The C.S. Lewis podcast

Dr Crystal Hurd, educator and poet, joins Ruth Jackson to explore the formative influence of C.S. Lewis’s mother, Flora, on Lewis’s life, work, and relationships. Drawing on her research and her paper from the 2024 Undiscovered CS Lewis conference, Crystal discusses Flora’s character, wit, and impact on the Lewis family after her untimely death. Together, they examine how Flora shaped Lewis’s respect for women, the depiction of mothers in his fiction, and his evolving relationships across a lifetime marked by loss and learning. Along the way, Ruth and Crystal reflect on grief, humility, family dynamics, and the quiet legacy of women often overlooked in great men’s stories.

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Dr Crystal Hurd - an educator, poet, and researcher from Virginia - and host Ruth Jackson explore what leadership looks like through the lens of CS Lewis, not as power or prominence, but as quiet faithfulness in everyday life. Crystal reflects on Lewis’ conviction that most leadership happens far from the spotlight: in homes, classrooms, churches, and communities, where ordinary people shape others through character, humility, and care.
The discussion ranges from Lewis’ fictional leaders such as Lucy Pevensie and Orual, to his warnings about the temptations of authority and the need to remain grounded in God. Crystal also addresses accusations of misogyny, drawing on Lewis’ letters, friendships, and advocacy for women such as Elizabeth Anscombe.
Together, Ruth Jackson and Crystal Hurd ask what it means to “light the corner you’re in”—and why Lewis believed such leadership still has the power to change the world.

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Ruth Jackson is joined by Jim Stockton, emeritus lecturer in philosophy at Boise State University and author of 'The Oxford University Socratic Club, 1942–1972: A Life.' In the final episode of this series, we hear the workshop Jim delivered at the 2024 Undiscovered CS Lewis Conference, titled "Research opportunities and the Oxford University Socractic club, 1942-1972."

The Oxford University Socratic Club, 1942-1972: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/oxford-university-socratic-club-19421972-9781978762602/

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In this episode of The CS Lewis Podcast, Ruth Jackson welcomes philosopher and author Jim Stockton to share new research on the Oxford University Socratic Club, 1942–1972. Recorded at the 2024 Undiscovered CS Lewis Conference, Jim paints a vivid picture of what weekly meetings were really like—from crowded, smoky rooms and lively teas to the unsung heroes who kept minutes and kept the club alive. Discover the club’s lesser-known traditions, its role as a living intellectual community, and why its archives still matter for Lewis scholarship today. Along the way, hear stories of friendship, debate, and the vibrant humanity behind one of Oxford’s most influential societies.

The Oxford University Socratic Club, 1942-1972: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/oxford-university-socratic-club-19421972-9781978762602/

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In this episode of The CS Lewis Podcast, Ruth Jackson introduces a fascinating paper from Jim Stockton, emeritus lecturer in philosophy and author of The Oxford University Socratic Club, 1942–1972: A Life. Recorded at the 2024 Undiscovered CS Lewis Conference at George Fox University, Stockton explores the lesser-known events of the Oxford University Socratic Club beyond its famous debates. He highlights conferences, discussion teas, and study groups that reveal the club’s wider intellectual and spiritual life. Along the way, listeners hear fresh insights into Lewis’s talks on faith, the church, reason, and “the real”. This episode offers a rich glimpse into the remarkable world of the Socratic Club and the continuing research opportunities surrounding Lewis and his circle.

The Oxford University Socratic Club, 1942-1972: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/oxford-university-socratic-club-19421972-9781978762602/

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