Author Archives: Rick D. Williams

About Rick D. Williams

Teaching and writing have been my life's work for over two decades as a journalist and educator. My degrees in History were earned at Illinois State University, and I've done additional graduate work at Lincoln Christian Seminary and Urbana Theological Seminary. Over the years I’ve led conference workshops and authored articles and book chapters on topics ranging from religious education and international student ministry to state and local history.

New Year, Wonderful Name

  Yesterday most of the world celebrated New Year’s Day as January 1st “arrived” around the globe.  For much of the history of the Christian West, however, this date may or may not have marked the actual “beginning of the … Continue reading

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On Comics and Life

I read the comics every day and have done so for as long as I can remember.  One of the things I really miss from my days in the classroom is having a bulletin board on which to proudly display … Continue reading

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The Measure of Man

Part 3 of The Question of God So far we’ve examined the role that imagination (part 1) and senses/reason (part 2) play in human efforts to answer “the big questions of life.”  Using the former, we find answers through stories … Continue reading

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From Darkness to Light

I have worked in academic or ministry settings for more than 20 years.  Everyone whose vocation places them in this world experiences the familiar rhythm of an annual cycle. Our years are marked in quarters and semesters, by “ordinary” time … Continue reading

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The Metaphorical Gospel

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

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)

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

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)

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

“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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