Category: Inkling Thought
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George MacDonald Universalism against Hans Urs von Balthasar on Universal Salvation
Many a wrong, and its curing song; Many a road, and many an inn; Room to roam, but only one home For all the world to win. (Eve, in MacDonald’s Lilith) I want to put two eschatologies in conversation, that of Hans Urs von Balthasar on Universal Salvation and that of George MacDonald Universalism. The…
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Tolkien’s Art Finds a Hobbit Hole
I stand in the rounded doorway of the entrance chamber. The wall to my right bears a calligraphed monogram in the form of a cross laid over a curl of ribbon. The gatekeeper, a man with a black suit and a walkie-talkie, cautions me against phone use. ‘We were trying to make it feel like…
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To Stand on the Shoulders of Giants You Must Climb their Legs
The great Coleridge quote (by way of Newton by way of Burton by way of Bernard of Chartes) that we see further because we stand on the shoulders of giants seems to be automatically assumed by the modern mind. We have “evolved” since the Greco Roman era. Even though clearly we are more barbaric. Even…
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Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
Each time I teach a literature course, I ask my students some version of this question, “What is literature?” Often it’s a question they haven’t considered, and we usually end up discussing our class reading list versus some of the more popular novels they know of. This leads us to talk about why we are…
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My good friend Krista regularly makes book recommendations to me and buys books for me, and I have loved every single one. That is remarkable to me. I don’t have that kind of success rate when buying gifts for my own husband and son. When I think about Krista selecting books for me, I am…
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12 Years a Librarian
In June of 2019 I finished 12 years and begin my 13th year as a librarian at Queens Library, my eighth year serving as a supervisor. With this milestone I believe I am accomplishing one of the pillars of a human being’s life journey: finding meaningful work. We all know the game of information seeking…
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Finishing Strong Stories in Avengers Endgame
Finishing strong stories came up over and again in Avengers Endgame. It makes sense considering the question at hand: how do superheroes retire? Morally, it seems, if they plan to end well. For power, money, pleasure, and honor remain insufficient — even now with great power, great money, great pleasure, great honor comes still greater…
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Man and Serpent by Aesop
Today for Myths, Legends, Folklore and Tall Tales, we’re reading Man and Serpent by Aesop. Myths, Legends, Folklore and Tall Tales is another one of my podcasts featuring bedtime story readings — in this case the myths, legends, folklore and tall tales of the world. Now and again, I read one of my own stories…
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Naughty or Nice — the metaphysics of Santa’s List
Turns out Santa Claus is a privationist. And assuming Santa’s privationist sensibilities can explain why coal for the naughty truly is a gift and not a punishment. Or at very least, as Tolkien would ask, “Which of God’s judgements are not also gifts?” Coal is a grace, even a sort of Christmas sacrament. Here’s how…
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Harry Potter Pumpkin Carving
Wanted you guys to see my Harry Potter pumpkin carving that i did while watching Sleepy Hollow at my friend’s house:
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Ass and Lapdog by Aesop
Today for Myths, Legends, Folklore and Tall Tales, we’re reading Ass and Lapdog by Aesop. Myths, Legends, Folklore and Tall Tales is another one of my podcasts featuring bedtime story readings — in this case the myths, legends, folklore and tall tales of the world. Now and again, I read one of my own stories…
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Bald Man and Fly by Aesop
Today for Myths, Legends, Folklore and Tall Tales, we’re reading Bald Man and Fly by Aesop. Myths, Legends, Folklore and Tall Tales is another one of my podcasts featuring bedtime story readings — in this case the myths, legends, folklore and tall tales of the world. Now and again, I read one of my own…