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Remember the First
Lately, my social media has been flooded with stories that present deconstructive re-interpretations of scripture. Easily skimmed, shared, and swiped away, the subtle influence of Instagram theology is becoming clear as more and more young Christians abandon doctrine and tradition to instead draw their convictions from social media soundbites. Although such posts may present genuine…
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Pride and Purgation
As I expressed in an earlier post, I have come to love Dante’s Commedia more and more through rereading. In a manner almost scriptural, he manages to address every aspect of human life and, as a poet-theologian, particularly the artistic life. My favourite of canticle is Purgatorio, which is perhaps a humorous choice for a…
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Extravagant: A Reflection on the Music of Dan Forrest
I adore playing the music of choral composer, Dan Forrest. An accomplished pianist himself, he knows how to fully engage accompanists, making them feel as if they are featured soloists and equal members of an ensemble rather than merely supporters. Even his simplest pieces cover the whole range of the keyboard and develop across glorious…
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Loving By Not Loving: On Intentional interest
The other day, I asked my dad to print my dissertation at his office. That evening, I found it neatly stacked on the counter and took it upstairs to edit without giving it a second thought. “I started reading your dissertation but you must have moved it,” my dad later told me. “It was really…
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Not Far From the Tree: A Secular Icon
Stickers cover the back of my laptop, forming a small collage of my personality and of the various influences in my life. In the centre glows an apple with a single missing bite. The choice of the Apple logo seems straightforward; it’s simple, appealing (pun intended), and recognisable. Further, apples represent enlightenment and erudition—consider, for…
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The Master becomes the Student: University Combats Expert Culture
Nowhere, AZ17 July 2020 As schools consider how to reopen in the fall, a revolutionary group of students are demanding not only health accommodations, but a complete change to education altogether—and Northwesteastern Arizona University is listening. One of Arizona’s lesser-known institutions, Northwesteastern University was fortunate enough to continue its ordinary teaching despite COVID-19 closures because…
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To the Friends Who Tell Me “No”
I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship lately. Even (and perhaps especially) in the midst of completely altered social norms, my friendships seem to be growing stronger. Despite distance, change, and time, my closest friends and I are continuing to care for one another. As I finished catching up with a dear friend last night,…
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The Usual, Please
I do not feel at home until I can walk into a coffee shop and order simply “the usual.” There is something to being known by both name and coffee order that just makes me feel as though I am living in a storied universe such as Stars Hollow of Gilmore Girls. The hum of…
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Summer Reading: July 2020
Does anyone else miss summer reading programs? Although I continue to read more during the summer than any other time of year, there was a great satisfaction to completing reading challenges and earning prizes which adult life sadly lacks. Still, I thought I would share what I’ve been reading lately—that is, when I am not…
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A-boat Mercy
“It’s the boats!” On a walk with my mother along the Oceanside pier just a few days ago, we saw “the boats.” I knew exactly which boats she meant as she pointed them out: the boats that taught me mercy. You see, when I was about three years old, my family vacationed along this exact…
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Great (Thwarted) Expectations
Choosing to read Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations now of all times felt satisfyingly ironic. After all, my expectations for this season of life have been consistently frustrated. Like Pip, the novel’s protagonist, I spent the last year building grand, beautiful, ambitious plans only to have them come crashing down in painful succession. In reading Great…
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Unmasking Cognitive Dissonance
It is difficult lately to know which contemporary issue to address. Every morning, I wake to discover another potential disaster. (Today, it was the threat of “meth-gators,” which thankfully do not seem to be a likely threat as I’m pretty sure Steve Irwin would have been the only person capable of dealing with that.) Today,…
Recent Posts
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Ryanne Molinari 