Return of the Classical

Although it ultimately simplifies too much, it is still useful to think of the history of Western culture as a pendulem swinging between classical values and romantic values. Right now, we are in sort of a postmodern romantic mode for the most part. Television, movies, music, advertisements, even comic books generally promote a subjectivist individualism ("just listen to your heart!").

But the classical impulse never entirely disappears, even if it has not had much traction lately in the larger culture. This article on recent classical architecture is a case in point. Here and there, artists rediscover the value of classical ideals, with good results. It is possible that classical attitudes will never again become dominant, but they won't entirely die out.

A question about all this: what is the Christian response to embracing the classical vision for the postmodern world? The classical mind is not inherently Christian, but is there something in the classical mind that comports well with certain elements of the Christian faith? Christians thoughout the ages, both Catholic and Protestant, have thought so. But Christians for the most part today do not now see much value in the virtues of the classical orientation.

Dante Lectures on Youtube

Humanities departments in ivy league universities are rightly coming under attack due to their being colonized in totalitarian fashion by professors who seem only interested in promoting critical theory. However, not every professor is a far left radical whose only purpose in lecturing is the dismantling of his or her students' traditional beliefs. One can still find teachers who seem to love their subject and want nothing more than to make it accessible to students.

Take these Youtube lectures on Dante, for instance. I have not watched all of them, but the professor seems genuinely interested in Dante as an artist with things to say to us. He is not concerned with dismantling Dante simply as a dead white male who speaks in a Eurocentric voice of patriarchal oppression.

Worldview Resources

The current wave of worldview thinking among American Christians has been generated primarily by what is sometimes called the "neo-Calvinist" tradition which was given shape first by Abraham Kuyper and then later by Herman Dooyaweerd. Many, many other Christians have helped shaped the current worldview movement and many of them are not Reformed. But these two Dutchmen stand out as major thinkers in forming the current discussion, even if most people have never heard these names.

But the current books, web sites, and seminars devoted to discussion of Christian worldview thinking are primarily located within the American context. It's always good to expand one's horizon and see what Christians from other locations in the world are doing to shape a Christian culture.

These South Africans, for instance, offer some thoughts on art, culture, faith, and politics, thoughts that sometimes sound like what you would hear in America. But sometimes their literal and figurative distance from America offers some Christian ways of responding to the world that can energize our own.

Lecture on Dante

The translation of The Inferno used by fellows and faculty of the Center is by Anthony Esolen.

This lecture by Esolen on the final image of Lucifer embedded in ice (along with some other material from Purgatory) is an outstanding introduction to the central meaning of the Inferno. Esolan's style is a bit ragged, but his commentary gets one directly into the heart of the Inferno, and his lecture also gives one some insight into how to read the rest of the imagery of the Comedy.

Note: the lecture isn't actually as long as it appears. Some of the recording is taken up with questions and answers.

Beauty in Music

http://www.covenantseminary.edu/resources/
(update, Aug 2013:  go to this link and do a search for John Hodges' name - there is a more recent set of lectures for Covenant Seminary as well on music and metaphor)

This is a link to a lecture John Hodges gave in 1996, on Beauty in music. Having recently endured a rock 'n roll worship service led by college students, I turn in gratitude to something that gives me relief from the amplified subjectivist piety I was subjected to. The service might have been meaningful in some way to the students, but it was not by any measure of reality a beautiful service of worship.

Do You Like Tolkien?

Have you ever listened to him?

I listen to this trying to imagine him reading to the Inklings. He sits or stands, while Clive smokes a nice cigar and smiles.

New Year

After too long a lapse in posting, this blog should become more active over the coming months as the Institute gears up with new students. Stay tuned for more discussion and for more links to helpful sources.