Addenda
A monthly e-mail newsletter from MARS HILL AUDIO
November, 15 2005 v Number 21
"The message of the gospel is not a 'spiritual' thing, but good tidings applied to man's entire existence. . . . The true New Testament expectation includes the new earth, and the present life is founded on and proceeds from this expectation. Only with an eye to God's future can one understand the richness of life in the present."
-- G. C. Berkouwer, The Return of Christ (Eerdmans, 1972)
New on our desks
The Culture of Narcissism Nearly Thirty Years Later
In the October/November 2005 issue of Policy Review, Christine Rosen attends to the critique of American society that historian and social critic Christopher Lasch (1932-1994) offered in his book The Culture of Narcissism. (When Lasch died in 1994, Ken Myers talked with Dominic Aquila about The Culture of Narcissism; the interview is featured on Volume 7 of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal. Lasch and his writings are addressed in a new anthology, Figures in the Carpet, several essays which will be discussed on upcoming issues of the Journal.) [Read more]
What Would Clive Do?
With the release of the movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, publishers far and near have released a large and diverse array of "tie-in" books, some of which (to those of us who have enjoyed these books for decades) are more than a little frightening. Yes, there is the C. S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies (one has to wonder What Would Clive Do?), which, according to Barnes and Noble's online store, was purchased by people who also purchased a book by John Shelby Spong (not, sadly, Theology for Dummies). One of the best books from this bumper crop is Alan Jacobs's The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis (available in abridged audio format from Audible.com and iTunes music stores, as well as on CD). Ken Myers interviewed Alan about the book just after it came out, and the conversation was so insightful that we are including over 40 minutes of it in Volume 77.
By this Friday (Nov. 18) we will post a short clip (in mp3 format) from this interview online on our C. S. Lewis webpage. Check it out later this week and have a listen.
The Christian Mind of C. S. Lewis
Speaking of tie-ins to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we recently produced The Christian Mind of C. S. Lewis, a compilation of six previous interviews about Lewis and his work, most from 1998 (the year marking the centenary of Lewis's birth), along with a reading of an essay (written during 1998) that reflects on Lewis's work and reputation. On this Anthology Ken Myers talks with Clyde Kilby about Lewis's view of the imagination; with Michael Aeschliman about Lewis's reasonable distrust of trusting reason too much; with James Como about the rhetorical genius in Lewis's writing; with Thomas Howard about the deep meaning of Till We Have Faces; and with Gilbert Meilaender about the surprising approach of Lewis's apologetics. The program concludes with Alan Jacobs's reading of his 1998 essay, "Lewis at 100." The Christian Mind of C. S. Lewis is available on cassette or CD for $7.00 each plus shipping and handling.
To purchase The Christian Mind of C. S. Lewis you may call us at 1.800.331.6407, mail or fax this PDF order form (see the end of this newsletter for our mailing address and fax number), or use our secure server (www.marshillaudio.org/recent).
Update on Volume 76 (September/October 2005)
MHAJ Volume 76 (September/October 2005) is being inserted into the vast mailstream of the U. S. Postal Service as of this writing. A listing of Volume 76's guests is available online, and you may listen to the CD bonus track with D. H. Williams, professor of religion at Baylor University who specializes in Patristics and historical theology (scroll to the bottom of the page). This interview clip and several other interviews in mp3 format are available online.
MARS HILL AUDIO Journal vs. Fruitcake
We have nothing against fruitcake; in fact, some of us look forward to the oft-maligned fruit- and nut-laden treat. But if you are drawing a blank with regard to someone on your Christmas list, and are considering this proverbial default gift, we'd like to suggest an alternative: A subscription to the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal.
A six-issue subscription to the Journal on cassette will cost you just $30 (slightly less expensive than a medium deluxe fruitcake from Collin Street Bakery, one of the better fruitcake purveyors) and only $42 on CD (a large deluxe fruitcake, in comparison, will set you back almost $50). And while a fruitcake can be appreciated for just a few days or weeks, the Journal will be received and enjoyed six times over the coming year.
In addition, if you give a gift subscription, you may take advantage of discounted rates for your own new subscription or renewal. This special offer is good through Dec. 31, 2005.
Each gift subscriber will receive Vol. 77 (November/December 2005), along with a Christmas card noting you as the gift-giver. In order to ensure timely pre-Christmas arrival, please have your order to us by Dec. 15.
To place an order online (including multiple subscriptions), see www.marshillaudio.org/xmas (use the promotion code XMEM05 in order to receive the discounted rates). To order by phone call us at 1.800.331.6407. Or you may download a printable gift order form and mail it to us at the address below, or fax it to us at 434.990.9090.
Christian Faith and Christian Consciousness
As
has generally been our practice, the letter from Ken Myers encouraging the
giving of gift subscriptions for Christmas has a didactic angle. In the current
letter Ken contrasts the idea of the Christian "worldview" with
something Romano Guardini describes as
"Christian consciousness." Ken writes, "The transformation of
which
The letter will arrive in your mailbox soon (if it has not already), and you may read a PDF version of the Christmas letter online.
A few words from Ken Myers
As a nonprofit organization, we depend on donations for a significant portion of our budget. As a result, I write a letter twice a year to our subscribers, reminding them of some aspect of our mission, and asking them to join us in accomplishing it by financial support. I decided early on that I would not write the typical fund-raising letter, with short paragraphs, bullet points, "handwritten" marginalia, and wavy, colored underlining emphasizing key passages, simulating a "personal" appeal in a form which everyone knows to be mass-produced. There is enough feigned sincerity in the world (and, as a result, very sincere cynicism) without my adding to it, even if the experts assure me that we will raise more money thereby.
Instead, I decided early on to write a letter that exemplified our mission as it requested support for it. Since subscribers were already willing to pay money for thoughtful reflections about the look of Christian faithfulness in an increasingly post-Christian culture, my letters have been an effort to remind our constituency by way of example what we are all about.
My second fundraising letter for this year will be in the mail to our subscribers in early December. It contains some musings about current assumptions about art and beauty, and raises the question of whether Christians think differently about such matters than do their non-Christian neighbors. Subscribers will receive this letter in the mail within the next few weeks, and if you wish, you may download a copy (in PDF format).
Deeply Discounted Tapes and CDs Available
We still have quite a few deeply discounted items available on our sale page, and the sale prices are good through November 30. Available are books on tape by Vigen Guroian, Gilbert Meilaender, and Alan Jacobs; various Conversations and Reports; and many back issues of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal. Prices are as cheap as $2.50 for many cassettes and $4.50 for many CDs. You may order online (www.marshillaudio.org/sale05) or call us at 1.800.331.6407.
Various Details, Disclaimers, Etc.
From time to time MARS HILL AUDIO may send you e-mail about your subscription (such as renewal offers) and information that may be of interest. Under no circumstances will we sell, rent, or give away your e-mail address to third parties. For further details on how we use your personal information, see MARS HILL AUDIO's privacy notice.
Given the overload of information nearly all of us receive, we don't blame you if you do not wish to receive Addenda. To stop delivery, use our online form; or reply to this e-mail and type "unsubscribe" in the message body. Please include your name so that we can easily find your record in our database.
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Copyright 2005 MARS HILL AUDIO, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Published by
MARS HILL AUDIO
Call 1.800.331.6407
Fax 1.434.990.9090