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THE LOVE OF GOD
by Rev. Dr. Michael Ward, Oxford Professor, author of Planet Narnia

Join us for the inaugural lecture in the Becoming Human: Love, Virtue, and Personhood in C.S. Lewis’ The “The heavens are telling the glory of God,” writes the psalmist (Ps. 19:1). C.S. Lewis noted that the seven heavens of the medieval cosmos were “spiritual symbols of permanent value,” which he used as the imaginative framework for The Chronicles of Narnia. Specifically, The Magician’s Nephew is constructed around the symbolism of Venus, the Morning Star—a biblical title for Christ (“I am the bright Morning Star,” Rev. 22:16). This talk will unpack the Venus imagery in the novel, revealing a story with far more brilliance and depth than is often recognized.

The evening will begin with about ten minutes of artistic listening: Be Thou My Vision / Eyes to See (with a chorus by Clay Clarkson), followed by a performance of Clay Clarkson’s The Giving Love of God, leading directly into Dr. Ward’s address.

About the Speaker

Rev. Dr. Michael Ward teaches theology at the University of Oxford. He is the author of Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press) and After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man (Word on Fire Academic). On the 50th anniversary of Lewis’s death, Dr. Ward unveiled a permanent national memorial to him in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey. More information here.