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Lust
The Greek philosopher Plato once told a myth about eros in the voice of a comic poet named Aristophanes. According to the whimsical story he spins, human beings were originally spherical creatures with four arms and four legs and two heads. As punishment for trying to usurp the gods’ power, the gods sliced them in Continue reading
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Why I am not a Roman Catholic
***THIS POST HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED BY THIS ONE*** ***I initially tried harmonizing this post with my change of mind in Spring of 2021, but gave up the effort*** Part 1: Narrative I’ve been asked at least a few times in recent years why I’m not a Roman Catholic. The question usually follows me explaining my embrace of Continue reading
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First Week of Advent: Hope
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living Continue reading
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A Prayer for Thanksgiving 2015
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the Continue reading
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Acting From Virtue
In the end, both virtues and vices are habits that can eventually become “natural” to us. Philosophers describe the perfect achievement of virtue as yielding internal harmony and integrity. Compare, for example, the following two married persons: The first, let’s call Jane. Although she resists them, Jane regularly struggles with sexual feelings for men other Continue reading
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Sloth
[Sloth] rob[s] us of our appetite for God, our zest for God, our interest and enjoyment in God. Sloth stops is from seeking God, and that means we do not find him. . . . It may seem strange to define a mortal sin as a kind of sorrow, for sorrow is in itself only Continue reading
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Why I Teach Humanities
The following is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the headmaster at my school explaining why we teach Literature, Theology, and History together as a single subject, called Humanities, in the seventh and eighth grades. I hope it helps explain the joy I’ve found these last few months doing what I do. Continue reading
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The Christian Ethic
According to the theological liberal, th[e] [S]ermon [on the Mount] is the essence of Christianity, and Christ is the best of human teachers and examples. But he is not divine, for his function is only a human one, to teach and exemplify ethics. Christianity is essentially ethics. What’s missing here? Simply, the essence of Christianity, Continue reading
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Blogging Update
With every good intention, I resumed almost daily blogging about six weeks ago. However, about three weeks ago, I stopped being able to keep up because of the demands of family life, work, and, quite honestly, not having all that much to say. I’ve been here before, of course, but I guess I never seem Continue reading
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A Prayer For Rest
O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Continue reading
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Americans Don’t Believe in Evil
On his fifty-eighth birthday, Emerson remarked, “I never could give much reality to evil and pain.” Now evil and pain are the tremendous problems of Christian thought, and a man who cannot ‘give much reality’ to those terrible and inexorable facts is no trustworthy guide for the modern mind. The whole social tendency of Emersonianism Continue reading
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Teaching What I Never Learned
cov My students have a midterm exam on Monday. They have to be able to account for Roman history from Augustus through the fall, church history from the beginning through the seven ecumenical councils, English history through the establishment of the seven kingdoms, and French/German history through the split of the Holy Roman Empire into Continue reading
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Sunday Prayer
O God our King, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, you conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of everlasting life: Redeem all our days by this victory; forgive our sins, banish our fears, make us bold to praise you and to do your will; and Continue reading
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A Guide for My Journey Home
I was probably (spiritually speaking) at my lowest point around January of 2013. That was a couple of years after I used critical theory, biblical scholarship, and postmodern philosophy to critique the fundamentalism of my own personal religious beliefs. About two years in, I began to realize that I had arrived at the logical conclusion Continue reading
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A Prayer of Devotion
O Lord my God, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; yet you have called me to stand in this house, and to serve at this work. To you and to your service I devote myself, body, soul, and spirit. Fill my memory with the record of your mighty works; enlighten Continue reading
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Thankful Tuesday: My School
Welcome to Thankful Tuesday! I’ve been teaching at my new school for a little over a month now. And, quite aside from all the reasons (financial, familial, existential, personal, career), taking this job was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am now in my third year of formally teaching. For my first Continue reading
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Why the Blood Moons Have Nothing To Do with the Bible
I’ve now seen one too many links on Facebook to problematic theories about the prophetic nature of the blood moons. Specifically, most of the stuff I’ve seen connects the blood moons to End of the World kinds of things or at least to God’s supposed concern for current geopolitical arrangements involving Israel. Not that I’m an expert Continue reading
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John C. Calhoun was a Proto-Socialist (Kind of)
The quote from Kirk below, and his quotes from Calhoun, are straightforward evidence of the convergence between traditionalist conservativism and non-Marxist socialism. I’ve discussed that convergence here and here. Peter Kreeft also gets at the same idea here. * * * “Stripped of all its covering,” Calhoun declared in his terse and inexorable way, “the Continue reading
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Beowulf and the Fear of Death
My 8th graders started Beowulf on Tuesday and I’ve gotten a range of responses. I heard from students who express the usual “it’s so confusing and weird” all the way to “if Beowulf is a Christian, how come he gets so excited about killing?” Something that a number of my students are concerned with is Continue reading
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Thankful Tuesday: The Morning
Welcome to Thankful Tuesday! On Saturday, we moved in with Amanda’s parents. This is a temporary measure (we will be buying a house after the first of the year but before the next baby comes) that will allow us to save some more money and to take our time looking for a house. We have Continue reading
About Me
Gregory C. Jeffers
Anglican Christian | Husband | Father | Teacher | Scholar | Poet
G. C. Jeffers 