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On the Topic of Divine Hiddenness
December 10, 2024 | By David Woods TD ‘27
And, after a while, I began to wonder if these feelings were real, if God had truly made Himself known to me in a way that was undeniable, or if I was simply juxtaposing figments of my past with my time at Yale. That is, in much the same manner that I wasn’t fooled by the turf on Old Campus or the country music on Broadway, I began to wonder if I was fooling myself with God, if I was artificially making reasons to believe to augment some gilded sense of reassurance and connection with the ubiquity of religion in my rural upbringings and the longing I felt for some air of familiarity (psychologists might call this a confirmation bias). But, the more I dove into scripture, the more uncertain I became about the presence of God, specifically why He chooses to remain hidden from the masses in a way that leads to ambiguity over His existence.
Preparing the Way
December 9, 2024 | By Isaac Oberman DC ‘26
Looking to Mary and Joseph, how can we prepare the way of the Lord this Advent season? By humbling ourselves as both Mary and Joseph did to accept their destinies and God’s will, we can be led to the many beautiful aspects of the Advent season. We must cut through the stress of daily life with moments of peace in knowing that God’s plan is good. By anchoring our trust in the Lord and in each other while in the midst of so much doubt, just as Mary and Joseph did, we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus.
Journeys
December 2, 2024 | By Emma Ventresca BF ‘26
When a tree falls directly in my path, I try to move it not once, not twice, but hundreds of times, only to feel exasperated in the end. It is in these moments that I have learned that overcoming hardships is more than an act of my own will; it is an acceptance of His will, an act of divine grace. God may give us the strength to lift the tree off of the path some days; and other days, he simply calls us to endure, to trust on the journey, and to allow him to show us another way to travel.
A Meal Plan for the Spirit
November 22, 2024 | By Michaela Wang BK ‘25
Handmade salads and dumplings point us to God’s love: sacrificially provided, freely given, and always satisfying. Of course, good food itself cannot fix everything, but it leads to introspective conversation and equipped me with the confidence to confide in the community back on campus.
The Case Against Being Boring
November 14, 2024 | By Raleigh Adams M.A.R. ‘26
Rather, the person is called to be the irrational optimist, as Chesterton describes. She is to hate the world enough to change it, but love it enough to believe it worth changing. She is to strike moderation not through the mean of two vices in the Aristotelian sense, but to devote herself so wholeheartedly to the two extremes that the proper end is achieved.
Faith, Poetry and the University: An Interview with Rowan Williams
October 22, 2024 | By Zeki Tan MY ‘25
Rowan Williams is the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. He taught theology at Oxford and Cambridge and served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, from 2013 to 2020. Dr. Williams is also a poet and translator of poetry; he published his most recent edition of Collected Poems in 2022. In February 2024 he delivered the Taylor Lectures at the Yale Divinity School. I interviewed Dr. Williams while he was in New Haven to discuss his reflections on writing poetry, intellectual life, and how both enrich and are enriched by religious belief. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Upcoming Events:
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Weekly Meetings
THURSDAYS 5-7PM, Branford College Trumbull Room
Discuss with us what it means to think Christianly and write for our publication.
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Philosophy of Everyday Life Seminar
THURSDAY SEPT 11TH 6:15-7:45PM, Elm Institute
Join us at the Elm Institute for a private version of the Elm’s popular seminar “The Philosophy of Everyday Life”. Readings will be focused on Friendship. No prior reading required. Food provided.
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Divinity School Private Archival Tour
THURSDAY SEPT 18th, 9AM, Yale Divinity School
We will be looking at the Yale Divinity School’s missionary collection, specifically focusing on letters from international ecumenical movements from America to China. We will be looking at how these relate to our theme of freidnship in a more nuanced way. We will be walking up from cross-campus at 8:30 am, but you can also meet at the YDS gates at 9 am.
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William Blake Private Exhibition Tour
THURSDAY OCT 2ND, TIME TBA
Peter Wicks of the Elm Institute will guide us through the traveling exhibition ‘William Blake: Burning Bright’ at Yale Center for British Art. No previous experience with art or William Blake required.