Video from Ryan Reeves
"This lecture sets the stage for discussion on the mythopoeia of Tolkien, Lewis, and the Inklings. We examine Tolkien and Lewis' idea of 'true myth', and how fantasy or fiction literature can be used to communicate the faith. For the best books on Tolkien and his background check these out: Tom Shippey's biography: http://amzn.to/2dChoJu Classic biography: http://amzn.to/2dCh5hY The Road to Middle Earth: http://amzn.to/2dCikOb For the best books on C.S. Lewis and his background: George Sayer's biography 'Jack': http://amzn.to/2hHlUJQ Alan Jacob's book 'The Narnian': http://amzn.to/2gNeFy8 Michael Ward 'Planet Narnia': http://amzn.to/2hyhJx1 Ryan M. Reeves (PhD Cambridge) is Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Twitter: https://twitter.com/RyanMReeves Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryreeves4/ Blog: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/... This is Lecture 6 in the course 'Lewis and Tolkienl'. All material is copyrighted. For the entire course, see the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list..." from video introduction.
The God of Men—and of Elves: Tolkien, Lewis, and Christian Mythology
"From earliest times, Christians have argued about the role of pagan learning in Christian education. The debate has never gone away, but generally speaking the church has preferred rather to use the learning of the pagans than to repudiate it. An essential part of the classical Christian education that held sway in schools from the Middle Ages until fairly recent times was a familiarity with Greek and Roman mythology, a mastery of the history of these great civilizations, and an immersion in their literature. Medieval philosophers and theologians drank deeply from the well of philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle in their quest to make intellectual sense of and to articulate Christian truths. And Christian thinkers since then have not only availed themselves liberally of the classical heritage in history and literature, but have been on the vanguard of classical learning.
There are many examples of contemporary Christian thinkers who have professed a debt to the learning of the ancients, but none is more well known than C. S. Lewis.
Almost 50 years after his death, Lewis’ writings are still among the most widely read and discussed Christian works. Virtually all of his books are in print, and many of them are still best-sellers. His works of Christian apologetics remain among the most lucid statements of Christian belief ever penned.
Everything Lewis wrote bears the marks of a mind soaked and steeped in the classics of Greece, Rome, and Jerusalem—as well as the Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic cultures that mingled with the Biblical and classical cultures to produce English and American culture as we know it..." from the article: The God of Men—and of Elves: Tolkien, Lewis, and Christian Mythology