In the first half of The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien the Company of the Ring scrambles to interpret strange signs as legends, such as the Ents, stride "on the green earth in the daylight." In part three of our series on The Lord of the Rings , Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing unpack the allusions, symbolism, deeper meaning, and significance found in Book III, as well as the story behind new characters such as Treebeard, Grima Wormtongue, Eowyn, Theoden, Eomer, Quickbeam, and Gandalf the White....
Oct 22, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 21
In this second installment of the Wade Center Podcast's six-part series on The Lord of the Rings, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron M. Hill, dare to delve too deep into the darkening world that is Book II. Follow along as Crystal, Aaron, and David deem the doom of Sauron's ring and discuss the themes, character development, and consequential chapters of the latter half of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy, The Fellowship of the Ring .
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 20
The Wade Center Podcast's six-part, in-depth exploration of The Lord of the Rings has arrived precisely when it was meant to—just in time for Tolkien Week and Hobbit Day! In this first installment, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron M. Hill, discuss many of the major themes, characters, and opening chapters of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel about Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and the Company on Nine's legendary quest through Middle-earth to destroy the Ring of Power....
Sep 24, 2021•55 min•Season 3Ep. 19
During his labor to create The Lord of the Rings , an allegorical and autobiographical story came to J.R.R. Tolkien "like a dream." Some have described this short story, titled Leaf by Niggle (1945), as the "the hidden nucleus of Tolkien's work." As the Wade Center Podcast prepares to kick off a six-part, in-depth series on The Lord of the Rings , Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing, along with Producer Aaron Hill, sit down to discuss Tolkien's strange, convicting, and revealing tale about a littl...
Sep 10, 2021•49 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Almost everything we read or "write" today is digital. Words and even books are typed, not written by hand like C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles or The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. In this week's episode, Dr. Charlie W. Starr joins Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing to discuss C.S. Lewis's "villainous handwriting." Charlie explain how we can learn a lot about Lewis and his undated manuscripts by studying how Lewis's purposefully changed his handwriting over the course of his life....
Aug 27, 2021•44 min•Season 3Ep. 17
G.K. Chesterton said that being born is like stepping "into a fairy-tale"—for "we step into a world we have not made" with its own laws and a cast of characters. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Dr. Crystal Hurd to explore her work on C.S. Lewis as a transformational leader as well Lewis's family influences—with a fascinating cast of characters that include Scottish royalty, a Welsh boilermaker, a math prodigy, a parochial pastor, and a persuasive lawyer....
Aug 13, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 16
G.K. Chesterton has impacted the lives of countless Christians. That list includes not only C.S. Lewis but also this week's guest, Dale Ahlquist, the President and Co-founder of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. In this episode, Dale sits down with Drs. David and Crystal Downing to discuss how G.K. Chesterton turned not only Dale's life upside down but also how Chesterton turned countless ideas, concepts, and preconceived notions about life and the modern world upside down through his man...
Jul 30, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Ever wondered what it would be like attend an Inklings meeting with C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams? In this week's episode, our very own Dr. David C Downing discusses the Arthurian lore and spiritual inspiration behind his novel Looking for the King— a page-turning tale about two Americans, Tom McCord and Laura Hartman, who find themselves in England looking for the fabled Spear of Destiny, the lance that pierced the side of Christ on the Cross, with the help if the Inklings. G...
Jul 16, 2021•47 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Dorothy L. Sayers describe autobiography as “dangerous business” in The Mind of the Maker . To write one is either “a mark of great insensitiveness to danger or of an almost supernatural courage.” In this week’s episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss the autobiographies written by three and half of the Wade Center authors. What are the pitfalls of the genre? What makes it such "dangerous business?" And how can readers differentiate between autobio...
Jul 02, 2021•58 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Are miracles merely "a series of disconnected raids on Nature" or are they "the various steps of a strategically coherent invasion?" C.S. Lewis explores philosophical and historical arguments surrounding Biblical and contemporary accounts of signs and wonders in Miracles: A Preliminary Study (1947). In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing discuss Lewis's fascinating book including its origin, arguments, metaphors, and Lewis's timeless celebration of the grand miracle--the Incar...
