REDLANDS, Calif., June 24, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Stan Mattson, Ph.D., president and founder of the C.S. Lewis Foundation, today announced that Pastor Rick Warren, renown best-selling author of A Purpose-Driven Life, has confirmed his participation in the upcoming C.S. Lewis Institute conference in Oxford and Cambridge, England, from July 24 through August 6, 2005.
Organized by the California-based C.S. Lewis Foundation, this conference is entitled "Making All Things New: The Good, the True and the Beautiful in the 21st Century. "Set in the medieval university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, Oxbridge 2005 will feature presentations by leading scholars and artists representing many Christian traditions and interests from around the world, in the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences, and interlaced with music, dance, theater and worship.
Pastor Warren's presentations will be first, in Oxford, "The Good, the True and the Beautiful-To What End?" and second, in Cambridge, an informal interview by former national radio host Dick Staub.
"Pastor Rick Warren brings a wonderful pragmatic dimension to this conference," explains Mattson. "Our desire is that people will return home and integrate what they receive in a meaningful way within the context of their own individual vocations and circumstances. Pastor Rick helps reinforce that probability with his special talent for translating important and lofty ideals into practical, easy-to-understand, actionable principles."
Other speakers include Susanna Caroselli, Chuck Colson, David Cook, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Richard Foster, Dana Gioia, Malcolm Guite, David Lyle Jeffrey, Bishop James Jones, Peter Kreeft, Vishal Mangalwadi, Louis Markos, Alister McGrath, Kathleen Norris, Joseph Pearce, Tony Thiselton, Dean Trulear and Kallistos Ware.
Afternoon seminars feature topics on C.S. Lewis, the Inklings, contemplative prayer, peacemaking and reconciliation, political engagement, the Christian scholar in the secular academy, the Oxford libraries, medical and business ethics, social justice, cultural apologetics, science and theology, philosophy, architectural and art history. Workshops include creative writing, theater, dance, choral performance and the visual arts.
Special events include evensong service at Ely Cathedral, a traditional English country dinner dance at Chilford Hall, performances by the Riding Lights Theatre Company of York, England, Oxford City Orchestra, the Institute Chorale, dramatic portrayals of C.S. Lewis by British actor Joss Ackland and American actor Tom Key, and a final eucharistic service of dedication at Kings College Chapel. Optional day trips include Warwick Castle, The Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, Blenheim Palace, Lewis' beloved home, "The Kilns," (now owned and beautifully restored by the Foundation) and an evening of Shakespeare in the park.
For more information or to register for Oxbridge 2005, please visit www.cslewis.org, or call toll free 1-800-CSLEWIS.
About the C.S. Lewis Foundation: Founded in 1986 by a small group of Christian scholars, and inspired by the life and legacy of renowned English professor, author and speaker C.S. Lewis, the C.S. Lewis Foundation is dedicated to advancing the renewal of Christian scholarship and artistic expression throughout the mainstream world of learning and the culture at large. For more information, please visit www.cslewis.org.