This year is the 75th anniversary of C.S. Lewis’s first appearance behind the pulpit. His first sermon was in 1939 at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Oxford. To help mark this landmark event William O’Flaherty will be speaking at the C. S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga on Tuesday, August 12 to highlight all of his messages.
O’Flaherty’s talk is entitled “Lewis as Preacher – A 75th Anniversary Reflection” as is part of the group’s free summer series held at The Camp House in Chattanooga, Tennessee. More DETAILS HERE.
Preview some of the material that will be covered at the talk by reading an article recently posted on HarperOne’s official C.S. Lewis blog. Below is the first couple of paragraphs (follow the link to read the rest).
C.S. Lewis as Preacher – A 75th Anniversary Reflection
2013 was the fiftieth anniversary of Lewis’s death, but did you know that this year is the 75th anniversary of his first sermon? During his life he preached more than seven sermons. Most of them were adapted into articles and published in his lifetime. The following summarizes what is known.
LEARNING IN WARTIME
Lewis’s debut as a preacher came on October 22, 1939. It was delivered at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Oxford. This and nearly all of his preaching later became available as an article published during his lifetime. In fact those present for his premier message actually received a copy of the sermon! At the time it was entitled “None Other Gods: Culture in War-Time.” However, it was reprinted as “The Christian in Danger” before the end of that year by the Student Christian Movement. This first message was so well liked that it even became a part of Famous English Sermons that was published the following year. Today it is found in The Weight of Gloryand better known as “Learning in War-Time.”