What is it about a story that has the power to change a person, through a person a society, and through a society the world? It is that through story and the faculty of imagination, we connect and engage with something outside of ourselves. We can see through a lens not our own and experience circumstances not ours. This issue explores the role story plays in imaginative apologetics, explaining the Christian truth, through a collection of both essays an stories. CONTRIBUTORS Annie Crawford: "Literary Apologetics: A Spell for the Refreshment of the Spirit" on why stories matter. Rebekah Valerius: "Hume in Elfland." A short story on an imagined meeting between G. K. Chesterton and David Hume where worldviews, imaginations, and miracles collide. "Devouring Reason: The Myth of Arachne Retold." A short story on the desire for meaning. Charlotte Thomason: "For What Purpose." An essay on why C. S. Lewis wrote about Narnia. Nicole Howe: "Augustine's The Confessions: The Power of Spiritual Biography." An essay on the importance of first person testimonies. Korine Martinez: "Dry Bones." A short story about why we must not lose hope, dedicated to the community of Santa Fe, Texas. Annie Crawford: "Finding Faith in Fairy Tales: Answers for Modern Skeptics from C. S. Lewis' The Silver Chair." An essay on why faith is a reasonable answer to uncertainty. Edward A. W. Stengel: "God the Great Iconoclast: C. S. Lewis' Personal Theodicy." An essay addressing the problem of pain. Seth Myers: "Lewis in La La Land." An essay on the movie La La Land and the search for significance. Karise Gililland: "Sneaking Past Watchful Dragons: Imaginative Apologetics and the Games We Play." An essay on how games are a delayed apologetic. 173 pages Volume 1, Issue 2, Summer 2018

What is it about a story that has the power to change a person, through a person a society, and through a society the world? It is that through story and the faculty of imagination, we connect and engage with something outside of ourselves. We can see through a lens not our own and experience circumstances not ours. This issue explores the role story plays in imaginative apologetics, explaining the Christian truth, through a collection of both essays an stories. CONTRIBUTORS Annie Crawford: “Literary Apologetics: A Spell for the Refreshment of the Spirit” on why stories matter. Rebekah Valerius: “Hume in Elfland.” A short story on an imagined meeting between G. K. Chesterton and David Hume where worldviews, imaginations, and miracles collide. “Devouring Reason: The Myth of Arachne Retold.” A short story on the desire for meaning. Charlotte Thomason: “For What Purpose.” An essay on why C. S. Lewis wrote about Narnia. Nicole Howe: “Augustine’s The Confessions: The Power of Spiritual Biography.” An essay on the importance of first person testimonies. Korine Martinez: “Dry Bones.” A short story about why we must not lose hope, dedicated to the community of Santa Fe, Texas. Annie Crawford: “Finding Faith in Fairy Tales: Answers for Modern Skeptics from C. S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair.” An essay on why faith is a reasonable answer to uncertainty. Edward A. W. Stengel: “God the Great Iconoclast: C. S. Lewis’ Personal Theodicy.” An essay addressing the problem of pain. Seth Myers: “Lewis in La La Land.” An essay on the movie La La Land and the search for significance. Karise Gililland: “Sneaking Past Watchful Dragons: Imaginative Apologetics and the Games We Play.” An essay on how games are a delayed apologetic. 173 pages Volume 1, Issue 2, Summer 2018

The Power of Imagination Our imaginations are often treated as relics of our childhood. We are told to grow up and leave that sense of awe and wonder behind. What if these modernistic tendencies were entirely wrong? What if we were meant to live enchanted lives, seeing the world with the joy and amazement? This collection of essays, stories, and poems is meant to explore the power of the imagination and its unique connection to our human nature. Contributors "Imagination and Its Role in Faith" by C.M. Alvarez. An essay on how imagination open the mind to faith. "We Have Sinned and Grown Old: A Reflection on Imagination and Motherhood" by Nicole Howe. An essay on the innocence of youthful wonder. "Messiah" by Adam L. Brackin. A short story of a voyage to Paradise. "Awe" by Annie Nardone. A poem regarding a sense of wonder. "The Adventures of Asher Svenson, Story Two: A Feast of Fishes" by Lucas Holt. The second installment with the tale of Asher Svenson and his adventures at the seashore. "Reviving a Sacred Imagination" by Annie Crawford. An essay on the way reason and imagination are both necessary for discipleship. "Light in the Darkness" by Korine Martinez. A short story about striving against evil. Inspired by the true story of Charlotte Thomason. "Imagining Conversion" by Josiah Peterson. An essay regarding the way conversion stories change lives. "God, the Playwright" by Donald W. Catchings, Jr. A poem on the Gospel as an imaginative masterpiece. "The Armor of the Dragon: Chapter One - What Grew in the Garden" by Daniel Asperheim. A short story on the beginning of a magical adventure. "Re-Enchanting the World: A Tale of Two Paradigms" by Josh Herring. An essay on overcoming our modern disenchantment. "Celestial Rodeo" by Daniel Ray. A short story on the importance of humility. "The Imaginative Power of Sub-Creation" by Zak Schmoll. An essay reflecting on why we love Tolkien's stories. Cover art by Virginia de la Lastra Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 2019 ​​​​​​​198 pages

