Donald T Williams

Most books on Tolkien are organized thematically. This one is arranged episodically, following the history of Middle-earth from its creation in the first chapter of The Silmarillion to the hints about the Fourth Age in the Appendices of The Return of the King. It offers a reader's commentary on those episodes, bringing out the artistry behind their composition and the meaning behind their narrative to enhance the reader's experience of the story as it unfolds. The meaning that emerges is a profoundly Christian meditation on the advice of Ulmo: "Love not too well the work of thine own hands." The conflict between those who love the work of their own hands appropriately and those who love it idolatrously forms the history of Tolkien's world-and of ours.

To the casual observer the major contributors of the Protestant Reformation include a select few--Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and perhaps Philip Melanchthon. However, the movement might have easily perished in its infancy were it not for a very unique and courageous company of more obscure individuals who worked together across continental Europe during the sixteenth century--Martin Bucer, Wolfgang Capito, Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, Matthew and Katarina Zell, Menno Simons, John Oecolampadius, Andreas Karlstadt, and Heinrich Bullinger, to name a few. This book draws the reader into three often-ignored elements of the Reformation: first, the interaction the reformers had with each other through dialogues, letters, debates, and colloquies; second, the weaknesses, blemishes, and misdeeds of the reformers (in addition to their strengths and accomplishments); and third, the contributions of the lesser-known reformers in addition to the prominent ones. It is a story as vividly powerful as any adventure novel--it is a story of Fallible Heroes.

"Is Man a Myth?" asks the title of one of Mr. Tumnus's books. It was apparently an open question in Narnia during the Long Winter, and it has become so again for us. In Mere Humanity, Donald T. Williams plumbs the writings of three beloved Twentieth-Century authors to find answers that still resonate in the Twenty-First. Chesterton, Lewis, and Tolkien explain in their expositions and incarnate in their fiction a robust biblical doctrine of man that gives us a firm place to stand against the various forms of reductionism that dominate our thinking about human nature today.

Contrary to the popular perception that C.S. Lewis was merely a religious writer, there is a good case to be made for Lewis being one of the major British writers of the twentieth century if we look at him as a prime member of a resurgent Romantic movement after the Second World War. Much has been written on Lewis’s thoughts on joy, a central aspect of his Romanticism. However, Lewis was at the same time a rationalist, and managed to merge his Rationalism with his Romanticism in a unique and original manner. And his Romanticism likewise was complex and owed much to both George MacDonald and, through the medium of MacDonald’s thought, to the Romanticism of William Wordsworth.This study traces the aspects of Lewis’s romantic thought as it is drawn from MacDonald, Wordsworth and other influences, and traces how, beyond his fascination with joy, Lewis constructed a consistent romantic vision that allowed for a balance with reason and stood in contradiction to the literary movements of his time.

Donald T. Williams learned a lot about the Christian worldview from Francis Schaeffer and CS Lewis, but it was actually Tolkien who first showed him that such a thing exists and is an essential component of maturing faith. Not only do explicitly Christian themes underlie the plot structure of The Lord of the Rings, but in essays such as "On Fairie Stories" Tolkien shows that he did not only believe the Gospel on Sunday but treated it as true of the rest of the week and used his commitment to that truth as the key to further insights in his work as a student of literature. "You can do that?" Williams thought as a young man not yet exposed to any Christian who was a serious thinker. "I want to do that " His hope is that his readers will catch that same vision from this book. An Encouraging Thought elucidates the ways in which Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are informed by and communicate to a biblical worldview. This book will help readers appreciate the ways in which a biblical worldview reports Tolkien's work, to the end that their faith may be confirmed in strength, focused in understanding, deepened in joy, and honed in its ability to communicate the Gospel.

Contrary to the popular perception that C.S. Lewis was merely a religious writer, there is a good case to be made for Lewis being one of the major British writers of the twentieth century if we look at him as a prime member of a resurgent Romantic movement after the Second World War. Much has been written on Lewis's thoughts on joy, a central aspect of his Romanticism. However, Lewis was at the same time a rationalist, and managed to merge his Rationalism with his Romanticism in a unique and original manner. And his Romanticism likewise was complex and owed much to both George MacDonald and, through the medium of MacDonald's thought, to the Romanticism of William Wordsworth.This study traces the aspects of Lewis's romantic thought as it is drawn from MacDonald, Wordsworth and other influences, and traces how, beyond his fascination with joy, Lewis constructed a consistent romantic vision that allowed for a balance with reason and stood in contradiction to the literary movements of his time.

There is probably nothing in the Christian life which is more advocated and less attempted, more urged and less understood or more praised and less practiced than prayer....The prayer Jesus gave was a model payer His disciples could use....You will find it a powerful reshaper of your priorities in both praying and living....And the place to begin is to take up the position of a disciple of Jesus, praying, 'Lord, teach me to pray.' - from the Introduction Donald Williams is a graduate of Taylor University, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the University of Georgia where he earned a Ph.D. in Medieval and Renaissance Literature. An ordained minister of the Evangelical Free Church in America, Dr. Williams currently serves as Professor of English and Director of the School of Arts and Sciences at Toccoa Falls College.

When New Testament writers mention God's pledge to grant his Holy Spirit, their words depict more than just a simple promise to make available his comfort. Rather, they describe a nonrefundable down payment on all the blessings of heaven and a commitment that God will never abandon us until he has completed his work in our lives. In 'The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit', Donald T. Williams presents a comprehensive study of the Holy Spirit, helping readers answer their most pressing questions about the Holy Spirit, including: ""Is the Holy Spirit working today? ""How can I recognize gifts of the Holy Spirit in my life?"" ""What about speaking in tongues?"" ""How do I know my life is sealed by the Holy Spirit?"" ""How can I identify true assurance of salvation from the Holy Spirit?"" With its readable style, chapter summaries, ideas for practical application, and questions for further reading, this book is an excellent guide for serious personal or group study of the Holy Spirit. If you are considering serious study of the Holy Spirit - at any level - start with this book.

This book, the first ever overview of the subject, traces the history of the government of higher education from the middle ages through the 1950's and concludes with a look towards the future. It provides insight into the origins and progression of corporate organization associated with western universities, and explores whether and to what extent changing conditions raise the question of its obsolescence. It will be of interest to those who study higher education as well as the general public, governing board members, and professors.