EST. 1976 KNOWING A Teaching Quarterly for Discipleship of Heart and Mind C. S. LEWIS INSTITUTE OING &D Fall 2006 PROFILES IN FAITH IN THIS ISSUE Malcolm Muggeridge (1903–1990) 3 C.S. Lewis “Mr. Valiant-for-Truth”: Reminiscenses of a Friendship Institute Feature: Character by James M. Houston by Art Lindsley Senior Fellow, C.S. Lewis Institute 6 What’s Founder of Regent College (Vancouver, B.C.) and Happening to Professor of Spiritual Theology (retired) Atheism by Alister McGrath 8 Four Circles of Intimacy homas Malcolm Muggeridge to organize in Oxford. Through him I with God was born in 1903, named by his was introduced to his father, after he by J. Oswald Sanders father Henry after Thomas Car- had resigned as rector of Edinburgh T lyle. A lover of words, University. A friendship then 12 Fellows Feature: TMalcolm was to become one continued with Malcolm and Cultivating Godly of the great literary figures of later his wife Kitty, from 1968 Ambition by Steven J. Law British public life in the twen- until a few years before Mal- tieth century. After the death colm died in 1990. 16 Guest Feature: of C.S. Lewis in 1963, many After the death Malcolm came from a The Flight from came to regard Muggeridge poor home, with an illiterate Reality of C.S. Lewis by Michael as Lewis’ successor as a mother and a father whose Ramsden Christian popular apologist. in 1963, many career as a socialist mem- Although he grew up in an came to regard ber of Parliament was brief. 28 Conference atheistic environment, Mal- In spite of this background, Resources colm admitted to me that he Muggeridge Malcolm was educated at had always believed in God, as Lewis’ Cambridge and became a vague though his religious journalist. He had a great convictions remained for a successor as love of words, pouring out long time in his life. One can millions of them.2 Like his trace this search for God in a Christian father, he had a passion for reading his diary1 and other popular “truth,” but living among the of his works from the 1930s. rich and the famous, he had Malcolm’s eldest son, apologist. much greater opportunity to Leonard (born in 1928), had become quixotic, and either become an evangelical as hated or idolized. His wife, a member of the Plymouth Kitty, was the niece of Bea- Brethren while in the British trice Webb, whose biography army in Austria, during the she wrote.3 Beatrice and her early 1960s. I had gotten to know Leon- husband, Sidney (Lord Passfield), estab- ard when he attended an annual sum- lished the London School of Economics, mer biblical conference I had helped founding Fabians, many of whose ideas (continued on page 18) KNOWING & DOING A Note from the President is a publication of the C.S. LEWIS INSTITUTE, INC. Production Editor, Karen Rummel It is both sadness and joy that we feel this I SENIOR FELLOW summer at the departure of our dear friend James M. Houston, Ph.D. C. S. LEWIS and colleague, Jim Beavers. At the end of SENIOR FELLOW July, Jim left the staff of the C.S. Lewis Insti- INSTITUTE Steven S. Garber, Ph.D. tute and moved to Ambridge, Pennsylvania, E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 7 6 SENIOR FELLOW where he will attend Trinity Episcopal School Arthur W. Lindsley, Ph.D. for Ministry. SENIOR ASSOCIATE I first met Jim and his wife, Anne, in 1990, when I was Greg Headington, D.Min. on the search committee that interviewed Jim for the posi- PRESIDENT tion of Headmaster of Trinity Christian School in Fairfax, Thomas A. Tarrants, III Virginia. He and I became fast friends and have been ever since. His commitment to Christ, sterling character, servant In the legacy of EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Thomas W. Simmons heart, and professional excellence have been a great exam- ple to me over the years. Jim faithfully led Trinity Christian C.S. Lewis, ADMINISTRATOR Emily J. Roberts School from a small, struggling, church-based school of 120 students to a strong institution with 320 students on four the Institute COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR James L. Beavers campuses. Under his inspired leadership, a capital cam- paign successfully purchased 25 acres of prime real estate endeavors to develop VOLUNTEERS in Fairfax County, where the school has subsequently built OFFICE & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT a beautiful facility, housing 525 students. disciples who can Karen Olink When he joined the staff of the institute in 2000, he PECIAL ROJECTS brought his considerable gifts to bear in helping us re- articulate, defend, S P B.J. Blunt invigorate the small and struggling C.S. Lewis Institute, which had been languishing for several years. His good and live HOSPITALITY COORDINATOR Jennifer