The Plunge with Derek Holser

Welcome to Episode Four of our series, George MacDonald for Every Generation.     Today's episode is entitled "George MacDonald, Matchmaker". That's right, my guests today, Jenni and Thomas Cannariato, began dating and were later married as a direct result of George MacDonald!     Jenni and Thomas share this story and many more, as we discuss courtship, marriage, and raising young children in light of George MacDonald's influence.      Jenni spends her days raising three rambunctious and creative boys. In the small spare moments, she works as a freelance editor, helping authors of all backgrounds polish and develop their writing. If there's any time remaining, you can find her reading a good book, lingering over a cup of coffee with her husband, or whipping up something tasty in the kitchine.      Thomas is a writer, a musician, and an academic. He is a jack of all trades, master of one. Originally from Long Island, NY, Thomas lives in Northern California with Jenni and their three boys, where he cooks all of his favorite Italian meals out of desperation for good food. He is on a pilgrimage to discover the Father's heart and reveal the heart of the Father to his family first and his community thereafter.      Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Welcome to Episode 3 in our series George MacDonald for Every Generation.     This episode features a new friend to the Plunge, Amanda B. Vernon. Amanda is winsom, jolly, hopeful, and quite learned. We discuss the transition of young adults to discovering their vocation, purpose and meaning in life. In particular, how young people today are moving toward what she calls the beginning of the end of the post-critique, post-critical era.      Amanda is a writer, teacher, and academic working at the intersection of 19th-century literature and theology. She is a teaching fellow at the University of Tübingen in Germany, and an honorary junior fellow of the University of Buckingham in the UK. Her work has been published in Victorian Review and Victorians. She is co-editor with Daniel Gabelman of Unsaying the Commonplace: George MacDonald and the Critique of Victorian Convention.  https://www.amazon.com/Unsaying-Commonplace-MacDonald-Victorian-Convention/dp/1935688448     Amanda is currently writing her first monograph, Reading with the Trinity: Theology in Literary Form in George MacDonald.      To discover Amanada's work, please go to https://www.amandabvernon.com     Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y  

Bret van den Brink, a rising literary scholar and MA student at the University of Toronto, shares his inspiring journey from rural roots to intellectual discovery. He elaborates on how George MacDonald shaped his faith and understanding of literature. The conversation touches on the passage from boyhood to manhood, the challenges of his generation, and the importance of literary exploration in developing empathy. Additionally, Bret delves into the interplay of technology and storytelling, emphasizing the need for connection with nature and imagination in today's world.

In this thought-provoking discussion, Julie Canlis, an accomplished Calvin scholar and author, and Leah Holser, a Master's candidate in Theology, explore the legacy of George MacDonald. They delve into how childhood experiences shape spiritual beliefs and the importance of nurturing a child's imagination in understanding God. The conversation critiques Federal Calvinism and highlights MacDonald's emphasis on compassion and empathy in faith. They advocate for a more whimsical approach to parenting and children’s ministry, celebrating the wonders of childhood.

Welcome to episode two of two featuring Jordan Daniel Wood, Assistant Professor of Theology at Belmont University.     In this conversation, Jordan and I conclude our discussion of Time and Trauma and the work of the Incarnation in his to-be-published essay: The End of Trauma: The Patristic Doctrine of Deification and Trauma Theory.   Jordan holds an M.A. from St. Louis University and a Ph.D. from Boston College, both in Historical Theology. His interests range from Greek patristic theology to modern philosophy, especially Idealism. He is married to Alexis, a registered nurse, with whom he has four wonderful daughters. https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Mystery-Christ-Incarnation-Confessor/dp/0268203474 Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Welcome to episode one of two, featuring Jordan Daniel Wood, Assistant Professor of Theology at Belmont University.     In this conversation, Jordan and I discuss Time and Trauma in light of his to-be-published essay, The End of Trauma: The Patristic Doctrine of Deification and Trauma Theory.     Jordan holds an M.A. from St. Louis University and a Ph.D. from Boston College, both in Historical Theology. His interests range from Greek patristic theology to modern philosophy, especially idealism. He is married to Alexis, a registered nurse, with whom he has four wonderful daughters.     Jordan is ever intriguing, enlightening, and most of all, hope-spreading. You can read his excellent work on the ideas of Maximus Confessor here: https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Mystery-Christ-Incarnation-Confessor/dp/0268203474       Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y  

Welcome to the final episode in our 12-part series on Owen Barfield: The First and Last Inkling.     Today's episode is short and sweet. It's just a few of my reflections on what I learned in conversations about the magnificent Owen Barfield. As well as an admonition to take risks, swing big, and be relentlessly curious!     Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Welcome to episode eleven in our twelve part series on Owen Barfield: The First & Last Inkling.      Today's episode features a conversation with Landon Loftin, PhD, professor at Gravitas: A Global Extension of The Stony Brook School.     Landon and I discuss Barfield and C.S. Lewis's infamous "The Great War" and Barfield's instrumental role in helping create the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC).      Landon is a deep thinker and a brilliant scholar, with helpful insights into the life and ideas of Owen Barfield and the importance of his life in the tradition of culture shapers. Along with Max Leyf, Landon is the author of What Barfield Thought: An Introduction to the Work of Owen Barfield.   https://tinyurl.com/5ee6hr3j     Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y  

Welcome to the tenth episode in our twelve part series on Owen Barfield: The First and Last Inkling.     Today's conversation features Jeffrey Hipolito.  Jeffrey is an independent scholars from Seattle.     Jeffrey and I discuss Barfield's Anthroposophical vision, his relationship with the ideas of many thinkers, his dedication to the heritage of Romanticism, and life and meaning in a world with "virtual" reality.     Jeffrey earned his PhD from the University of Washington and has published numerous articles and essays in the Oxford Handbook of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, European Romantic Review, Journal of the History of Ideas, Renaissance, Journal of the Inkling Studies.     Jeffrey is the current chairperson of the Owen Barfield Society and has written two books on Barfield:   Owen Barfield's Poetic Philosophy, Meaning and Imagination https://tinyurl.com/bdz24hr3   and    Owen Barfield's Poetry, Drama and Fiction: Rider on Pegasus. https://tinyurl.com/4j4d8kps     Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y  

Welcome to episode nine in our twelve epiose series on Owen Barfield: The First & Last Inkling.     Today's conversation features Stephen Dunning, PhD. We discuss Charles Williams, perception, consciousness, love, romance, and a host of philosophical insights and literary figures.     Stephen is a writer of fiction. His new series, The Perilous Times Saga, was recently published, with book one, entitled: Suzy and the Magic Turnip.  You can purchase it here: https://tinyurl.com/5yhdxc2k     Stephen received his PhD in literature from the University of Cambridge, which he attended as a Commonwealth scholar. For many years, he was an English instructor at Douglas College in New Westminster, British Columbia.     In 2007 he joined the English faculty of Trinity Western University and he taught there until 2017. Stephen is the author of The Crisis and the Quest, a Kierkegaardian reading of Charles Williams, and of many articles on modern British and Canadian literature.      He co-founded the Inklings Institute of Canad in 2013 with his colleague, Monika Hilder. Along with his continued participation in Inklings Institute events, he keeps busy writing stories for his grandchildren and their friends and he sings in a choral group.      Connect with Derek: X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser New Book! Lightgliders: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y