Arts & Humanities

Eleonore Stump is the Robert J. Henle, S.J., Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University. Author of several works in medieval philosophy, philosophy of religion, and metaphysics, Stump has served as president of the Society of Christian Philosophers, and president of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. She delivered the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland in 2002.

MOST (Czech for the Bridge) is a beautiful 30 minute Oscar nominated movie and winner of many prestigious film festivals.

It tells the story of the close relationship between a bridge operator (Vladimir Javorsky) and his young son (Lada Ondrej) and the fateful day they both try to head off an impending rail disaster.

A steam train full of hundreds of passengers are unaware of the danger as they head towards an open drawbridge. When a desperate young woman (Linda Rybova) witnesses an act of virtue beyond her imagination, her life is changed forever.

Professor Chignell will speak about the issues raised by his recent article "Whither Wheaton." You can find the "back story" of the article and links to the many articles about the article at www.whitherwheaton.org.

Have you enjoyed the seven wonderful stories that make up the Chronicles of Narnia? The recent book Planet Narnia and the documentary Narnia Code, based on the book, claims to uncover a secret in C.S. Lewis's famous children's series about the Pevensies, Aslan, and other worlds beyond the wardrobe. Come watch The Narnia Code and find out why many, many folks are praising Michael Ward's book and the code it cracked.

Please come and watch with us and enjoy the following conversation!

We have the privilege of viewing and advance copy of Narnia Code, a BBC documentary based on the book Planet Narnia. This is a one-hour documentary.

See our discussion of Planet Narnia here.   

C.S. Lewis is one of the most significant Christian thinkers and writers of the 20th century. Likewise, few shaped the world in the last 100 years as Sigmund Freud has. We will watch a film that follows the biographies and ideas of these two men, particularly their thoughts on the question of God.

Join us as we discuss the issues raised and enjoy pizza.

Three science fiction films were made almost exactly a decade and a half apart: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Blade Runner (1982), and The Matrix (1999). Each raises important questions about what it means to live in a world of technology. We'll watch clips from all three films, identify the questions each film raises, note how the issues change over time, and reflect on them in a conversation together.

In Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton recounts his personal journey to faith; along the way, he exposes the weaknesses of the materialism, stoicism, and cynicism of the modern world. The theme of Orthodoxy is that Chesterton, in trying to put together his own system to explain the strangeness of man and his world, found he had “discovered” orthodoxy; like C.S. Lewis, he found that Christianity not only made sense but had to it the right twist of truth.

"Spirituality" and "Values" are fashionable topics these days in higher education circles--perhaps in the wake of 9/11 and the recent financial crisis. While these discussions are primarily taking place at conferences of deans and presidents, rather than at disciplinary professional meetings, the fact that they are occurring at all raises interesting questions. What do they say about our culture? about the academy? about the perceived role of higher education in preparing future leaders of our society?