C.S. Lewis: Reason and Imagination

October 9-10, 2025
The College of Arts & Humanities and the School of Christian Thought are proud to present the Houston Christian University C. S. Lewis Conference: Reason and Imagination. Taking place on the Houston Christian University campus, this conference will feature a spectacular list of C.S. Lewis experts and thought-provoking speakers. The event will begin with a series of speakers who were selected from an open proposal call. These presentations will cover Lewis’ influence on scholarship, religious communities, literature, and the larger culture. Day one of the conference will culminate with the annual A. O. Collins Lecture. Leading C.S. Lewis scholar Michael Ward will be delivering this year’s lecture on the beloved Lewis character, Aslan. Day two of the conference will feature an international list of scholars covering topics on Lewis from a variety of academic disciplines. Don’t miss out on Friday’s banquet with a special address from Louis Markos. Michael Ward will complete the conference with the keynote address: “What has Anscombe to do with Narnia? From Miracles to Chronicles.”
Registration Pricing:
Standard registration- $55
Student registration- $20
Breakout presenter- $30
Program sponsor ($150)- includes attendance for one, name in the program, and thanked from stage.
Table sponsor ($300)- includes attendance for two, name in the program, thanked from stage, and table at the conference.
Please contact Trevor Harris (harristh@HC.edu) to inquire about sponsoring.

REGISTER NOW

T-shirts available for purchase for $25 at time of registration (through Sep. 1)

General Schedule

 

Day/Time
THURSDAY, OCT. 9
9:00 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
Breakout paper presentations–> presentation schedule
 Hinton Center
7:00-9:00 p.m.
A. O. Collins Lecture:  “Aslan at 75: Reflections on C.S. Lewis’s Christological Imagination.”
Belin Chapel
Michael Ward
FRIDAY, OCT. 10
C. S. Lewis Conference
8:00-9:00 a.m.
Registration, with coffee
9:00 a.m.
Welcome
Belin Chapel
9:15-10:00 a.m.
(30-minute lecture with 15 minutes for questions)
Talk #1: “A Case for Dismay: C.S. Lewis’s Moral Argument”
Belin Chapel
Robert Garcia
10:00-10:45 a.m.
Talk #2: “George MacDonald’s Influence on C. S. Lewis”
Belin Chapel
Monika B. Hilder
10:45-11:00 a.m.
Break
11:00-11:45 a.m.
Talk #3 “Retrieving Natural Philosophy for Humanity’s Sake: Prophetic Warning and Exhortation in The Abolition of Man”
Belin Chapel
Melissa Cain Travis
11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Catered Lunch (available for purchase)
1:00-1:45 p.m.
Talk #4 “Just War, Proper Emotion, and Union with God: Lewis’s Christian Conception of the Morality of War”
Belin Chapel
Chris Eberle
1:45-2:30 p.m.
Talk #5: “C. S. Lewis’s Nature Poetry: Yearning for Eden”
Belin Chapel
Don King
2:30-3:00 p.m.
Break
3:00-3:45 p.m.
Talk #6: ‘“It’s only a model’: Thoughts on The Discarded Image and Disenchantment in the West”
Belin Chapel
David Davis
5:00-7:15 p.m.
Banquet w/ Speech (available for purchase)
McNair Hall
Louis Markos
7:30-8:45 p.m.
Keynote Address: “What has Anscombe to do with Narnia? From Miracles to Chronicles”
Belin Chapel
Michael Ward

Location
The conference is taking place on the campus of HCU-
7502 Fondren Rd., Houston, TX 77074.
Thursday paper presentation are taking place in the Hinton Center (building HC on campus map).
Friday conference is taking place in the Morris Cultural Arts Center (building MCAC on campus map).
Link to Campus Map. Visitor parking are Lots 2 & 5.

C. S. Lewis Conference attendees earn a 50% discount on tickets to the 2pm performance of “Freud’s Last Session” on October 11! “Imagine stepping into a room where two of history’s greatest minds battle it out over life’s biggest questions. Freud’s Last Session is a thrilling, thought-provoking play that brings together Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, and C.S. Lewis, famed author and theologian. Set in London on the eve of World War II, this gripping drama is filled with humor, tension, and deep philosophical debates.” Join HTS professors and alumni for this great event!

For questions about the Call for Papers, contact Julianna Leachman (jleachman@HC.edu).
For general questions about the conference, contact Trevor Harris (harristh@HC.edu).