Welcome to BOOKS AND LETTERS, a publication offering humane reflections on literature, culture, and education in an age dominated by fleeting trends and digital noise. I write as a Christian Humanist, which prima facie may seem like an oxymoron to some readers. Yet, that popular assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.
Widespread conceptions of Christianity tend toward notions of anti-intellectual fundamentalism. Whereas the common understanding of humanists are that of “enlightened,” anti-religious priests of secularism. In popular lore, these visions of life are mutually exclusive and fundamentally at odds with one another.
History tells a different story, however.
The written testimonies of those who witnessed the Incarnation claim Christianity is the ultimate (and arguably the first) humanism since it is deeply concerned with texts, human flourishing, and society’s common good.1 Christian humanists believe everything that is good, true, and beautiful belongs to and comes from God. Even the good works of Pagan and pre-Christian cultures were inspired by the Holy Spirit for his own purposes (i.e., philosophy, art, poetry, rhetoric, politics, etc.).
As Erasmus, the “prince of humanists,” wrote in his manifesto, “Everything in the Pagan world that was valiantly done, brilliantly said, ingeniously thought, diligently transmitted, had been prepared by Christ for his society.”2 Thus, Christian humanism has been the impetus for writers and educators from St. John the Evangelist to St. Paul and St. Augustine to C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Flannery O’Connor.
My platform for writing here includes thirty years experience in education and ministry, including two church plants and three education start-ups. I serve as the president of Kepler Education, the editor of The Consortium Journal, and a teacher of integrated humanities courses for high school and college students—all while practicing the ancient art of tsundoku. Currently, I live in the chimney of Idaho with my wife of 35 years. Together, we have four adult children and more than a handful of delightfully rambunctious grand babies.
Whether it is grappling with the works of modern writers, reflecting on the enduring relevance of Greek philosophers and Church Fathers, engaging the medieval scholastics and humanists, or simply savoring the tactile joy of a well-loved book, my constant endeavor at BOOKS AND LETTERS will be to lead my readers to think deeply, communicate clearly, and live wisely.
C.S. Lewis said, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
If you’re the kind of person who desires to cultivate the life of the mind, values the good, true, and beautiful, and enjoys reading good books—often with a pipe in your teeth and pencil in your hand—consider yourself among friends.
Why not join our our merry band of bards, bishops, and bibliophiles, students, scholars, and philosophers, and poets, preachers, and pirates?
Supporting BOOKS AND LETTERS
Until present, all of my posts have been free for 7 days and then paywalled along with some helpful resources. After some thoughtful reflection, I have decided to take a different approach to Substack. I am removing the paywall from all future posts and providing readers and patrons with a few different options for supporting my work if they feel inclined.
You can still become a paid subscriber. This will give you access to older content and the growing resource page.
You can support my research efforts by buying me a book.
You can shop from my bookstore (coming soon).
If you find balm for your soul, light for your path, or help with your intellectual and artistic pursuits, please consider supporting my work and sharing it with others.
Post Categories (What to Expect)
Crumbs From Our Master’s Table is a daily morsel of theological soul food—not a sermon mind you—just a crumb of nourishment from the Bible. If’d prefer not to receive a daily post, you can navigate to your.substack.com/account and toggle off Crumbs From Our Master’s Table and receive a Sunday Roundup instead.
Paideia and Piety are thoughtful reflections on education that challenge the status quo. Although I’m not using precise definitions here, paideia can be understood as the right manner of education—enculturation. Piety, on the other hand, is the right mark of education—ordered loves.
The Stuff of Stones are meditations on philosophy and culture. C. S. Lewis wrote that "Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered." Often attributed to Thomas Aquinas, “The purpose of the study of philosophy is not to learn what others have thought, but to learn how the truth of things stands.” I’m taking this approach to philosophy and the title of this column from Richard Wilbur’s clever and charming little poem titled, “Epistemology.”
Literary Leaf-mould is an attempt at literary critique. Drawing wisdom from Tolkien’s notable essay, On Fairy-Stories, my approach to literary criticism here will be to not only strive toward enhancing the reader’s understanding and enjoyment of the story, but also to honor the author’s intentions as much as possible, seek to re-enchant the reader’s world with wonder and meaning, and by all means avoid over-analysis or the deconstructive annihilation of the text.
Write to Think is all about the craft of writing—including the art of thinking. It's been said that “Good writing is clear thinking made visible,” and “If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.” These expressions emphasizes the indispensable relationship between writing and thinking.
Corkscrews and Cathedrals are helpful book reviews. I’ll be leaning on C. S. Lewis’s approach, the one he explained in his Preface to Milton’s Paradise Lost: “The first qualification for judging any piece of workmanship from a corkscrew to a cathedral is to know what it is—what it was intended to do and how it is meant to be used…[until then]…you can say nothing to the purpose about them.
Rumbling Toward Heaven is taken from FOC’s short story, “Revelation.” It’s a reminder that there is a place where heaven meets earth, and it’s on that vast swinging bridge that all our virtues must be burned away as we find our place in grand procession rumbling toward heaven. These posts are personal letters and essays that tend to “lean away from typical social patterns, toward mystery and the unexpected.”
John 1:1-14.
Erasmus, The Antibarbarians, 60.
