Author Archives: davetcourt

In his book, I Am Part of Infinity: The Spiritual Journey of Albert Einstein, author Kieran Fox talks about how Einstein’s “spirituality was mocked and misunderstood during his lifetime,” and worse yet buried and “all but forgotten” by modernitys growing hostility in a post-enlightnement era. This book was en effort to understand why that was.Continue reading “Einstein and the Question of Infinity: Exploring The Nature of the Spiritual Journey”

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1) Sometimes it is the small things, the small moments, the small points and ideas, that turn out to be the most compelling. One of these small points/ideas has found me in a space ofContinue reading “Will Teachers in the Church Be Judged More Strictly By God?: Rethinking James 3:1”

Anatole: Does your Bible oppose slavery? Liesel: I oppose slavery. Wes Anderson’s films are no stranger to exploring philosophical and existential questions. Beyond the dark humor, the quirkiness and the singularity of his unique style, lies much bigger questions about life, the world, and at times God. His latest film, The Phoenician Scheme, follows theContinue reading “The Phoenician Scheme: Finding God in the World”

Having recently finished Ian Nathan’s biographical work on the famous Spanish filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, I couldn’t help but note the overlap between Percy’s Bink Bolling and Del Toro’s own storied history. Boiling is a man caught between the devout dogmatism of his mother’s side and the cynicism and skepticism of his father’s side, findingContinue reading “The Moviegoer: Finding the Search For Truth in Walker Percy’s Imagination”

I have no idea how Macfarlane would feel about this basic matter of fact, but his works have been greatly influential for the way I understand my faith in God. As far as I know Macfarlane would categorize as a naturalist, albeit one who flirts with the appearance of a kind of pantheism (he hasContinue reading “Are Rivers Alive: How Macfarlane Has Influenced My Faith In God”

Both sets of my Grandparents have since passed, given now to the problematic nature of memory. Memory is a subject of which I’ve long been fascinated by. Some of that is rooted in an experience. Previous posts in this space have outlined that, but the summarized version is- I had what I call a WordContinue reading “Do Our Lives, Our Actions Make a Difference? How Can We Know?”

I often say, the key to good history is a good narrative. As the famous quote goes, of which I’ve forgotten the source, “all history is narrative.” If this is the measure, Gordon has written a very good history about the Bible. One of the marks of a good narrative is thematic cohesion. History booksContinue reading “What Is the Bible and Why Does it Matter: Reflections on Bruce Gordon’s The Bible: A Global History”

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Colossians 3:15) “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1Continue reading “A Narrative of Peace: Exploring A Complicated Word With Profound Significance.”

Every once in a while you come across an idea that sort of reshapes the way you see the world or think about the world. A couple of years ago I read a book, a kind of travelogue, that offered a philosophical observation regarding how we experience the world. Everyone is shaped by two essentialContinue reading “The Places We Live, The Places We Are Drawn To: Exploring My Love For The Ocean and The Atlantic With John Haywood”

Is there irony in the fact of a renewed Christian not only locating his hero in a proposed angry athiest, but finding in his heros art a pathway to God? Maybe. On the surface at least it feels contradictory, and yet this is nevertheless true of my relationship to Spanish filmmaker/artist Guillermo Del Toro. AContinue reading “Unlikey Heroes: How An Angry Atheist Renewed My Faith In God”