IMAGINATION & SOUL: HARRY POTTER, TWILIGHT, AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION
Saturday, January 29, 2001, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Click HERE to Register
John Granger, called the “dean of Harry Potter scholars” by TIME magazine, will be giving the keynote talk for the first Eighth Day Symposium, hosted by the Eighth Day Institute and St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral. If you have ever wondered what to think about the Potter and Twilight phenomena, you don’t want to miss Granger’s exposition of their spiritual and literary meaning (he finds their popularity indicative of our secular culture’s hunger for the transcendent rather than an interest in the occult or a fascination with vampires). Breakout sessions discussing classical education and the role literature plays in spiritual formation will follow.
And the following month don’t miss the Patristics Symposium:
ON THE TREE OF THE CROSS: THE PATRISTIC DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENT
Saturday, February 12, 2011, from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Friends University
(Registration soon to follow)
Co-sponsored by the Fr. Georges Florovsky Orthodox Christian Theological Society and the School of Christian Vocation at Princeton Theological Seminary, this symposium will examine the doctrine of atonement as understood in and/or by the New Testament, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Gregory the Theologian, and the Ascetic Fathers. Speakers include Fr. George Dragas, Fr. John Behr, Dr. Alexis Torrance, Fr. John McGuckin, Dr. George Parsenios, and Matthew Baker. Eighth Day Institute will be broadcasting the event live via internet feed from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas.
ONE FINAL NOTE: To clear up any confusion, here’s a little background on the Institute and its relationship with Eighth Day Books.
Born from a shared mission of “renewing culture through faith and learning,” the not-for-profit
Eighth Day Institute (located next door to Eighth Day Books) seeks to accomplish what Eighth Day Books does as a for-profit business: connect people to classics which shed light on ultimate questions and expose people to the teachings of the Fathers of the Christian Church. While the two organizations share similar roots, vision, and mission, the Eighth Day Institute (formerly known as the St. John of Damascus Institute) and Eighth Day Books have no formal affiliation or financial relationship. That said, their support for each other is mutual and enthusiastic.
2 Comments
I wish I could go to this event. Please tell the attendees about my book, The Lord of the Hallows: Christian Symbolism and Themes in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. I think those in attendance at your event might want to read it.
Real v. Electronic Books–theological context, word made flesh: I agree that for some things real paper is the way to go. Trying to make this “theological” strikes me as going too far. The revelation is not the scriptures nor a particular file format or physical presentation thereof, scripture is about revelation which is Christ. Christ became flesh, the uncreated unites with the world of the created, a great mystery.
Also the distinction between paper and digital media is slippery since both are part of creation/physical reality, both made of matter and in both cases the information is in a symbolic code, digital media admittedly being imperceptible to human sensory apparatus before being displayed on a screen or speaker. It may seem like it is more “spiritual” or “immaterial” but on what time scale or size scale or by what other standards?
A thought provoking set of audios on AFR, thanks.
Leave a comment