Where would a culture be without its heroes and their acts of courage? How can a society survive without strength and hope? It is in the dark times and in moments of weakness that stories of courage and strength, those which promise hope, have the most value. This issue explores the redemptive power of stories and their ability to impact and transform. Contributors: C.M. Alvarez: “Hope, Life, and the Fountain of Trevi,” a reflection on the enduring draw of the famous fountain; “Lava: A Story of Love and Hope” on the deeper meanings found within the Pixar short; and “The Making of a Hero,” a commentary on the forms of courage and an illustration of its development found in C.S. Lewis’s “Till We Have Faces” and the film, “Dear Frankie” directed by Shona Auerbach. Karise Gililland: “Relict,” a poem on the transition from bewildered suffering to active hope. Lucas W. Holt: “The Adventures of Asher Svenson: Story One: The Secret Wood,” a short story on the Mystery of the Forest. Nicole Howe: “A Reason for Our Hope: The Role of Fairy Stories in Christian Apologetics,” an essay on why fairy stories matter. Jason Monroe: “The Lord of the Rings and Consolation Concerning Death” on the central theme of J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpiece. Annie Nardone: “The Power in Pain” on the first-hand experience of pain. Seth Myers: “Tales of Courage and Hope: Black Panther in Middle Earth and Narnia” on the connections from Oxford to Hollywood; and “Tales of Courage and Hope: Hamilton in Middle Earth and Narnia: Part One & Part Two” on the connections from Oxford to Broadway. Josiah Peterson: “The Homeric Versus the Christian Ideal of Man” on contrasting the nature of humanity Daniel Ray: “Courage in the Cosmos” on the Boldness of Our Story. Zak Schmoll: “The Heroism of the Ordinary in The Lord of the Rings” on the character of Samwise Gamgee.

When Michael Ward's Planet Narnia emerged a decade ago, myriad things were pulled into its orbit: The immense gravitational force altered the field of C.S. Lewis studies, to be sure, but the discovery's scope stretched far into the worlds of literary criticism, Christian apologetics, and the arts. Only now, after ten years under its influence, have we begun to consider the magnitude of Planet Narnia's effects, and perhaps it is best to begin such an index by cultivating a jovial atmosphere of appreciation. Thus we curated this issue to celebrate both Dr. Ward and his stellar work. Photography: Lancia E. Smith Illustrations: Virginia de la Lastra Artwork: Ryan Grube. Contributors: Adam L. Brackin: "Quarantine," a short story. Annie Crawford: "The Cure Has Begun." Brenton Dickieson: "(Re)Considering the Planet Narnia Thesis," a challenging essay to the thesis. Ryan Grube: "For Your Contemplation" Malcolm Guite: "Planet Narnia as Creative Inspiration," an essay; "The Daily Planet," a poem; "The Circle Dance", a poem. Marshall Liszt: "Gravitational Pull," a reflection. Louis Markos: "Why We Love to Visit Narnia." Jason Monroe: "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the Rehabilitation of Practical Reason." Holly Ordway: "A Seven-Day's Journey through the Heavens," a poem Jahdiel Perez: "Where Paradoxes Play," Michael Ward on Christian Orthodoxy. Josiah Peterson: "A Defense of Planet Narnia." John Mark Reynolds: "An Unexpected Journey: Imaginative Apologetics and the Ward Moment," A personal reflection from Dr. John Mark Reynolds on the origins of the apologetics program at Houston Baptist University. Michael Ward: "Seven Questions," an interview with Dr. Michael Ward and An Unexpected Journal, and "Return to Planet Narnia" with additional support for the planetary thesis. Donald T. Williams: "C.S. Lewis, A Life," a poem. Kyoko Yuasa: "Table Narnia: Fugue to Evangelical Adventure," an essay on the symbolism of the table throughout the Chronicles.

The Power of Imagination Our imaginations are often treated as relics of our childhood. We are told to grow up and leave that sense of awe and wonder behind. What if these modernistic tendencies were entirely wrong? What if we were meant to live enchanted lives, seeing the world with the joy and amazement? This collection of essays, stories, and poems is meant to explore the power of the imagination and its unique connection to our human nature. Contributors "Imagination and Its Role in Faith" by C.M. Alvarez. An essay on how imagination open the mind to faith. "We Have Sinned and Grown Old: A Reflection on Imagination and Motherhood" by Nicole Howe. An essay on the innocence of youthful wonder. "Messiah" by Adam L. Brackin. A short story of a voyage to Paradise. "Awe" by Annie Nardone. A poem regarding a sense of wonder. "The Adventures of Asher Svenson, Story Two: A Feast of Fishes" by Lucas Holt. The second installment with the tale of Asher Svenson and his adventures at the seashore. "Reviving a Sacred Imagination" by Annie Crawford. An essay on the way reason and imagination are both necessary for discipleship. "Light in the Darkness" by Korine Martinez. A short story about striving against evil. Inspired by the true story of Charlotte Thomason. "Imagining Conversion" by Josiah Peterson. An essay regarding the way conversion stories change lives. "God, the Playwright" by Donald W. Catchings, Jr. A poem on the Gospel as an imaginative masterpiece. "The Armor of the Dragon: Chapter One - What Grew in the Garden" by Daniel Asperheim. A short story on the beginning of a magical adventure. "Re-Enchanting the World: A Tale of Two Paradigms" by Josh Herring. An essay on overcoming our modern disenchantment. "Celestial Rodeo" by Daniel Ray. A short story on the importance of humility. "The Imaginative Power of Sub-Creation" by Zak Schmoll. An essay reflecting on why we love Tolkien's stories. Cover art by Virginia de la Lastra Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 2019 198 pages