Reading and the art of conversation

Winter Reading and Reflection

The speaker spends a cold winter day in Michigan reading and reflecting. Indoors, he enjoys a churchwarden pipe and hot apple cider. The pipe smoke reminds him of the vanilla- and cherry-scented books he encountered in college.

His reading plans include revisiting C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and reading The Abolition of Man for the first time. He describes Lewis’s work as an exploration of moral law, the source of right and wrong, and whether values are inherent or subjective.

He is also reading Douglas Groothuis’s Beyond the Wager, about Blaise Pascal and his famous wager. Looking ahead, he hopes to revisit The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, read works by Augustine, and explore literary apologetics. Other authors and works of interest include J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Michael Ward’s Planet Narnia, and George MacDonald.

Thoughtful Conversation

The speaker values respectful dialogue with people who hold different religious or philosophical views. He recommends trying to understand and argue the opposing side as a way to test one’s beliefs and clarify why one holds them. Shouting and unsupported claims, he says, get in the way of productive conversation.

Time, Weather, and Safety

Thinking about his high-school reunion and the years since, the speaker reflects that time can seem slow while we wait for events but pass quickly in retrospect.

He describes an Arctic cold spell in Michigan, with temperatures reaching –23°F and about six inches of snow. Ice and power outages can put people at risk, and he hopes viewers are warm and safe.

Places and Other Details

• Locations: Michigan, Nashville, and North Alabama
• Products: Orvis cup and Lane 1-Q tobacco
• Authors and works: C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, The Abolition of Man, The Chronicles of Narnia); Douglas Groothuis (Beyond the Wager); Blaise Pascal; J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit); Michael Ward (Planet Narnia); George MacDonald; Augustine