Justin and Stephen discuss the sting of death (before we knew about Chadwick Boseman’s passing) and hardness of heart in the Church. Michial Farmer joins to discuss the purpose of higher education and describes his journey of evaluating why he was a professor. He shares the unique possibilities he sees at the intersections of the Humanities and Christian Higher Education. The three profs ask where there might be a different way forward. Michial highlights the importance of seeing things as they are, and loving them for what they are. They consider the need for ethical reasoning, and Michial describes the process of his career change. After we recorded, Michial published an article on Christianity and the Liberal Arts entitled Much Higher Education. We have plenty of show notes for you at profsinrooms.com or find bonus material on Patreon! To donate to production costs, visit profsinrooms.com. Resources from this episode: • Michial’s article: Two Forms of Despair • Michial’s article: The Uses of Nostalgia • Christian Humanist Radio Network • John Mark Reynolds St Constantine School • Zena Hitz • Front Porch Republic • Philip Sidney’s The Defense of Poecy • Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot • Joy Kogawa’s Obasan • Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising • Thomas Friedman’s Thank you for Being Late • Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together • Judith Guest’s Ordinary People • T.S. Eliot’s Preludes

Regular Theme Music by Josiah Enns. Photo by Preston Goff on Unsplash This episode was recorded on the land of the Wahpekute, Anishinabewaki, and the Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux).