Rediscovering the Ancient Ways of Christianity
A 5-Part Series Presented at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church
This year, noted atheist thinker Alain de Botton published a widely-acclaimed book entitled Religion for Atheists, in which he highlighted the strengths of ancient religious traditions. Father Justin Patterson, pastor of St. Athanasius Orthodox Church, will lead us through de Botton’s book and suggest ways that believers—or even those attempting to be believers—can utilize some of what de Botton is saying to appreciate anew the ancient ways of the historic Christian Faith. Father Justin, while challenging de Botton’s atheism, will respectfully use de Botton’s reflections as jumping off points to explore, particularly, the experience of the Orthodox Church and the continuous 2000-year history of the Christians of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
This 5-part series will be presented on Wednesday evenings, at 7:30pm at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church and is open to the public.
Listed below are the dates and topics for each evening. (Audio recordings of the talks will be added as we can.)
October 24: “The Need for Real Community–Loneliness, Life Transitions, and Feasting”
October 31: “Old Ways of Fostering Authentic Goodness—Virtues, Vices, and Role Models”
November 7: “Formation—What is the Purpose of Education?”
November 14: “The Human Needs—Tenderness, Perspective, Art, and Meaning”
November 21: Break for Thanksgiving (No Class)
November 28: “Institutions: What are They Good For?”
Architect Selection Information