Monthly Archives: November 2012

The Metaphorical Gospel

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Rick D. Williams

I have, on numerous occasions, stood before a class of high school seniors and asserted, “Reading the Lord of the Rings changed my life.  It gave me my first glimpse of the Gospel and started me down the path on … Continue reading →

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Seeing is Believing

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Rick D. Williams

Reflections on “The Question of God,” part 2 Program Two of the Question of God (www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod) is titled, “Science or Revelation.”  It takes us into the world of science in the late 19th Century–a world Sigmund Freud would make his home for … Continue reading →

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Tolkien & the Reality of Fantasy (part 2)

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Rick D. Williams

To help us more clearly understand Tolkien’s use of Myth as the basis for “reality in fantasy,” let’s turn to his fellow Inkling, C. S. Lewis, and his “myth retold,” Till We Have Faces.  Lewis considered this work a favorite … Continue reading →

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Once Upon a Time

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Rick D. Williams

Reflections on “The Question of God,” Part 1 Repetition is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the teaching life. If your subject area remains the same for many consecutive years, you find things that work well and use them, with … Continue reading →

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Tolkien & the Reality of Fantasy (part 1)

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Rick D. Williams

In the wildly popular 1999 film The Matrix, Morpheus famous asks Neo, “What is real?” This familiar and provocative phrase is perhaps the quintessential philosophical query.  Attempts to answer are rooted deep in Classical Platonic idealism and branch out into … Continue reading →

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Liberty’s Languish

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Rick D. Williams

“I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the … Continue reading →

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