Collins judgment, commitment to excellence, and attention to detail have played a major role in the institute becoming what it faith in Christ CONFERENCE COORDINATORS Jim & Cynthia Eckert is today. Although we will miss Jim greatly, we are excited about through personal and BOARD OF DIRECTORS his future. His natural and spiritual gifts clearly point to Kenneth W. Broussard pastoral ministry. And his study at Trinity Episcopal School public life. William R. Deven James W. Eckert for Ministry will prepare him well to enter into the service of Christ in the orthodox Anglican world. Elizabeth B. Fitch, Esq. Cherie Harder Please join us in praying for Jim and Anne as they make James R. Hiskey Dennis P. Hollinger, Ph.D. this change and embark on a new stage of life in the service Kerry A. Knott of Jesus and his church. Arthur W. Lindsley, Ph.D. With great appreciation and affection, Carl R. Meyer John O. Renken, Esq. Bruce M. Scott Thomas A. Tarrants, III © 2006 C.S. LEWIS INSTITUTE. Portions of For the Board and Staff this publication may be reproduced for of the C.S. Lewis Institute noncommercial, local church, or ministry use without prior permission. For quantity reprints or other uses, please contact the CSLI offices. KNOWING & DOING is published by the C.S. Lewis Institute and is available on request. A suggested annual contribution of $25 or more is requested to provide for its production and publication. An electronic version (PDF file) is available as well and can be obtained via the web site: www.cslewisinstitute.org. Page 2 Requests for changes of address may be made in writing to: KNOWING & DOING C.S. LEWIS INSTITUTE; 8001 Braddock Road, Suite 300; Springfield, VA 22151-2110 Fall 2006 or via e-mail to: [email protected]. C.S. Lewis Character Institute by Art Lindsley Feature C.S. Lewis Senior Fellow “Consider how to stimulate one another to is easy to neglect the cultural context love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24). Love is in which people live, the social, eco- never safe apart from character. nomic, and community pressures that contradict or undermine faithfulness. Character in Crisis We can also underestimate the diffi- The oft-discussed crisis of character culty of reversing deeply entrenched in this nation is due to the widespread patterns (bad habits) that bind us. We Art Lindsley disdain for moral absolutes. If there is can also neglect desire. We can teach nothing fixed, then character is based people duty, but it is much more diffi- on quicksand. The attitude of many cult to teach the desire to do your duty. Dr. Art Lindsley is a Senior Fellow with the (more than two-thirds of people in the You can want to do what’s right (desire), C.S. Lewis Institute, USA) is that morality is based on the but not know what right is (duty). But where he has served since situation or that it is solely a matter of many know what is right (duty) yet 1987. Formerly, he was Director of Educational personal preference. Despite this rela- lack sufficient desire to consistently do Ministries of the Ligonier tivistic tendency, there is a desperate it. So we must seriously “consider how Valley Study Center desire to inculcate character in the edu- to stimulate one another” to really love and Staff Specialist with Coalition for Christian cational process. But you cannot have and consistently manifest good deeds. Outreach, Pittsburgh, it both ways. Either you give up your Pennsylvania. Art relativism or you give up a solid foun- The Importance of Character received a B.S. (Chemistry) from Seattle dation for character. As the Hebrews Love is never safe apart from character. How Pacific University, an passage calls us to do, we need to “con- can we risk loving friends, spouses, co- M.Div. from Pittsburgh sider how” to shape or create character workers, neighbors, and fellow citizens? Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. (Religious in our time. Sometimes we are called to love without Studies) from the The word for “let us consider” (kata- regard for our own safety (as in loving University of Pittsburgh. noeo) is used fourteen times in the New our enemies). Yet it is wise before en- He is author of True Truth: Defending Testament. It means “notice, consider, tering into a long-term relationship to Absolute Truth in a pay attention to, look closely at.” George consider the other person’s character. Relativistic World Guthrie says: “Believers are to rivet their This is especially true in friendship, (IVP, 2004), C.S. Lewis’s Case for Christ attention on the need for conscious ac- marriage, business partnership, etc. (IVP, 2005), and co- tivities of encouragement among those Love in a relationship is only safe when author with R.C.