The Thinklings Podcast — Episode 063
C.S. Lewis, Narnia, and the Wade Center (with Dr. David Downing)
Welcome to Episode 63 of The Thinklings Podcast!
In this special episode, the Thinklings welcome Dr. David Downing, co-director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College and one of the foremost scholars on C.S. Lewis. The conversation explores Lewis’s life, the Chronicles of Narnia, the Ransom Trilogy, literary imagination, Christian education, and the work of preserving Lewis’s legacy through the Wade Center. Along the way, Dr. Downing shares insights from decades of Lewis scholarship and offers a glimpse into some remarkable artifacts housed at the Wade Center.
📚 Books & Business
Thinkling Carter
Redwall — Brian Jacques
Thinkling Little
Contributions of Selected Rhetorical Devices to a Biblical Theology of the Song of Songs — Mark McGinnis
Thinkling Stearns
C.S. Lewis: A Life — Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet — Alister McGrath
Dr. David Downing
The Pilgrim’s Progress — John Bunyan
Discussion of Lewis’s Pilgrim’s Regress and the Wade Center Annotated Edition
🦁 Main Conversation
Dr. Downing discusses:
His journey to becoming a Lewis scholar
Discovering Lewis through Perelandra and later reading the entire Narnia series twice in a single month
The history and mission of the Marion E. Wade Center
Lewis’s personal library, annotations, and manuscripts
The famous Lewis wardrobe housed at the Wade Center
Why The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe should be read first, despite modern editions often placing The Magician’s Nephew first
Changes Lewis made between British and American editions of Narnia
The theological depth of characters like Edmund and Eustace
Christian imagination, moral formation, and sanctification in Lewis’s fiction
The distinction between the “Ransom Trilogy” and the commonly used term “Space Trilogy”
The future of Narnia adaptations and concerns surrounding modern reinterpretations of Lewis’s work
Classical Christian education, Dorothy Sayers, and The Lost Tools of Learning
🏛️ The Wade Center
Dr. Downing shares fascinating details about the Wade Center, including:
Lewis’s wardrobe from his childhood home in Belfast
Lewis’s desk and personal library
Tolkien’s desk and writing pen
Thousands of books owned and marked by Lewis
Extensive archives devoted to Lewis, Tolkien, Dorothy Sayers, and other major Christian writers
The Wade Center serves both as a research archive and a museum, preserving the literary and spiritual legacy of these influential authors.
🎭 Special Announcement
The Thinklings discuss the Fellowship for Performing Arts production of The Most Reluctant Convert, based on Dr. Downing’s book about Lewis’s conversion. They also explore efforts to bring the production to Iowa and the continuing influence of Lewis on students and younger generations.
🌿 Final Meditation
Dr. Downing closes with a reflection on 2 Kings 6:15–17, where Elisha prays that his servant’s eyes would be opened to see the heavenly army surrounding them.
He reminds listeners that Christians often become overwhelmed when they focus only on material realities. Christian writers, artists, and storytellers help open our eyes to the deeper spiritual realities that surround us. Like Elisha’s servant, we need God to help us see that reality is far greater than what is immediately visible.
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