Jun 18, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Less than a year after his conversion, C.S. Lewis wrote The Pilgrim's Regress in only two weeks while visiting his friend Arthur Greeves in Ireland. Lewis's thick landscape of literary allusions, quotes, and philosophical criticism has long thwarted interested readers. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to pull back the curtain on Lewis's allegorical apology of Christianity, reason, and romanticism.
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 11
These days, discussions about demons and temptation are an uncommon occurrence—at least sober ones. In this week’s episode, Dr. Jerry Root sits down with Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing to discuss The Screwtape Letters (1942) by C.S. Lewis. What inspired Lewis to write this series of letters from Screwtape to his nephew. Wormwood? And what can we learn about ourselves, temptation, and the slow and gradual road to hell from this admittedly satirical, humorous, and somehow perennially relevant b...
May 21, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 10
"Come further up and further in." After telling us of first things in The Magician's Nephew , Lewis finally reveals the last things—the end times—of Narnia. Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they conclude a seven-part series on The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In this final episode, David and Crystal explore profound truths in The Last Battle about salvation, the selfish misuse of God's name for selfish gain, and why it is truer to say "believing is seeing," rather than "seeing is...
May 07, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 9
The Magician's Nephew was one of the most difficult books for Lewis to finish in the Narnia series. Why? In this sixth Into Narnia episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing explore the wonder and dangers contained within The Magician's Nephew . What inspired Lewis to write about Uncle Andrew, Jadis (the White Witch), the dying world of Charn, the Deplorable Word, the Wood Between the Worlds, and Digory's intensely personal journey to heal his mother and, ultimately, to prevent her untimely deat...
Apr 23, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Aslan lies at the back of every story in Narnia. In the fifth novel in The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis weaves a tale of separated twins, mistaken identity, escaping slaves, vast desserts, and a desperate escape to the North. Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they discuss The Horse and His Boy . This week David and Crystal sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to unpack Lewis's fascinating narrative about Shasta (or Cor), Bree, Aravis, Hwin and the importance of identity, God's work amon...
Apr 09, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Rillian and Puddleglum and Glimfeather, oh my! The unique cast of giants, gnomes, knights, and witches sets The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis apart. Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they unpack the adventures of Eustace and Jill Pole in this fourth novel from The Chronicles of Narnia with Producer Aaron Hill. Follow along as the Downings unpack references to George MacDonald and Lilith , to Yahweh and Deuteronomy, to Hamlet and Ophelia, to Virgil and The Aeneid , and especially to the resu...
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 6
"Where the waves grow sweet, Doubt not, Reepicheep, There is the utter East." This week Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to explore the meaning and message of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third installment in the The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis . Join Crystal and David as they discuss the Sehnsucht and sanctification, dragons and Dufflepuds, stars and Sea People, and eventually the Lion and the Lamb that Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace discover...
Mar 12, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 5
What can talking animals possibly teach us about evil, belief, and apostasy in this age of cynicism? Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as the Wade Center Podcast continues to explore the meaning and message of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. This week David and Crystal sit down with Producer Aaron Hill for a fascinating discussion about Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia and the nature of faith, the power of sanctification, and the threat of disenchantment in our modern world....
Feb 26, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Why did C.S. Lewis, an Oxford professor, write children's books? And what is Father Christmas doing in Narnia? Join C.S. Lewis expert, Dr. David C. Downing (author of Into the Wardrobe ) and Dr. Crystal Downing as the Wade Center Podcast begins a seven-part series to explore the meaning and message of The Chronicles of Narnia. In this first episode, David, Crystal and Producer Aaron Hill journey into the wardrobe, discussing everything from the evocative image that inspired the whole series, to ...
Feb 12, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Can a detective novel without a grisly murder be any good? If Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers is any indication: Yes! In this episode, Dr. Crystal Downing—an expert on Sayers—sits down with Dr. David C. Downing and Producer Aaron Hill to discuss one of Sayers most unique, and perhaps best, novels. Crystal unravels the threads that make Gaudy Night such a witty, deep, and insightful story. What is Sayers saying in this subversive novel about the role of women in modern society as well as marriag...
