Around the Table - Geneva School of Boerne

What does it mean to have the sovereign creator of the universe say to you, "Well done my good and faithful servant?" This is one of the questions C.S. Lewis answered in a sermon he preached on June 8, 1941, titled "The Weight of Glory." In this episode Dirk talks with humanities instructors Rick Poole and Alex Markos about this and other topics Lewis addressed in this beautiful and insightful sermon. 

In this episode Dirk discusses Geneva's theme verse for the year (Ecclesiastes 3:11) with Dr. Eric Covington and Brian Odom.

In this episode Dirk talks to Geneva Art teacher Cathy Lester and 5th grade Bible and History teacher Daniel Player about the final transcendental virtue, Beauty.

In this episode Dirk finishes his conversation about Dante's Divine Comedy.

The year 2021 marked the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Florentine poet Dante Alighieri. To mark that anniversary, Rhetoric School Headmaster Dirk Russell and Logic School Headmaster Jeff Jones will host a Lyceum Lunch Lecture Series on the Divine Comedy starting on Wed. Feb. 2 at noon. In preparation Dirk hosts a conversation with Humanities Department Head Aaron Southwick and Humanities teacher Rick Poole about the man Dante Alighieri and his most famous work, The Divine Comedy.

In this episode Dirk continues his conversation with Dr. Eric Covington and Luis Arizpe about the virtue goodness. 

In this episode Dirk talks with Dr. Eric Covington and Luis Arizpe about the virtue goodness.

Book Recommendations:

Cicero "On the Good Life"

Peter Kreeft "Summa of the Summa

Bibliography

The Abolition of Man C.S. Lewis

The Consolation of Philosophy Boethius

After Virtue Peter Kreeft

Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis

Orthodoxy G.K. Chesterton

The Divine Comedy: Inferno Dante Alighieri

Episode Notes

Riddell Memorial Lectures – Each year New Castle College hosts a lecture series called the “Riddell Memorial Lecture.” The 1943-1944 Lecture was delivered by C.S. Lewis and the Abolition of Man was his topic. In 2019-2020, Lucy Winkett (Anglican Priest) delivered a lecture entitled, “Good News in an Age of Fake News? The Place of Mercy in a Post-Truth Society.” In his lecture Lewis warned of the dangers of subjectivism and just a few years later we are living in a “post-truth” society. The warning issued by Lewis was clearly ignored.

Dante’s Inferno – At one point in the discussion the point was made that adopting subjectivism was madness, the ultimate reduction to absurdity. It was compared to being frozen in a lake of ice at the bottom of Dante’s Inferno, flapping your wings making the situation worse. In Dante’s Inferno Satan is enslaved at the bottom of hell, but instead of fire his lower half is ensconced in ice. He has three heads and six wings that he flaps incessantly which produces three cold winds. Thus, the more he flaps the more certain it becomes that he cannot escape.

"The Abolition of Man" C.S. Lewis

"The Divine Comedy" Dante Alighieri

The Chronicles of Narnia is a beloved children’s book series of mythical tales of adventure, danger and intrigue. Buried in these myths are stories of sin, redemption and resurrection. This week, Dirk talks with Grammar School teachers Tonya Fikes, Alex Markos, Tonya Mowery and Keri Strickland about the profound biblical truths found in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Today's podcast is a continuation of Dirk Russell's conversation about fine arts and classical education with several members of the Fine Arts Department. He talks with Doug Hurt, Ben Vis and Autumn Jones about the importance of storytelling.

Geneva’s theme for the year is “The Mind of Christ.” With that in mind, Dirk sits down with Rhetoric School Headmaster Rob Shelton, Humanities Department Head Aaron Southwick and humanities teacher Scott Milam to talk about what it means to think like a Christian. Suggested Reading: "The Christian Mind" Harry Blamires "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind" Mark Noll "Fit Bodies, Fat Minds" Os Guinness  "Habits of the Mind" James Sire "Simply Christian" N.T. Wright

AROUND THE TABLE is a place to explore topics, teaching and conversations from a biblical worldview hosted by Geneva Academic Dean Dirk Russell. Geneva is a K-12 classical and Christian school located in the Texas Hill Country that graduates servant leaders equipped to do hard things. May this podcast be a source of encouragement and inspiration to foster growth, learning and connections to the glory of Jesus Christ. Discover Geneva at genevaschooltx.org or on social media @genevaschooltx.