By chance I was recently introduced to the ideas of Oswald Spengler – a German intellectual of the early 20th century whose claim to fame is the two-volume work The Decline of the West. The essential idea of Spengler is that civilizations may be described similarly to organisms, which either thrive, survive, or stagnate andContinue reading “The Great Tree of Western Civilization”
Tag Archives: Catholicism
The Monk Who Saved Western Civilization
Thermopylae, Tours, Vienna—throughout the West’s history were a number of battles that scholars can point to and say ”this was the moment the West was saved.” Rescued from destruction at the last minute with the fate of a continent resting on a knife’s edge, battles offer a discrete point of separation between a culture’s continuationContinue reading “The Monk Who Saved Western Civilization”
Milites Christi: A Brief History of Medieval Warrior Bishops
In a time that honored martial prowess and piety above all else, the warrior bishop was the physical embodiment of the medieval ethos: a literal soldier for Christ, baptizing souls with water and blood – a militant dealer of sacraments and death. Like a metamorphic gemstone forged under the intense heat and pressure of tectonicContinue reading “Milites Christi: A Brief History of Medieval Warrior Bishops”
A Crash Course in Western Church Architecture
I recently posted about the need to return to traditional church architecture. In this post, I’d like to explain exactly what is traditional church architecture in the West, using a cathedral to illustrate each aspect. The design of a traditional cathedral is theologically based and instructive in the Faith. Though beautiful, its construction is notContinue reading “A Crash Course in Western Church Architecture”
Cathedral Building for Dummies: The Need for Traditional Churches
The towering spires, intricate masonry, and ornate stained-glass windows of a gothic cathedral attest to the vast sums of money and human labor required to construct it. The sheer opulence of such a building reflects a bygone society obsessed with power, authority, and beauty. The smallest details were painstakingly etched into stone, wood, and glass despiteContinue reading “Cathedral Building for Dummies: The Need for Traditional Churches”
[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: Creation, Lembas, and Beyond
Middle Earth is full of characters exhibiting Christian symbolism through their words, actions, and relationships, as covered in Parts I, II, and III of this series on Christianity in The Lord of the Rings. However, the Christian symbolism extends beyond characters to include objects and places. Already, the Ring was covered in Part III dueContinue reading “[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: Creation, Lembas, and Beyond”
[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: The Bad Guys
In this part 3 of a series on Christianity in the Lord of the Rings, I cover the subject of Evil in Middle Earth, including Sauron, the Ring Wraiths, orcs, Saruman, and Gollum. Of course, no symbolic video on the Lord of the Rings would be complete without a breakdown of the symbolism behind theContinue reading “[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: The Bad Guys”
Great Books of Christianity: The Modern Era
The most challenging period in which to select the great books of Christianity is the modern era. The sheer volume of Christian literature produced in the last two centuries makes extracting out “the best” a difficult task. Moreover, books written closer to the present have not yet been sorted by the harshest critic of all:Continue reading “Great Books of Christianity: The Modern Era “
TW on YouTube: Christianity in The Lord of the Rings (part 1: The Threefold Office)
Despite numerous attempts to discredit the Christian elements in the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien himself admits his greatest work is indeed a Christian, even a Catholic, work. Here, I revisit an old video topic and cover the priest, prophet, and king elements in the figures of Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn. More videos on otherContinue reading “TW on YouTube: Christianity in The Lord of the Rings (part 1: The Threefold Office)”
Exploring the Oldest Christmas Carols
With the arrival of Advent season and the anticipation of Christmas arriving soon, decorations are taken out of storage, dusted off, and excitedly placed around our homes. Lights are strung around our trees, houses, and towns, illuminating the darkest time of the year with all the glory that modern LED technology can provide, while nativityContinue reading “Exploring the Oldest Christmas Carols”