So, now that I have taken reprieve from my reading at St John's, I want to give an answer to students who ask, Why do we have to know this?" My answer is: 1) knowing the western canon gets you on the inside loop of the conversation that has transcended time.... when great minds allude to other great thinkers, readers have immediate connection and insight: 2) it stretches one's brain cells into new paths of thinking.......the texts are difficult... but it provides a great mental workout 3) one gains a greater understanding of western thought....
But the time spent at St John's has crystalized the need for the church to become readers of the Great Books. The church can only minister to the United States in a limited way if she doesn't understand the plumb line of western thinking.
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