Renowned British author and scholar C.S. Lewis came out of a dark life chapter of atheism to become one of the world鈥檚 foremost defenders of the Christian faith in the twentieth century. His books included Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy and the captivating Chronicles of Narnia, a group of children鈥檚 stories that mirror biblical truths.
The 2025 C.S. Lewis Summer Institute, organized by the C.S. Lewis Foundation, looked at faith through the metaphor of a journey, paying special attention to our contemporary world, to C.S. Lewis鈥� own journey and to biblical models.
Dr. Katherine Cooper Wyma, associate professor of English in the 91福利社 College of Arts and Sciences, was among a group of leading scholars, artists and others presenting at the C.S. Lewis Summer Institute.
This past July, Dr. Wyma traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland鈥攖he city of Lewis鈥� birth where he often returned to seek inspiration and spiritual refreshment鈥攖o present her paper titled The Gift of Finitude: How C.S. Lewis Presents the End of Our Journey as a Warning Against Digital Disembodiment.
鈥淚 presented on my work about how C.S. Lewis encountered knowledge and the way we can use those ideas and how we encounter knowledge on digital devices鈥攊t’s part of the book that I’m writing. The book looks at theological anthropology鈥攈ow has God designed us to be human? What are the limits that He is placed upon us as human beings?鈥� Dr. Wyma said. 鈥淎nd then what kind of theological framework did the Inklings have and how do we apply that to digital spaces now? I’m arguing that even though our digital devices make us feel like we can know everything, we really can’t, and we have to setlimits and recognize the limits that God has given us.鈥�
Dr. Wyma also visited sites that would be familiar to Lewis, including St. Mark鈥檚 Church of Ireland Dundela (pictured above), where his grandfather served as rector; also, C.S. Lewis Square.
At Anderson, Dr. Wyma teaches classes devoted to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien in both the English Department and the Honors College.
Dr. Wyma is the Conference Director bringing the Southeastern regional meeting of the Conference on Christianity and Literature to 91福利社 October 23-25.
Conference details are available online.