Mere Masculinity: C.S. Lewis on Virtue, Violence, and Chivalry

Masculinity is a polarized subject these days. How can followers of Jesus faithfully navigate this fraught landscape? This group will seek to gain clarity and inspiration from C.S. Lewis' "chivalric" vision of masculinity, drawing widely from his essays, poetry, and fiction.

Where: Media Room (upstairs conference room)

Who: Drew Masterson

When: Biweekly on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (starting 9/11)

Contact: Drew@studycenter.net

Masculinity, like almost everything today, is polarized. On one end are a storm of voices calling for men to deny any meaningful masculine distinctiveness. Everything “traditionally masculine” gets deemed “toxic.” But on the other end, we find prominent voices clamoring for men to unleash their inner caveman, to claim and conquer the things we desire.

How can followers of Jesus faithfully navigate this fraught landscape? Can we forge a positive masculine vision, able to hold the tension between the complexities of a broken world and the counter-cultural Christian ethic?

One way forward is to look back at other Christians who responded thoughtfully to the cultural tensions of their day and context. In this small group, we will look at the “chivalric” masculinity commended by C.S. Lewis—not because we think he gets everything right, but because wrestling with his responses can help us speak and live with greater clarity and conviction in our own cultural moment.

In order to catch his vision and context, we will be reading and discussing a sampling of essays, poems, and fiction covering several relevant topics: pacifism, brotherhood, futility, virtue, and vice. We hope you will join these conversations!