Reflections On…Academics

Posted on May 24th, 2010 under Uncategorized

Living in St. Andrews has really been life changing.  In the next few posts, I’ll reflect on some of the important areas where I think I’ve gained a new perspective or learned some important lessons: academics, theology, travel and on what I’ll miss when I go home after a year here.

The King James Library in St. Mary's Divinity School

I’ve been really blessed to have taken some excellent theology and philosophy courses here at St. Andrews.  Studying abroad as a junior has been ideal because in the UK system I am taking classes which allow me to explore issues in more depth than I would if I had been taking them in America.  That’s not to say that one system is better than the other; there are different strengths and weaknesses in both, as I’ll discuss below. Read more…

Off to the Isle of Iona

Posted on February 5th, 2010 under Uncategorized

Greetings!

It’s hard to believe that February has found us again.  I am happily back in my cozy corner of St. Andrews after some adventurous trips through the Highlands.  With several weeks between the end of exams in early January and the start of the second semester this upcoming Monday, a friend and I decided to explore the breathtaking beauty of the Highlands and Islands.

I felt like Bilbo Baggins setting off on a grand journey, wanting to see mountains, but always with the domestic comforts of a pocket handkerchief.  Be forewarned any traveler to the islands, though these places beckon with natural beauty, like the songs of the sirens they can lure you into rather tricky places.  The islands have a dooming tourism industry, in the summer.  But in the winter, many of these places bunker down until the spring thaw.

My companion and I did not realize this when we happily set off on our merry way.  Our first destination was the Isle of Iona.  We set out from St. Andrews to Edinburgh where we caught a train to Glasgow.  From there, we were able to travel up through the Highlands to the port town of Oban were we caught a ferry taking us to Mull.   From Mull, we caught a bus taking us to the small town on the other end of the island where we caught a ferry taking us the last leg ofthe journey to Iona.

Read more…

A Bombastic Top 6 from Dr. Snell

Posted on November 20th, 2009 under Uncategorized

Greetings Friends.  Here are Dr. Snell’s Top 6 recommendations.  Enjoy!

Plato’s Republic

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

Augustine’s De Trinitate

Aquinas’s  Summa Theologica

Heidegger’s Being and Time

Lonergan’s Insight

Thanks Dr. Snell!

5 Great Authors on Life with God, Dr. Hall

Posted on November 17th, 2009 under Uncategorized

Dr. Hall is now serving as Chancellor at Eastern University and Dean of the Honors College, but he still enjoys teaching a class on the spiritual disciplines.  Take a chance to explore these 5 recommended authors from Dr. Hall!

Richard Foster

Dallas Willard

Henri Nouwen

Mother Teresa

John Chrysostom

Happy Reading!