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Introducing: Christians Reading Classics · Christians Reading Classics

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: 31 years ago, historian Mark Noel declared that there is a scandal of the evangelical mind.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: The scandal, Noel said, was that there wasn't much of an evangelical mind.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: But right now, it seems that we're living also in another related scandal, the scandal of the Christian imagination.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: It seems that there isn't much of one.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered why does everything feel so shallow?
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Why does it feel like everything we hear, read, or see is a reaction to whatever happened five minutes ago?
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Why does the modern life make us feel so lost and anxious?
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Why do I feel so disconnected from any sort of a story to make sense of my life?
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Christians Reading Classics, a new podcast from Mirror Orthodoxy.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Nadia Williams, and I am the book's editor for Mirror Orthodoxy.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: I received my BA in Classics and French from the University of Virginia and my PhD in classics from Princeton University.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: I was an academic for 15 years before walking away a couple of years ago.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now I homeschool my kids, I write and edit, and I read a lot of books on my own and with my family.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: And now you can join me on this new adventure.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Christians Reading Classics, a new podcast from Mere Orthodoxy, starts from a simple premise.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Reading older books is vital for cultivating a flourishing, healthy Christian imagination.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, Mere Orthodoxy already stewards the evangelical mind and encourages its growth through promoting thoughtful conversations about new books.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: We do this through our book review essays and book-related interviews.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: This is important work.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: But we also recognize that reading older books is no less necessary for cultivating the Christian imagination.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And when we say older, we mean books from two or three millennia ago or from half a century ago.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: The title of this podcast is from my own new book, Christians Reading Classics, coming this November from Zondoran Academic.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: In my book, the focus is on Greco-Roman literature.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: The most recent book I consider, in fact, is from the early 5th century AD.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast, however, goes much broader, considering classics both ancient and modern.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: So who is this podcast for?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Put simply, it is for every Christian who would like to cultivate a healthier imagination.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you are a believer in the pews or a pastor, a theology student or a truck driver, a plumber or a chef, a homeschool mom like me, or a lawyer, an academic or an elementary school teacher, or a nurse or a high school student.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is a podcast for homeschooling families, for you and your friends who would like to start a book club, for anyone who has a long work commute or a road trip and needs something good to listen to.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: This is also a podcast for moms who need something calming to listen to while nursing the baby at 2 a.m.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Really, this is the space for everyone who thinks old books can be rather fun and would like to learn more about how to read something like The Odyssey or Alice in Wonderland or The Great Gatsby or Animal Farm as a Christian.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: This last point, reading classics, specifically as Christians, is what separates this podcast from some other excellent reading podcasts.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: As it happens, 2025 marks a number of important literary anniversaries, so we're going to theme this first season of 15 episodes around them.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: We will begin by talking with Wheaton College professor Tim Larson about J.K.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Chesterton's The Everlasting Man.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Published in 1925, The Everlasting Man is 100 years old this year.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Also turning a hundred is The Great Gatsby, which you probably read in high school.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you're my age, it's definitely time for a reread.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Also turning a hundred is everyone's favorite stuffed bear.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean Winnie the Pooh, not Paddington.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Although I suppose Paddington too is well on his way to becoming a classic.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Speaking of wonderful children's classics, Laura Ingalls-Wilder's Little House on the Prairie turns 90 this year.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I look forward to speaking with historian John Fry and children's literature scholar Luella Damico about it.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Dorothy Lee Sayer's Gaughty Night is turning 90, and I'm ridiculously excited that Carolyn Weber, the author of Surprised by Oxford, will join me to talk about it.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: This year also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm looking forward to talking with two historians of the early church, Coleman Ford and Sean Wilheit, about the Nicene Creed, which is also the subject of their new book.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Also, it's the 190th anniversary of Tocqueville's Democracy in America.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm looking forward to talking with my brilliant friend John Wilsie about it.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is not a complete list, but hopefully it gives you some idea of the quirky mix we have planned.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: This will be fun.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Join me as we read or reread some beloved classics and reflect on the joy and virtues of reading as Christians.