The Leadership of C.S. Lewis | An Interview with Crystal Hurd

Crystal Hurd is an educator, poet, and researcher from Virginia. She holds a master of arts in Literature from East Tennessee State University, a master of fine arts in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University. Her doctoral research focused on C. S. Lewis as a Transformational Leader. Crystal currently serves as reviews editor for Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal. Her articles have appeared in SEVEN, Christian History Magazine, Inklings Forever, Perichoresis, and The Faithful Imagination. She serves as a visiting professor for Northwind Seminary’s Doctorate in Theology and Ministry for Inkling Studies and Romantic Theology as well as the Master’s in Spirituality, Creativity, and Writing. Crystal has been happily married for over twenty years to a technology director. They have two boisterous rescue dogs. Highlights 3:30 Introduction to Kurt’s Cohost, Tyler Snow 4:40 Crystal talks about why she wrote her book about C.S. Lewis 6:45 C.S. Lewis was a servant and that’s what made him a leader. He was a mentor to many. 8:40 Summary and life scope of C.S. Lewis 17:40 Crystal wrote her dissertation on transformational leadership and she explains what it is. She explains how C.S. Lewis embodies this type of leadership and how he transformed the lives of so many. 21:40 Lewis got a lot of criticism when he wrote The Screwtape Letters. Many people thought he was giving voice and sympathy for the devil. 24:00 Lewis brought people to Christianity. He went through his own faith crisis and was an atheist for a time. Because of these experiences, he was able to understand the doubts and faith journeys that people go on. He was able to speak to so many through his own experiences. 28:30 Is C.S. Lewis relevant to modern-day Christians? 32:30 Crystal gives her advice to leaders on how they can use Lewis’ writing with their congregations 35:30 Crystal explains different leadership models 43:00 Being a leader without having a title and what we can learn from that. C.S. Lewis is a perfect example of this. 47:10 How can we find balance in serving and being there for people while still setting boundaries for ourselves? Delegation Find other people’s talents and build them up 52:30 Was C.S. Lewis radical in his beliefs? 55:00 Although C.S. Lewis was considered a saint, he had his personal struggles and he sinned just like us. 1:01:00 C.S. Lewis was a wounded healer. He was able to help people because he had experienced the same things. Links The Leadership of C. S. Lewis: Ten Traits to Encourage Change and GrowthCrystalHurd.com Twitter: @doctorhurd Instagram: @doctorhurdImage: Aronsyne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons