Review of Alister McGrath, C.S. Lewis -- A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2013) for the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). Part I. Click here for Part II. Alister McGrath is, like many of us, a fan of C.S. Lewis who never had the opportunity to study under or even met him. Although McGrath probably shares more similarities with Lewis than you or I, as someone raised in the same part of Ireland as Lewis and educated in Oxford, he thinks this distance will allow him the … [Read more...] about Review of Alister McGrath, C.S. Lewis — A Life. Part I
Returning to Graduate School – Thoughts by Michael Stell (3)
Part Three: Should I Attend Grad School? Or What was I thinking? What counsel would I give someone who is considering grad school? First, think about it in terms of vocation. If your vocation, or expanding your vocation requires you to attend grad school, then I think it is definitely something that should be considered. There are some vocations which by their very nature require more education or advanced degrees. While it might seem like these are artificial constraints which are intended to keep people out of … [Read more...] about Returning to Graduate School – Thoughts by Michael Stell (3)
Returning to Graduate School – Thoughts by Michael Stell (2)
Part Two – Being a Graduate Student When I entered grad school, I entered with a sense of purpose that was in my mind akin to the idea that the Puritans had of vocation or calling. Attending a Catholic university, I realize that many use the word vocation in strictly religious ways, but the Puritans viewed all of life as religious, and so all of life should be understood as vocation. I had been involved in the vocation of teaching, but not at the place where I felt I was fulfilling my true calling. I was going to … [Read more...] about Returning to Graduate School – Thoughts by Michael Stell (2)
Returning to Graduate School – Thoughts by Michael Stell (1)
Introduction After several months of connecting on-line, I had the privilege of meeting Michael in Lancaster, PA. What brought him to my neck of the woods? His research on John Williamson Nevin (1803 – 1886). John Williamson Nevin not only taught in the seminary of the German Reformed Church in America in the mid-nineteenth century, but also served as the president of Franklin and Marshall College. Furthermore, he was a friend to James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States. Did you know that … [Read more...] about Returning to Graduate School – Thoughts by Michael Stell (1)