Inklings of Glory
A deep unwelcome to the moral life pervades our culture, flattening human beings to power-driven animals (or worse, mere consumers) and depriving us of all but material hopes and earthly fears. In such a shallow world, what could be the point of justice that requires unending effort, or love that demands sacrifice?
Our contributors share how J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Dorothy L. Sayers responded by confessing their faith in a deeper reality in the Christian God, his glory-reflected dignity in human beings, and his profoundly sacrificial moral demands less with arguments, than with their imaginative works of literary art. They penned (often fantastic) stories that attune our hearts to experience "inklings of glory" within the world, through fissures of experience where the deeper reality still can be glimpsed.
We hunger not only for their stories, but also for the truth they disclose about the nature of power and its abuse, the dehumanization of work in industrial society, and the divine quality of real love issued in pity and pardon.
The study guides and lesson plans integrate Bible study, prayer, and worship to help us explore the meaning of childhood and how we can serve all children. The guides can be used in a series or individually. You may download and reproduce them for personal or group use.
Download the entire Inklings of Glory issue and the set of six Study Guides. Or, download individual pieces by clicking the titles below.
Articles
- "The Baptized Imagination," by Kerry L. Dearborn
- "Irrigating Deserts with Moral Imagination," by Peter J. Schakel
- "Frodo's Forgiveness," by Ralph C. Wood
- "Permanent Things," by J. Daryl Charles
- "The Mystery of Vocation," by Martha Greene Eads
Art
- "Back to the Future," by Heidi J. Hornik, on Morris's Day: Angel Holding a Sun
- "St. George and the Dragon," by Heidi J. Hornik, on Burne-Jones's St. George and the Dragon
Hymn and Worship Service
- "Imagination's Stream," by Terry W. York and C. David Bolin
- Worship Service by Michael M. Massar
Inspirational Pieces
- "Showing the Truth," by Laura K. Simmons
- "Live Large, Dream Small," by Kyle Childress
- "The Power of Sam," by John Hamilton
Reviews
- "The Gospel in Tolkien, Lewis, and Sayers," by John D. Sykes, Jr.
- Tom Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
- David Downing, Planets in Peril: A Critical Study of C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy
- Janice Brown, The Seven Deadly Sins in the Work of Dorothy L. Sayers
- "The Triumph of Spectacle," by Ralph C. Wood
- Peter Jackson's film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings