The Marion E. Wade Center

06/23/2026

“The time was June, the weather perfect; and if [Harriet Vane] now and again gave a thought to Lord Peter Wimsey diligently ringing up an empty flat, it did not trouble her, or cause her to alter her steady course along the south-west coast of England. … The coast-road ran pleasantly at the top of a low range of cliffs, from which she could look down upon the long yellow stretch of the beach, broken here and there by scattered rocks, which rose successively, glistening in the sunlight, from the reluctant and withdrawing tide.”

- Dorothy L. Sayers, HAVE HIS CARCASE

Image: Devon coast, the setting of HAVE HIS CARCASE, taken in September 1992 by photographer Stephen Mead.

06/16/2026

Happy birthday to Warren H. Lewis, brother of C.S. Lewis, born this day in 1895!

Photo: Warren Lewis ca. 1952. Wade Center photo collection CSL / P-33.

06/13/2026

Happy birthday to Dorothy L. Sayers, born June 13, 1893.

Photo: Dorothy L. Sayers ca. 1938, Wade Center photo collection DLS / P-38.

06/08/2026

The Wade Center presents the 2027 Hansen Lecture Series: “The Bible and Christian Imagination: George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, and J.R.R. Tolkien as Public Theologians” with Jennifer Powell McNutt.

LECTURE TITLES
January 28: "The Poet’s Bible: George MacDonald and the Gospel Women"
February 25: "The BBC Bible: Dorothy L. Sayers and the Broadcasting of Jesus"
March 18: "The Translator’s Bible: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Jonah and the Christian Imagination"

RESPONDENTS
Amy Peeler, Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament, Director of Ph.D. Program
Alison Gibson, Senior Lecturer of English, Director of the Writing Center and First-Year Writing
John Dickson, Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Public Christianity

Though they are primarily known for their works of fiction, including fairy stories and detective mysteries, authors George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, and J.R.R. Tolkien brought the world of the Bible to their literary pursuits as public theologians. In various ways and through different genres, these three authors extended the reach of the Bible’s message and the public perception and understanding of the Christian faith in expansive and influential ways. Over the three lectures, McNutt will pair the field of Bible reception history with the public theology of MacDonald, Sayers, and Tolkien as it spans Christian traditions and reaches beyond the walls of the church. The lectures will build upon the recent publication of Between Interpretation & Imagination: C.S. Lewis and the Bible (Baynes, 2025), to reflect on the interplay between the artistic contributions of the Wade authors and their reception of the biblical text. The Bible and the Christian imaginations of MacDonald, Sayers, and Tolkien come to life in their contributions respectively as literary preachers, broadcasters, and translators with an impact that continues today.

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Powell McNutt, Ph.D., Fr.Hist.S. is Professor of Theology and History of Christianity at Wheaton College in the Litfin Divinity School where she holds the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies. She received her Ph.D. in History from the University of St. Andrews, M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and B.A. in Religious Studies from Westmont College. She is a Fellow in the Royal Historical Society and program director of Wheaton’s M.A. programs in Theology and History of Christianity.

06/03/2026

Enjoy some blooms and views from the beautiful Aslan's Garden at the Wade Center!

05/29/2026

Happy birthday to G.K. Chesterton, born this day in 1874!

Photo: G.K. Chesterton ca. 1907, Wade Center photo collection GKC / P-11.

05/13/2026

REMINDER: The Marion E. Wade Center and Wheaton College presents "C.S. Lewis: A Mentor by Mail," a book talk and signing by David C. Downing on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Bakke Auditorium.

C.S. Lewis published 40 books in his lifetime, and yet he found time to answer hundreds of letters from complete strangers. He considered it a part of his Christian ministry to answer letters from his readers, including questions about theology, prayer, the Bible, and struggles with doubt. This lecture will include samples of his letters of advice and counsel. Join us afterward for a book signing of Dr. Downing's latest publication, C.S. Lewis: Letters on Living the Faith (2026).

David C. Downing (Ph.D. UCLA) was the Co-Director and Co-holder of the Marion E. Wade Chair in Christian Thought (with his wife Crystal Downing) of the Marion E. Wade Center from 2018 to 2024 at Wheaton College in Illinois.

Downing has written four scholarly books on C.S. Lewis: Planets in Peril (1992), a critical study of the Ransom trilogy; The Most Reluctant Convert (2002), an examination of Lewis's journey to faith; Into the Wardrobe (2005), an in-depth overview of the Narnia Chronicles; Into the Region of Awe (2005), a study of how Lewis's wide reading in Christian mysticism enhanced his own faith and enriched his imaginative writing.

Downing also provided a critical introduction and over 400 explanatory notes to the new edition of C.S. Lewis's The Pilgrim's Regress, originally published in 1933 and reissued by Eerdmans in the Wade Center Annotated Edition (2014). Downing has edited two best-selling collections of Lewis’s thoughts on reading and writing, The Reading Life (2019) and C.S. Lewis on Writing (and Writers) (2022), both published by HarperOne, and now C.S. Lewis: Letters on Living the Faith (2026).

Downing is also the author of Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel (2020), a historical novel in which two young Americans meet Lewis and Tolkien in Oxford in 1940. His blog may be found at cslewis.com. David and Crystal are now retired and live in Colorado.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Wade Center.

Watch the livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNdU8kvshos

C.S. Lewis published 40 books in his lifetime, and yet he found time to answer hundreds of letters from complete strangers. He considered it a part of his Ch...

05/11/2026

Today marks the 100th anniversary of C.S. Lewis meeting J.R.R. Tolkien for the first time.

On Tuesday, May 11, 1926, C.S. Lewis encountered J.R.R. Tolkien at a meeting in Merton College, Oxford University, with other faculty members. Lewis’s impression of Tolkien was recorded in his diary on that date, now published in the book ALL MY ROAD BEFORE ME:

“He is a smooth, pale, fluent little chap … No harm in him: only needs a smack or so.”

Image: Merton College, Oxford. Photographer: Laura Stanifer

05/07/2026

REMINDER: The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College presents "Magic, Science, Poetry: C.S. Lewis and the Battle for the Modern Soul," a lecture and book signing by Jason M. Baxter on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 1:30 PM.

This lecture will explore a mysterious scene from "That Hideous Strength," in light of Lewis's historical research on magic, poetry, and science in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.

Jason M. Baxter (Ph.D., Notre Dame) is a speaker, college professor, and author of nine books, including Why Literature Still Matters, a new translation of Dante, and the best-selling The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis. On his Substack, Beauty Matters, he writes about the importance of old books for our digital age. He is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College.

This event is free and open to the public and will take place in Bakke Auditorium. For more information, contact the Wade Center.

"Magic, Science, Poetry: C.S. Lewis and the Battle for the Modern Soul" with Jason M. Baxter

05/06/2026

REMINDER: The Wade Center will have extended hours in celebration of Commencement and Alumni weekend. Feel free to stop by on Saturday, May 9, between 10am and 3pm. Congratulations to all graduates!