If orthodox believers in churches and schools do not take upon themselves the responsibility of passing down the deposit of Christian art that has been entrusted to us, the next generation will grow up with little to no knowledge of, or gratitude for, the images by which the Christian worldview captivated the heart, soul, and [...]
With a seemingly (and thankfully) endless supply of books about J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis flowing out from every conceivable press, it is easy to overlook some hidden gems. To assist Imaginative Conservative readers with their Christmas book shopping, I have highlighted below some books about Lewis and/or Tolkien that have been published over the [...]
True pilgrimage is a communal undertaking: a temporary society on the move. Rather than turn inward in search of enlightenment, turn outward toward your companions and learn to see the world through their eyes. Learn to get along with people whose passions, beliefs, and strategies for survival are radically different from your own. Author’s Introduction: [...]
It was there, in the first circle of Hell, that I first understood what it meant to be a virtuous pagan. It meant to be led by the dim but true light of reason, to seek continually after the higher things, to pursue with courage and devotion a life of virtue. Author’s Introduction: Imagine if [...]
Courage is found in unexpected places. It is not the sole province of soldiers, nor does it find its only fulfillment in the vanquishing of enemies. Indeed, courage manifests itself most powerfully, not in a single deed of valor, but in a lifetime of endurance. Author’s Introduction: Imagine if Homer, Virgil, Dante, Chaucer, and the [...]
You teach your students that the men of the past looked upon their wives as chattel, that they saw them as possessions rather than as people of value and worth. How deeply mistaken you are; how far from the truth. Author’s Introduction: Imagine if Homer, Virgil, Dante, Chaucer, and the other great poets of ancient [...]
How do I know that there were dead white males who loved and respected their wives? Because the twin literary fountainheads of Western literature each highlights a mature and faithful couple who share mutual affection and regard for one another: Hector and Andromache in the "Iliad"; Odysseus and Penelope in the "Odyssey." As a Texan [...]
If you want your children to know how one can discern his God-given purpose and calling in a self-centered world, be a patriotic American in a corrupt world, and be a man or a woman in a genderless world, then you need look no further than these three Frank Capra masterpieces. Frank Capra [...]
We have all been repeatedly warned against toxic masculinity in church leaders. But in "It’s Good to Be a Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity," authors Michael Foster and Dominic Bnonn Tennant warn us against a toxic femininity that has browbeaten men into being ashamed of their masculinity and embracing androgyny. It’s Good to Be [...]
Rather than covet what we do not have, let us be grateful for the gifts and the traditions that have been passed down to us. Though he does not say so specifically, what Jordan Peterson ultimately calls upon modern, autonomous, post-Enlightenment individuals to do is to heed the commandment to honor one’s father and mother. [...]
Just as we feverish moderns have stopped singing, so we have stopped looking, really looking. If we did, we would see not only the magic of Tom Bombadil, but the magic that Tom Bombadil sees in every tree and blade of grass. And if we did that, we would be truly prepared for the heavenly [...]
How are evangelicals to navigate the current storms while remaining faithful to biblical truth and Christian compassion? How can we engage in true Christian dialogue without immediately pigeonholing our fellow evangelicals politically, or questioning their “true” motives, or holding them to a narrow litmus test of orthodoxy? The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims, by [...]
We must respect the difficulty and danger of the jobs of those who protect us and stop willfully blinding ourselves to the unpleasant realities around us. Let us defend, support, and celebrate our police and our military; without them, our world would be a far more perilous place. This semester, I am happily exercising one [...]
What I have found among young evangelicals is a deep level of dissatisfaction at the church’s lack of spiritual power. I can’t emphasize enough how galvanizing a vision of spiritual warfare can be for millennials, in the positive sense of realigning the church as a center of resistance to dark forces. As an English professor [...]