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Stories & Literature
A classic hero is often depicted fighting evil personified, but the best classic tales are more nuanced and find him fighting the greatest evil of all- himself. Often this battle of self manifests as a coming of age story or a quest where a hero finds that his true reward is the knowledge and traits he has gained along the way, traits such as self sacrifice and mercy, but sometimes he learns that death is a victory as well, even if it has been planned from the start. Taking these themes and exploring each one in the context of The Lord of the Rings, Leon J. Podles explores what it means to be a masculine hero, and how the greatest heroes not only make the greatest sacrifices, but often sacrifice their lives to achieve a victory seen only by those who come to understand that the greatest victory can come through loss. Mere Atonement The childrens' novels of C.S. Lewis are widely regarded as his most enduring and endearing illustration of a major thesis of his apologetic and theological work: that some myths are true and that reason alone is incapable of grasping many elements of theological truth. His fiction not only inspires us, it also challenges us to consider the ironic and more textured dimensions of the Christian story. In so doing, his fiction has aroused controversy among systematic theologians who point to holes in his portrayal of the true myth. Of particular concern is his portrayal of the doctrine of the Atonement. Ariel Vanderhorst suggests that the canon of Lewis' work points to a posture of non-commitment to any of the historically debated views of this important doctrine. His survey of several pertinent passages sheds new light on what has become a point of contention, even among Lewis' biggest fans. Bad Books for Kids Most parents just ignore the books their children read and assume that because its a children’s book it must be age appropriate with a good, overarching, moral lesson in it, a story of redemption or sacrifice maybe. But David Mills proves that while this may have been true thirty years ago, times, and the novels they produce, have changed for the worse, but he provides us with an alternative and a guide to avoiding those novels eroding our moral fortitude. A Calling to Talk and Libraries Great Escapes & Lesser Stories: The Alternative Worlds of C. S. Lewis, Aldous Huxley & George Orwell The Century of the Cyclops: On the Loss of Poetry as Necessary Knowledge |
