Alister McGrath – The C.S. Lewis Podcast – Podcasts & Sermons

A weekly podcast with Professor Alister McGrath exploring C.S. Lewis’ thought, theology and teaching.


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#63 The Weight of Glory – CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

‘The Weight of Glory’ is a sermon that CS Lewis preached at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford in 1941. It is widely regarded as one of his most significant short works, focussing on the way our human longings in this world point to an…

#62 First and Second Things – CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

Oringally published in 1942 this essay argues that humans often turn ‘second order’ things such as music, art, romatic love etc into ‘first order’ things in place of God. In doings so they lose the joy of those things in the process. “You can’t get sec…

#61 Is Theology Poetry? CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

Originally given as a talk in 1945, this was the first piece of Lewis’ writing that Alister Mcgrath ever read as a student and it had a profound influence on him. It includes Lewis’ memorable phrase: ‘I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun…

#60 Is Theism Important? – CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

This essay originally took the form of a talk at the Socratic club in Oxford in 1952. Lewis explains the difference between ‘Faith A’ as ‘intellectual assent’ and ‘Faith B’ as ‘trust or confidence in God’, as well as the experience of awe.

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#59 The Grand Miracle – CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

Originally preached a sermon in 1945, this essay by Lewis uses the imagery of a diver to explain the significance of the incarnation as God stepping into creation to ultimately redeem it.

Get Alister’s new book What’s the Point of Theology?

Dow…

#58 Myth Became Fact – CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

CS Lewis discusses the importance of ‘myth’ in this critique of those who want to ‘demythologise’ Christianity. He explains why Christ is the ‘true myth’ that all other stories of dying and rising gods are pointing towards.

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#57 Dogma and the Universe – CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

Originally published in 1943 in a Christian magazine, ‘Dogma and the Universe’ sees Lewis look at the fact that modern science tells us the Universe had a beginning and that life will also come to an end one day.

Get Alister’s new book What’s the P…

#56 Meditation in a Toolshed – CS Lewis’ essays and short writings

We begin season 6 of the CS Lewis podcast looking at a number of CS Lewis’ shorter articles, essays and sermons. ‘Meditation in a Toolshed’ (1945) sees Lewis exploring the idea of ‘looking at’ a beam of sunlight vs ‘looking along’ the beam. Alister and…

#55 Ask Alister McGrath Anything Part 2

Alister McGrath continues to respond to listener questions about science, faith and doubt (and CS Lewis!) in the second part of a show first recorded as a livestream listener Q&A edition of Unbelievable? in 2020, hosted by Justin and Lucy Brierley and …