C.S. Lewis on Christianity: Suffering and Death

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the film Shadowlands before introducing Michael Ward.  C.S. Lewis’s writings bring the great questions of the Christian faith to life. Through his imaginative and invigorating style, Lewis answers these questions in ways that are compelling to those outside Christianity and energizing to those within the Christian faith. The Problem of Pain and A Grief Observed offer two very different approaches to suffering. In the former, Lewis addresses the intellectual problem raised by the existence of pain in a world created by a good and all-powerful God; and, in the latter, he presents a deeply personal account of his own suffering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss C.S. Lewis' understanding of prayer before introducing Michael Ward.  C.S. Lewis’s writings bring the great questions of the Christian faith to life. Through his imaginative and invigorating style, Lewis answers these questions in ways that are compelling to those outside Christianity and energizing to those within the Christian faith. C.S. Lewis’s distinction between contemplation and enjoyment extended to his practice of the Christian faith through prayer and reading the Bible. Lewis viewed prayer as a challenge—a task to be completed—until he recognized prayer as our participation in the cycle of God talking to and for creation. Moreover, Lewis recognized that the Bible is best understood and enjoyed by focusing on Christ as the interpretive key that unites the written Word.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the multifaceted nature of C.S. Lewis' worldview before introducing Michael Ward.  C.S. Lewis’s writings bring the great questions of the Christian faith to life. Through his imaginative and invigorating style, Lewis answers these questions in ways that are compelling to those outside Christianity and energizing to those within the Christian faith. C.S. Lewis’s account of his conversion in Surprised by Joy  makes a crucial  distinction between contemplation and enjoyment. While Lewis understood the place for theoretical knowledge in the Christian life, he believed it was secondary to the enjoyment of participating fully in the experience of the faith.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss how we often reach our lowest point before understanding our need for God before introducing Michael Ward.  C.S. Lewis’s writings bring the great questions of the Christian faith to life. Through his imaginative and invigorating style, Lewis answers these questions in ways that are compelling to those outside Christianity and energizing to those within the Christian faith. The universal human experiences of shame and guilt attest not only to the existence of an objective moral law, but also a moral law giver. Christian conversion calls believers to live according to the moral law by first dying to their old life and then rising to a place higher than before. C.S. Lewis illustrates this bittersweet, downward-then-upward pattern of conversion in several of his fictional and philosophical works. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan introduce the course "C.S. Lewis on Christianity". C.S. Lewis’s writings bring the great questions of the Christian faith to life. Through his imaginative and invigorating style, Lewis answers these questions in ways that are compelling to those outside Christianity and energizing to those within the Christian faith. Lewis argues that morality is not only objective, but also that it is universally understood as such. He explains that the awareness of these axiomatic moral truths—what he calls “the Tao” in The Abolition of Man—is what makes us human, and thus our very humanity is threatened by the rise of subjectivism in the West. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visit hillsdale.edu/course to view the paintings referenced in this lecture. On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah Regan and professor emeritus of art Sam Knecht discuss what we can learn about America's greatest victories through paintings of famous battles. Great artists perceive something that is difficult to capture and portray it with a beauty that makes it easier for us to grasp. These American paintings present the American character and make us proud to be Americans. This course explores inspiring portraits of statesmen, cherished images of common citizens, breathtaking landscapes of the American countryside, the hidden beauty of America’s city streets, and harrowing but fortifying glimpses of battle. American art is characterized by honesty. These artists attempt to balance a faithful replica of reality with a depiction of the ideal we seek. The color, light, and movement captured in brushstrokes on canvas provide a unique glimpse of the American character.   American freedom was won and is maintained on the field of battle. Artists capture the courage and valor so characteristic of Americans in these war paintings. Click here to enroll in this course: http://hillsdale.edu/courseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visit hillsdale.edu/course to view the paintings referenced in this lecture. On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah Regan and professor emeritus of art Sam Knecht discuss what paintings of everyday Americans can tell us about the American character. Great artists perceive something that is difficult to capture and portray it with a beauty that makes it easier for us to grasp. These American paintings present the American character and make us proud to be Americans. This course explores inspiring portraits of statesmen, cherished images of common citizens, breathtaking landscapes of the American countryside, the hidden beauty of America’s city streets, and harrowing but fortifying glimpses of battle. American art is characterized by honesty. These artists attempt to balance a faithful replica of reality with a depiction of the ideal we seek. The color, light, and movement captured in brushstrokes on canvas provide a unique glimpse of the American character.   America exists of, by, and for the people. These paintings feature ordinary American citizens exercising their freedom, defending their rights, laboring for their property, and loving their neighbors.  Click here to enroll in this course: http://hillsdale.edu/courseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visit hillsdale.edu/course to view the paintings referenced in this lecture. On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah Regan and professor emeritus of art Sam Knecht discuss the unique character of American landscape paintings. Great artists perceive something that is difficult to capture and portray it with a beauty that makes it easier for us to grasp. These American paintings present the American character and make us proud to be Americans. This course explores inspiring portraits of statesmen, cherished images of common citizens, breathtaking landscapes of the American countryside, the hidden beauty of America’s city streets, and harrowing but fortifying glimpses of battle. American art is characterized by honesty. These artists attempt to balance a faithful replica of reality with a depiction of the ideal we seek. The color, light, and movement captured in brushstrokes on canvas provide a unique glimpse of the American character.   America’s sprawling countryside, majestic waterfalls, and soaring mountains inspire our artists to capture the freedom that suffuses the very air. Bustling cities, meanwhile, are fertile settings for presenting the beauty of everyday life. Click here to enroll in this course: http://hillsdale.edu/courseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visit hillsdale.edu/course to view the paintings referenced in this lecture. On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah Regan and professor emeritus of art Sam Knecht introduce the course "American Paintings." Great artists perceive something that is difficult to capture and portray it with a beauty that makes it easier for us to grasp. These American paintings present the American character and make us proud to be Americans. This course explores inspiring portraits of statesmen, cherished images of common citizens, breathtaking landscapes of the American countryside, the hidden beauty of America’s city streets, and harrowing but fortifying glimpses of battle. American art is characterized by honesty. These artists attempt to balance a faithful replica of reality with a depiction of the ideal we seek. The color, light, and movement captured in brushstrokes on canvas provide a unique glimpse of the American character.   The American patriots depicted in these paintings, from our Founding Fathers through our more recent statesmen, inspire us to live up to the principles and promise of America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Jeremiah and Juan discuss the long-term ramifications of the fall of the Soviet Union before introducing Michael Anton. We often treat foreign policy as a mystery that can only be understood by an enlightened few who have committed their lives to understanding the complexities of international life. This view is dangerous because it encourages citizens to ignore a critical aspect of American political life that it’s our duty to understand. And it’s false because the basics of foreign policy are commonsense and a joy to learn. For the Founders, the basic premise of foreign policy is simple—we must make every decision with a view towards securing the equal, natural rights of American citizens. This understanding requires that America’s leaders remain accountable to the people, and it places essential limits on our interventions abroad. Yet, for over a century, this traditional understanding of American foreign policy has been challenged by new and more ambitious doctrines that argue for increased American involvement and leadership abroad. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, America was left as the sole great power on the world stage, which led many Americans to expect a return to noninterventionist policies. But the foreign policy establishment argued that America as the sole great power left in the world had a responsibility of leading in a new international order. The threat of global terrorism entrenched this new role.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.