The C. S. Lewis Lectureship was established in Chattanooga in 1983 by Charles Hummel of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to perpetuate the Christian and literary legacy of Clive Staples Lewis. The annual lecture is normally given during the month of March on the UTC campus.
An Oxford intellectual who as an adult professed faith in Jesus Christ, Lewis had a superb gift for communicating Christianity to the modern world. His writings range from literary criticism and theology to science fiction, poetry, and children’s literature.
The death of Lewis Nov. 22, 1963, was overshadowed by the assassination of John F. Kennedy the same day. Lewis’s books are still so popular, however, that it appears to many that he is still writing. Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia have earned the rank of classics.
The Planning Committee
From Intervarsity Christian Fellowship: Jamal Morris of UTC and Julian Reese of Knoxville.
From Covenant College: Dr. Robert Erle Barham.
From UT-Chattanooga: Dr. Matthew Guy (Chairman), Dr. Bryan Hampton, Dr. Greg Heath, Dr. Carl Springer, Dr. Jonathan Yeager.
From the C. S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga, The Rev. David Beckmann.
Funding
The lecture is funded by donations from the community, by the Speakers and Special Events Committee of UT-Chattanooga, and by the Christian Study Center of Chattanooga.
The committee wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Ron Bunger of the Poindexter Library, Chattanooga, for digitalizing our older lectures.