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The One Where Rachel Finishes Great Books

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 When I first began the Great Books program in the Fall of 2018, it seemed it would be an impossible venture to complete all five classes, do contract course work, and complete my thesis. However, little Great Books one me did not realize how quickly this journey would come to an end and how manageable these tasks truly were. My time in this program has caused me to grow in every aspect of my life, from my writing abilities to my spiritual life and spiritual knowledge. I have learned from some of the greatest philosophers, authors, theologians, and play writers from the ancient world to modern times. I have walked through history through the eyes of many different writers and they opened my heart and mind to truths that I had never sought out before. My growth from Great Books one to the end of Great Books five is surprising to me because I never expected a school program to impact me as deeply as Great Books has. However, with the combination of amazing professors, supportive peer...
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Forever Seeking

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 Humanity has always sought to understand divinity and sought ways to understand God’s complexity through mortal reason. One mechanism humanity has used in an attempt to understand divinity and the existence of God in literature. Authors such as C.S. Lewis, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Dante sought to explain the supernatural realm through literature, enabling their audience to better comprehend the religious lessons embedded in the texts. These different literary works are all reflective of the challenges mortal minds face when attempting to rationalize the divine. Lewis’ approach to the divine showcases the shortcoming of man’s greed and focuses on their often-self-centered view of the universe. Similarly, Sartre explores the divine in the negative by depicting Hell and showcasing characters with different sinful natures. Dante seeks to understand the divine by creatively depicting the existence of Heaven and God to a mortal man, discovering. Discovering that man cannot describe Heaven ...
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The Cost of Bonhoeffer

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 Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s, The Cost of Discipleship, explores the topic of how humanity can become faithful disciples of Christ. However, Bonhoeffer holds an extremely high standard of Christian living, and he explains that many believers are living under what he refers to as “cheap grace”. His writing calls readers to question the condition of their souls if they identify with this cheap grace form of salvation. Bonhoeffer, like many authors, draws his ideas from Scripture and challenges his readers to make Biblical applications within their own lives. Bonhoeffer seeks to elevate his readers’ understanding of Scripture and challenge them to push harder, go farther, consider the cost, and pay it as a grateful offering of thanksgiving to God, who graciously saves them. Bonhoeffer’s work explores the relationship between the presence of spiritual fruit, sacrifice, and suffering in the lives of believers as evidence of their forgiveness and redemption from sin. Bonhoeffer discusses the j...
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Beatrice or Jesus?

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     In Dante's Paradise, readers follow the journey of the pilgrim Dante and his guide, Beatrice, through the spheres of Heaven. Throughout their journey, it becomes apparent to readers that Dante possesses limited understanding, and Beatrice compensates for these limitations by explaining what he does not understand, thereby guiding him further into Heaven. Dante the pilgrim represents all believers on their journey of faith, and Beatrice represents the spiritual bridge between the divinity of Heaven and the mortality of human reasoning. As a symbol for Jesus, Dante uses Beatrice to educate believers on the importance of the relationship between Jesus and the mortal mind. In the same way that Jesus left his Heavenly existence to come to earth to guide men to His Father, Beatrice leaves her sphere of Heaven to guide Dante closer to God. Beatrice, as a Jesus figure to Dante, teaches that no mortal man can understand God without having a spiritual guide to bridge the gap b...
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Desert Discipline

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 In a collection of sayings from The Desert Fathers, believers and non-believers alike can grasp the picture of what true religious discipline looks like. Throughout the collection, readers receive examples of how the early Christian monks observed their faith. These examples seem extreme, harsh, or insane to many readers, however, the monks are the depiction of true self-discipline and complete devotion to God. By exercising their self-discipline through fasting, solitude, praying, and full deprivation of bodily temptations, the monks form higher relationships with God and all believers should strive to have discipline on the same level. Modern day Christians act as though God has intended their lives to be gratifying and comfortable, however, God never assured that life would be anything more than trials and tribulations. Life on earth is not intended to be easy, comfortable, or entitled, but if one lives their life in accordance with God’s will and His laws, they will reap the b...
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Writer's Block

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“Grandmothers are so difficult, Sheppard is lost, Parker’s wife is snapping beans, I hate family vacations, there’s no pleasure in writing anymore” thought Flannery O’Connor. “Who am I kidding? I’m too young to be a writer.” “I’ll never finish these stories,” said O’Connor disparagingly as she walked down the cobblestone path.  As she reached the end of the path, she noticed there was a small store on the corner across from her. The sign read “Writer’s Block.” “Writer’s Block? Well, I’ve got that” she said to herself.  A small bell rang as she entered the store and a petite man wearing a red apron and large round spectacles appeared, as if out of thin air.  “Hello, and welcome to Writer’s Block bookstore. My name is Jean-Paul. How can I assist you?”  “Hello, I was wondering if there would be any help for my lack of inspiration here. I’m struggling to explain myself.” Her thoughts trailed off, as if she was physically unable to explain herself to Jean-Paul. “Ah...
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The Hero In A Small Package

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In John Tolkien’s book The Hobbit, readers follow the unforeseen journey of the hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is chosen to join a group of dwarves going to reclaim their homeland from a dragon. The group encounters many trials throughout the adventure and has near death encounters many times. However, Bilbo is a courageous hobbit and he is able to rescue the group from the jaws of death on multiple occasions. Tolkien writes Bilbo to be the hero of the story, but he is not the cliché hero of most children’s books. Tolkien gave Bilbo a different type of character development than readers normally see in the “hero” of the story. Bilbo teaches readers that good people cannot be corrupted by bad situations and that heroes are not always warriors or wizards, but that even a hobbit can be a hero.  Readers learn that Bilbo is not a normal hobbit because he is part Took (Tolkien 5). The Took side of Bilbo is the adventurous side that drives him to take his journey in the first place...
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