes in a song, and the cold grip of death. What do these moments of profound insight and deep emotion show us about life?

Why Read Classic Literature?

June 17, 2019 Mark Stanley Literature Comments Off on Why Read Classic Literature?

Most people today live complex lives. Who has time to read? More than that, who has time to read old books? If such few people can be convinced to read any book at all, how could anybody be convinced to read Anna Karenina or The Grapes of Wrath? Let me offer you a brief overview of the reasons why Great Books are timeless classics that you ought to read and cherish today––from the very voices of C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) and Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586).