Stories are so much more than spoonfuls of sugar which help the moral medicine go down. Because all of God’s activity has the structure of narrative, stories are the habitat in which ethical realities exist. As water is to fish, so is narrative to ethics. For this reason, stories play an integral role in our moral education, and … Continue reading Well Wrought Stories and Moral Judgment
Human reproduction, when considered in its social context, is expressive of beauty and purpose. Though human history and the human family is marred by division, sorrow, and every form of violence, this beauty and purpose yet remains, albeit obscured and deeply marred. Further, in God’s grace, this beauty and purpose is redeemed and directed unto a new and greater perfection. Not every … Continue reading Platted and Woven: On Human Sexuality
Here is a semi-edited copy of a paper I presented at a Medieval Conference in Kalamazoo, MI a few weeks ago. It features: JRR Tolkien Vikings Pictures Torcs Jewelry Monsters Scripture Derrida The Torc and the Text Continue reading The Torc and the Text: Ambiguity in Beowulf
This lecture was given Thursday, April 21, 2016 at Cornerstone Church in Franklin, Tennessee. It was part of a lecture on speaking and seeking the truth in love. The first half was a presentation by Mark Hays of Classical Conversations. The second-half was presented by me as the following lecture: Introduction There is a lot to … Continue reading To Speak the Truth in Love: A Lecture on Rhetoric in Plato’s Gorgias
In the grand tradition of dialogue-performance, which goes back long before the Greek Chorus, we have here the clever sparring of a man and woman. Think of songs like Baby, It’s Cold Outside. One has to believe that the song Tramp and its video are tongue-in-cheek. Tramp portrays that sort of argument it’s impossible to win. “you talk to much” “you’re too defensive” “you’re … Continue reading Justification, Otis Redding Style
Same & Other 