Tag Archives: Meaning of Life

Ordering Our Loves

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To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Throughout the month of August, we’re looking at Ecclesiastes, that strange and seemingly “modern” Old Testament book that depicts what happens when humanity searches for ultimate meaning apart from God.  Jazz singer Peggy Lee, who scored her biggest hits in the 50s and 60s, is renowned for what can only be described as… Read more »

Famous First Words

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To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Throughout the month of August, we’re looking at Ecclesiastes, that strange and seemingly “modern” Old Testament book that depicts what happens when humanity searches for ultimate meaning apart from God.  “It was a dark and stormy night…” That’s the opening line from the 1830 novel Paul Clifford by English writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton.  It is widely… Read more »

The Quest for the Holy Grail

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To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. King Arthur is alive and well. That’s good news for someone who reigned in England some 1500 years ago, and whose very existence is questioned by numerous medieval scholars.  With the passing of time, an astonishing number of legendary stories have become attached to his name.  Purdue professor Dorsey Armstrong, an… Read more »

Conversation, Not Condemnation

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It may be hard to fathom, but the image above is one of the most famous paintings in the history of art. If you’ve ever strolled through a museum of modern art, you’ve probably thought, “My six-year-old could do that!”  Or in the case of BlackSquare by Kazimir Malevich:  “How is that different from my printer’s test pattern when I… Read more »

To Tell the Truth

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William Provine, a Distinguished Professor at Cornell University who served three different departments – History, Science and Technology Studies, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology – was a brilliant scientist. He also had supreme confidence when it came to discussing life’s most important philosophical questions.  Two decades ago he declared: “Let me summarize my views on what evolutionary biology tells us… Read more »

The Meaning of Life

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British author and theologian C.S. Lewis once suggested that human lives are like ships on the high seas.  Every ship has to address three issues.  The first issue is how not to sink.  That’s integrity.  The second issue is how not to bump into other ships.  That’s the domain of human relationships.  The third issue is the most important:  Why… Read more »