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

In this episode Dirk talks with Geneva's Head of School Dr. David Corbin about truth and how it is revealed in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave." Copy and paste this link in your browser to read "The Allegory of the Cave" https://yale.learningu.org/download/ca778ca3-7e93-4fa6-a03f-471e6f15028f/H2664_Allegory%20of%20the%20Cave%20.pdf

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

In this last episode of Season 1, Dirk sits down with Geneva founders Cindy & Brian Fowler, Joanne & Robert Thornton and Paula Wacker (husband Bret couldn't join conversation) to hear how Geneva began. You will be blessed by their story and how God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things to the glory of God.

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.

In a year of fear and discouragement, God's goodness and grace can be seen. In this special edition of Around the Table, Dirk talks with Geneva parents Cindy Young, Allison Peet and Ernie Jones about their Geneva experience which reminds us of the truth, beauty and goodness that is found.

It is almost time for Geneva's seniors to start presenting their senior theses. In this episode, Dirk talks with Hillary Short, James Grover and Aaron Southwick about the process of writing and presenting a thesis. The Senior Thesis is the capstone of a Geneva education and a stepping stone into further education.

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.

This week, Dirk talks with Gradi Evans (Fine Arts Director), Cathy Lester (Visual Arts Instructor), Ben Vis (Vocal Music Instructor) and Doug Hurt (Theater Instructor), about the nature of art and its place in the curriculum of a classical and Christian School.  Suggested Reading: "Saving Leonardo" Nancy Pearcey "Resounding Truth" Jeremy S. Begbie "Art and Soul" Hilary Brand and Adrienne Chaplin "Adorning the Dark" Andrew Peterson 

This week, we are offering a special edition of “Around the Table.” In this episode, Amy Metzger interviews Geneva's new Head of School Dr. David Corbin. Enjoy this conversation.

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

Dirk talks to Humanities Department Head Aaron Southwick and Logic School teachers Debbie Wheeler and Mary Clifford about the books that shaped them and helped grow their Christian faith. Suggested Reading: "Mere Christianity" C.S. Lewis "Emma" and "Persuasion" Jane Austen  "Hannah Coulter" Wendell Berry "Charlotte's Web" E.B. White "All the Light We Cannot See" Anthony Doerr "A Gentleman in Moscow" Amor Towles  "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Jean-Dominique Bauby

Dirk Russell invites the Rhetoric School Humanities faculty to discuss ancient literature and why we should be interested in them in modernity. Suggested Reading: "God in the Dock" C.S. Lewis "The Consolation of Philosophy"  Boethius  "The Iliad" Homer "The Odyssey" Homer "Paradise Lost" John Milton "The Divine Comedy" Dante

An intriguing and illuminating discussion with Grammar School Headmaster Jessica Gombert and reading specialist Dr. Melissa Siller on how the human brain learns to read, the effects of reading on the lives of children, and how reading intersects with God's design for humans.   Suggested Reading:  "Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain" by Maryanne Wolf  "Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling and Literacy" by Denise Eide  "Mere Discipleship: Growing in Wisdom and Hope" by Alister E. McGrath

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.