#BigRead13 with Rowan Williams

We used the short, and very accessible, Rowan Williams’ The Lion’s World (SPCK, 2012) for The Big Read 2013 (Lent).

Weekly housegroup materials were provided free-of-charge, Rowan Williams provided video content, and reflections were provided by an exciting range of people, as we sought to encourage conversation online. Unlike Tom Wright’s books, however, this has not been written as a Lent reflection, but has strong themes that have been drawn out in materials for five housegroups and through blog posts throughout the week.

See the full playlist of videos (8 in total).

Resources

• The leaflet (available as a downloadable PDF)
• #BigRead13 Logo
• Daily Materials (posted daily on the blog, including thoughts/prayers)
• The Lion’s World – available to download (in sections) from Seed Resources
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • 1: The Point of Narnia
  • 2: Narnia and its Critics
  • 3: Not a tame lion
  • 4: No story but your own
  • 5: The silent gaze of truth
  • 6: Bigger inside than outside
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
• Videos: YouTube; Seed Resources
• If you wish to bulk buy copies of the book please contact SPCK’s Special Sales Manager, Alexandra McDonald to discuss possibilities: AMcDonald[at]spck.org.uk
• We engaged with, and contributed to @40Acts as daily actions.

Housegroup Materials

As always, Lent starts on a Wednesday. The housegroup follows a Menu Format as follows:

• 13/2/13: Luke 20: 9-19: The God of Surprises
  Challenging familiar thinking: using imagination/narrative and story to make the familiar fresh. With Sheridan Voysey (writer, speaker and broadcaster: story and the search for meaning)
  Access Week 1 online
• 20/2/13: Luke 19 29-39: The Puppet Christ?
  The influence of 20^th Century writers, notions of ‘the other’, and the ‘Puppet Christ’ – called on by many to do what they wish. With Anna Blanch (academic researcher:  E.Nesbit and the role of literature in spiritual formation)
  Access Week 2 online
• 27/2/13: Luke 19:45-48: Not A Tame Lion
  Christ/Aslan is ‘not a tame lion’. The challenge to live more radically, with Bishop Alan Wilson (Bishop of Buckingham: historian, theologian)
  Access Week 3 online
  
• 6/3/13: Luke 23 1-15: Tackling the Truth
  Don’t settle for less than the truth. Take responsibility for self-knowledge, or be imprisoned within your own minds, with Steve Holmes ( academic researcher : classical and contemporary evangelical theology)
  Access Week 4 online
• 13/3/13: Luke 24 1-12: A Bigger Faith
  The transformation of our minds, bodies and souls. Death is not the end – we merely go ‘through the wardrobe’ to a new world, with Justin Brierley (Presenter on Premier Radio’s ‘Unbelievable’ apologetics show)
  Access Week 5 online

Thanks to Siân Lawton for identifying the Bible passages.

We identified a number of Narnia-related resources for children for the Easter holidays, and enjoyed an online Service, with a sermon from Rowan Williams, on Easter Sunday (#easter13).

Talking with the Experts

• On Wednesday 27th March, 4pm, we offered an online webinar with Michael Ward and Sheridan Voysey – discussing the theological imagination of C.S.Lewis. The recording is here.
• On Monday 22nd April, 7pm, Alistair McGrath is speaking at an event organised by LICC – reflecting on the continued significance for contemporary Christianity of CS Lewis, which you can access ad-free online for £1.

Conversations

• Facebook Group
• #BigRead13 on Twitter

New information is posted on this page and throughout the blog.