Gene Fant

Okay, can I admit that I have an utter fascination with Christopher Hitchens?  While I grieve for the state of his soul, I admire his intellect and his ability to cut to the heart of an issue.  Perhaps it’s because he’s an intellectual ninja who is, unlike of most public . . . . Continue Reading »

Before we move too far beyond the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I thought I’d post one more thought about the subject. After I’d had my moment when babies became real (see my last post), I had an overlapping experience that greatly shaped my understanding of literature.While I teach . . . . Continue Reading »

January 22nd is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. In anticipation of the events marking this date, I thought I’d tell the two-part story of when babies became real to me, whether in utero or in bassinets.As a high school guy, my world rarely included babies. None of my friends had . . . . Continue Reading »

One of the bedrock beliefs that I have as a professor of literature is that we read to learn from, not about. When we read works simply because they are important to our cultural heritage, we have relegated them to irrelevance. Instead, we should read works to discover their living wisdom and . . . . Continue Reading »

Recently I opened a jury duty summons for one of our local courts. My report date hasn’t arrived quite yet, but I’m looking forward to the possibility of serving. I’ve only been empanelled once and it was a nightmare; I’m hoping for a better experience this time. The accused . . . . Continue Reading »

I love Greek myths. You may remember the story of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool, staring at himself and finally dying when he realized that he could not “have” himself. The nymph Echo repeated Narcissus’ words endlessly, until she too was reduced to . . . . Continue Reading »

This past Thanksgiving, my extended family hosted some college students from Asia for the big meal. As we were making small talk, I opened my mouth and had a little roasted foot to go with my lunch: I asked the Chinese students if they had brothers or sisters. They don’t, of course, because of . . . . Continue Reading »

Like Mary, we ought to submit to God’s sovereignty and go where he leads. Continue Reading »

“Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” (Augustine, Confessions (Book 1)The longing of our hearts for something more, something beyond ourselves is powerful. Intuitively, we know that we need something to complete our broken hearts, . . . . Continue Reading »

I’m Sick and Tired of Lewis and ChestertonTwice in the past week, I thought I’d said something relatively clever only to have someone say, “It’s funny that you say that: I was reading something that C. S. Lewis wrote about that very idea not long ago . . . .” If . . . . Continue Reading »