Purposeful Poverty

The mountain spruce teaches us to cast off whatever is dead: things that are not right, internal intrigues that hide from the light, the retreat to dark places devoid of honesty, truth, righteousness, forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation. A resonant, sounding life has learned to sacrifice what is dead and unjust.

C.S. Lewis On Firsthand Knowledge

"There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very … Continue reading C.S. Lewis On Firsthand Knowledge

Quarrel About a Word

"...Is not bloodshed a great sin?" "No," said MacIan, speaking for the first time. "Well, really, really!" said the peacemaker. "Murder is a sin," said the immovable Highlander. "There is no sin of bloodshed." "Well, we won't quarrel about a word," said the other, pleasantly. "Why on earth not?" said MacIan, with a sudden asperity. … Continue reading Quarrel About a Word

Adoption: The Highest Privilege

"Adoption...is the highest priviledge that the gospel offers: higher even than justification.... Adoption is higher, because of the richer relationship with God that it involves...Justification is a forensic idea, conceived in terms of law and viewing God as judge. In justification, God declares of penitent believers that they are not, and never will be, liable … Continue reading Adoption: The Highest Privilege

The Contemplation of Love in Suffering

"A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of … Continue reading The Contemplation of Love in Suffering

Education and the Order of Love

From Reading Augustine On Education Formation, Citizenship, and the Lost Purpose of Learning by Joseph Clair "Ordered love within the context of liberal arts education moves in three directions. First is the inward ordering of the soul that happens as one acquires the moral and intellectual virtues necessary for disciplined study. Second is the upward … Continue reading Education and the Order of Love