Book Announcement: Porter (ed.), An Afternoon with C. S. Lewis

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On December 4, 2024, McMaster Divinity College held a “pop-up conference,” an ad hoc afternoon, on the work and influence of C. S. Lewis, a figure who continues to make an impact today. The conference was called “Faith, Fantasy, and Philosophy: An Afternoon of C. S. Lewis,” with both invited speakers and parallel sessions. This book is the result of that gathering: Stanley E. Porter (ed.), An Afternoon with C. S. Lewis: Modern Perspectives on Lewis’s Life, Work, and Legacy, McMaster General Studies Series 20 (Eugene, OR: Pickwick/MDC Press, 2025).

In the preface, Porter writes:

C. S. Lewis continues to fascinate scholars and non-scholars alike, because he uniquely combined qualities that are rarely found in others. He was a scholar of abiding significance who was widely read, was highly knowledgeable, and did not hesitate to take positions that put him at odds with his contemporaries. He was also a writer of great skill, so that he was able to write not just works of great erudition but works of great popularity, whether these were radio addresses, apologetics, or lay theology . . . In all these, Lewis comes across as writing effortlessly, with hardly a wrong word chosen or a phrase too long or tortured.

The following is the Table of Contents, arranged by three major areas that Lewis was known for:

The Life, Work, and Legacy of C. S. Lewis and his Continuing Influence – Stanley E. Porter

Part 1: Apologetics and Philosophy

  • A Virtue Approach to Mass Animal Suffering – Adam Barkman and Tristan Barkman
  • Myths, Morals—and—Joy – Mark G. McKim
  • Pick Your Poison – Jason Vander Horst

Part 2: Fictional Worlds

  • Consider the Narnian Birds – Paul Robinson
  • Playing with a Lion – Seán M. W. McGuire
  • Regarding Screwtape – David I. Yoon

Part 3: Literature and Criticism

  • What Kind of Scholar Was C. S. Lewis? – Stanley E. Porter
  • C. S. Lewis and the Art of Criticism – Aaron Jung
  • Doings, Readings, Thinkings – Dawn Berkelaar

Those interested in Lewis’s work will find the essays to be thought provoking. The volume is available for purchase from the publisher’s website.

— David I. Yoon

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