28 Feb 2026

No Ordinary People

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The C. S. Lewis Center of Sterling College (Kansas) is hosting a conference, “No Ordinary People,” March 26-27, 2026. It kicks off with an evening presentation by Dan Hamilton Thursday evening, and features a keynote by Nathan King on Friday morning. Papers will be presented through the day on Friday, culminating in an evening performance by the Ghost Light Players. Rare items from the C. S. Lewis Center will be available for viewing.

Sterling College, C. S. Lewis conference

Schedule of Events

  • Thursday, March 26th, 7:00 P.M., Mabee Library Lewis Center. Dan Hamilton. “Beyond the Text.” Join literary historian Dan Hamilton as he uncovers the fascinating detective work and unexpected insights discovered in books written by C.S. Lewis and the Inklings.
  • Friday, March 27th, 10:00 A.M., Culbertson Auditorium. Dr. Nathan L King. “Good Minds for a Good God: Discipleship, Education, and Virtues of the Mind.”
  • Friday, March 27th, Mabee Library. Paper Presentations will be happening throughout the day. Selected papers written by students, faculty, and Lewis scholars in response to the conference theme.
  • Friday, March 27th, 12:00 P.M., Cornerstone. Lunch at the Sterling College Cafeteria. Registrants may purchase lunch at the Sterling College Cafeteria for a discounted price ($8.99) when they show their conference name badge.
  • Friday, March 27th, 6:00 P.M., Culbertson Auditorium. Worship Service with the GhostLight Players. A culminating worship service featuring an artistic response to the conference theme from GhostLight Players, Sterling College’s theatre outreach team.

Links:

28 Feb 2026

Bicentenary celebrations

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By Kerry Magruder

2024 was the 200th anniversary of George MacDonald’s birth (1824-1905). Some of the celebrations were:

  1. May 29-31, 2024: Wheaton College. “George MacDonald and the Prophetic Imagination.” Sponsored by the George MacDonald Society and the Marion E. Wade Center. Program (PDF).
  2. Concert program
  3. October 10-12, 2024: Covenant College. “Growing Younger: Literature and Childlike Faith.”
  4. November 8-9, 2024: St. Andrews University. “Borderlands: George MacDonald Between Worlds.”
  5. December 13-14, 2024: Yale University. “Genius of George MacDonald.” (Schedule; Live-stream). Sponsored by Drexel University and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.

Concert at Yale University,
Concert at Yale University, “The Genius of George MacDonald,” December 2024.

As with the centenary celebration in 1924, these bicentennial events explored MacDonald’s imaginative vision through formal papers and presentations integrated with music, drama, art, and conversation over mealtimes, and even hands-on sessions in archives and historical sites. With eschatological hope and ecumenical hospitality arising from the love of the Father, they were community-forming gatherings more than merely academic conferences. Their ramifications will ripple out over years to come.

Malcolm Guite, then Society President, recorded the following “Spell in the Library” short video capturing some of the remarkable documents from the Beinecke MacDonald Collection at Yale that we all got to examine:

Here’s Malcom’s evening keynote from the second day of the Wheaton gathering:

And just for fun, here’s one of Malcolm’s “Spell in the Library” episodes where he reads from the first chapter of Phantastes. It makes a great companion to his keynote (above).