Wendell Berry Introduction Wendell Berry (1934-present) was born in Henry County, Kentucky. Berry pursued his M.A in English literature at the University of Kentucky and went on to teach at several universities. Finding this life in the city unfulfilling, Berry and his wife Tanya decided to return to his roots. They “bought Lane's Landing Farm … Continue reading Wendell Berry: A Very Short Introduction
This is going to be a bit of a different post in that it is one intended more for a Hutterite audience. I assume other readers could benefit from this as well, but I see myself here as entering a Hutterite conversation. Incidentally, this post sort of serves as a summery of where I find … Continue reading 15 Thesis for Hutterite Renewal
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with Rod Dreher. Dreher, a writer at American Conservative is well known in Christian circles for the central thesis of his book The Benedict Option: Western society has become so post-Christian that Christians should pursue a strategic retreat from mainstream society. Dreher’s supporters have often pointed out that critics … Continue reading Rod Dreher, Anxious Activism and Hopeful Obedience
This is a long essay I wrote to supplement some presentations I gave for Hutterites on the topic of technology. This essay is intended for a Hutterite audience and so uses Hutterite examples and assumes a communal context. That said, the insights of this essay could apply equally to any family or community who wants … Continue reading Hutterites and Technology
Readers might remember my earlier post from March 13, 2024, also entitled What we need is here. That post was an earlier draft of my entry into the Henry C. Smith Oratory Contest. The piece below is the version I actually delivered. I've also included a video my performance of the speech for those interested. … Continue reading Peace as Homemaking
I recently delivered this short reflection for a chapel service centred around the poetry of 17th century Anglican poet George Herbert. My reflection was on Herbert’s poem “Redemption” and is only tenuously connected to the poem. Herbert’s poem “Redemption” puts us in the place of a person saddled with an unpayable debt to a rich Lord. This, … Continue reading Your debt has been paid: A Sermon
This piece is a version of a speech I am entering for this year's Henry C. Smith Peace Oratorical Contest. I will have to make some changes to this speech to make it fit into the parameters of the contest, and I thought this version was good enough to share with my readers as is. … Continue reading What we need is here
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him … Continue reading Advent 2: Joining Creation’s Praise
“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say ‘look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (Matt. 11:19) In thinking about the human relationship to technology, we often go wrong in two directions. The first is the error under which … Continue reading Gluttony, Fasting, and Feasting: Three Approaches to Technology
I wrote the following piece for a course I am taking called Ethical Living in a Technological Society. I was asked to reflect on my current views on technology and tried to do so with as much clarity and self criticism as I could. I thought this piece would be a good edition to the … Continue reading Reflection on Current Views on Technology
Creation’s praise and humanity’s praise are inextricably interwoven: the central argument of this essay is that it is the human refusal to praise that ruptures creation's praise and is then deaf to its cries for mercy. On the other hand, right human praise can hear, attend to, and join with the praise of creation.
In Loving Memory. August 6, 1965 - August 6, 2020.
This piece comes in the wake of the First Reformed movie review and is my attempt to think through some of the themes and questions raised by that film, as well as gather my own thoughts on the issue of Christianity and Creation care.
Coffee with Kierkegaard 