Jan 29, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 2
C.S. Lewis's last novel, Till We Have Faces , is nothing like the Chronicles of Narnia . It is perhaps Lewis's most complex, profound, and misunderstood work. Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing discuss this uniquely modern and meaningful novel with Producer Aaron Hill. How are we to interpret the actions of Orual and Pscyhe, and what is Lewis trying to say through the narrative and characters in Till We Have Faces ?
Jan 15, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Is the Incarnation, like other miracles, a suspension or a reversal of the natural universe? Or, as Lewis writes in "The Grand Miracle," is it "the central chapter" of history such that "every miracle exhibits the character of the Incarnation"? Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they sit down with Producer Aaron Hill on this special Christmas Day episode to discuss the Incarnation of Jesus Christ; specifically, how it impacted C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers, George MacDonal...
Dec 25, 2020•39 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Over 100 years ago, the world was dealing with the aftermath of The Great War (and a terrifying global pandemic). In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss the life-changing impact of The Great War on each of the Wade authors, as well as the ways that World War I surfaces in novels such as The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
Dec 11, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Community has been hard to find in 2020. Lockdowns and travel restrictions have made it hard to connect. As we wrap up our second season, Crystal and David sit down with producer Aaron to remember our favorite episodes and celebrate the community we've enjoyed in 2020. Thank you to all the new listeners who have joined us in 2020! We look forward to 2021 and to all the great conversations we will have about the work and impact of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ge...
Nov 27, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Dorothy L. Sayers used edgy, often hilarious metaphors to shock people into seeing the truth of ancient Christian doctrines in a new light. In this week's episode, Dr. Crystal Downing talks with David and Aaron about her new book and how Sayers can help 21st-century Christians find new ways to talk and think about faith and culture. Purchase a copy of Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers by Crystal Downing ....
Nov 13, 2020•50 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Many Inklings fans know and love J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis both for their imaginary worlds (Narnia and Middle-earth) and for their legendary friendship. In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Ron Reed —Founding Artistic Director of Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, BC—to discuss his play, Tolkien, which dramatizes how Jack and Tollers became such close companions as well as how their friendship almost fell apart....
Oct 30, 2020•41 min•Season 2Ep. 22
"Stand! Stand where you are ... ," C.S. Lewis bellows into the tape recorder. In this third installment of The Lost Lewis Tapes, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss the final novel in the Ransom Trilogy and to listen to excerpts of Lewis narrating Merlin’s interrogation of Elwin Ransom from Chapter 13 of That Hideous Strength . Purchase and listen to all three tracks of The Lost Lewis Tapes over at the Rabbit Room for only $3 . Learn more about The Lost...
Oct 16, 2020•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 21
In a quiet room at the Kilns in August 1960, C. S. Lewis recorded three audio tracks on a portable reel-to-reel tape deck. In one of those tracks, Lewis reads from Perelandra for 27 minutes, narrating in a mesmerizing and confident voice Elwin Ransom’s arrival on the watery planet Venus. In this second installment of The Lost Lewis Tapes, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to listen to excerpts from this newly released audio track and to discuss the second novel ...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Before he was known as a children's author, C.S. Lewis wrote science fiction. Listen to never-before-heard audio recordings of Lewis reading from his Ransom Trilogy in this exciting three-part series on Out of the Silent Planet , Perelandra and That Hideous Strength . In this week's episode, Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss the first novel, Out of the Silent Planet. Kidnapped and transported to the planet Mars, Elwin Ransom encounters alien creatures...
Sep 18, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Most Inklings fans see George MacDonald through the lens of C.S. Lewis. Others enter MacDonald's novels through diverse doorways. In this week's episode Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with Producer Aaron Hill to discuss this 19th century Scots author. Why was George MacDonald so important to Lewis? Why is he considered controversial? Are his writings still relevant today?
Sep 04, 2020•49 min•Season 2Ep. 18
