We wrap up “Apologetics Month” today by talking to former guest of the show, Dr. Holly Ordway. For most of this month we’ve focussed on specific apologetics arguments, but today we speak more broadly about the subject of “Imaginative Apologetics”.
S5E47: “Imaginative Apologetics” – After Hours with Dr. Holly Ordway (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
“For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”
C.S. Lewis, Bluspels and Flalansferes
Biographical Information
Dr. Holly Ordway is the Fellow of Faith and Culture for the Word on Fire Institute.
Her writing, speaking, and teaching at the Institute focuses on imaginative and literary apologetics, and on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. In addition to writing articles, essays, and poems, she travels around internationally as a guest speaker.
She is also Visiting Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University.
She has written a number of books… Her memoir describing her conversion to Christianity, Not God’s Type, the book we discussed on her previous appearance, Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages, as well as the book which we’ll be discussing today, Apologetics and the Christian Imagination: An Integrated Approach to Defending the Faith.
Biographical Information for Dr. Holly Ordway
Chit-Chat
- Dr. Ordway spoke about her upcoming book, “Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography”
Beverage and Toast
- David was drinking Yorkshire Gold tea
- Holly was drinking a Twinnings Tea in a William Morris mug
- They toasted Patreon supporter Emmie Stuart:
Emmie, we pray that your imagination will be repeatedly renewed and baptized by good literature, and pray that you will be able to winsomely and imaginatively share the truth you’ve found with those whom you meet.
Patreon Toast
Discussion
1. “What is Imaginative Apologetics?”
- This month we’ve been talking about apologetics, but what is Imaginative Apologetics?
2. “Apologetics and the Christian Imagination”
- So you wrote an entire book about Imaginative Apologetics, Apologetics and the Christian Imagination: An Integrated Approach to Defending the Faith. What brought this book about? Was this something important to you in your own conversion to Christianity?
3. “Words and Meaning”
- You spend the first part of the book talking about words and the meaning we attach to them. Why do you begin here?
4. “Metaphor and Poetry”
- You talk about metaphor and the necessity of poetic language. You even end each chapter with a poem. What was that all about?
5. “Owen Barfield”
- You draw a lot on an Inkling who is generally lesser-known, Owen Barfield. Last season we had a mini-series on his work. What’s the chief idea you draw on from his works?
6. “Incarnational”
- In your book, you talk about making apologetics “incarnational”. What do you mean by that?
7. “Book Goal”
- What would you say is your goal with this book? What are you hoping for your readers?
More Information
Next Month…
David is going to be writing his book, while Andrew and Matt publish episodes about A Severe Mercy.
