Wade Center Events

The Wade Center plans to record all events and upload them to our YouTube channel unless otherwise noted and barring any technical difficulties.

• APRIL 16, 2026 @ 4PM, BAKKE AUDITORIUM
  “Under a Northern Sky: Early Medieval Influences on Tolkien’s The Children of Húrin” with Ben Weber
  This lecture will consider the ways in which Tolkien was inspired by different stories from what he calls the “nameless North," suggesting that the legends of Sigurd and the Vǫlsungs can deepen our appreciation of the tale of Túrin and tell us something about Tolkien as a reader of early medieval literature. Co-sponsored with the Old English Reading Group, Wheaton College English Department, and Wheaton College Tolkien Society.
  Watch the Weber Lecture Livestream
• MAY 8, 2026 @ 1:30PM, BAKKE AUDITORIUM
  “Magic, Science, Poetry: C.S. Lewis and the Battle for the Modern Soul” with Jason Baxter  Commencement Weekend lecture and book signing
  This lecture will explore a mysterious scene from the final novel in C.S. Lewis’s science fiction trilogy, That Hideous Strength, in light of Lewis's historical research on magic, poetry, and science in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.
  Watch the Baxter Livestream
• MAY 14, 2026 @ 7PM, BAKKE AUDITORIUM
  "C. S. Lewis: A Mentor by Mail" with David C. Downing
  C.S. Lewis published 40 books in his lifetime, and yet he found time to answer hundreds of letters from complete strangers. He considered it a part of his Christian ministry to answer letters from his readers, including questions about theology, prayer, the Bible, and struggles with doubt. This lecture, in celebration of the new book, “Letters on Living the Faith” by C.S. Lewis, will include samples of his letters of advice and counsel.
  Watch the Downing Livestream