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The Habit of Blogging: Cultivation and Growth
I started this blog in the fall of 2008 when I was a freshman in college. I mostly posted really bad spoken word poetry and really abrasive thoughts about my classes, theology, and politics. I also didn’t write much. In January of 2010, I did two things. First, I deleted all of my bad and… Continue reading
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Weariness and Rest: Looking Toward the Fall
I have been so incredibly weary of late. Amanda and I have, perhaps more than we should have, pushed ourselves to travel and see people every spare moment this summer. And now, as the summer comes to a close, I begin my new job exhausted. * * * Life changed radically when Ellie was born.… Continue reading
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Habitus and Anxiety
While I think I understand some of the root causes of my anxiety, understanding does not lead to its elimination. And that’s my problem. I’ve always felt that if I can just understand something, if I can get my head around a problem, if I can just organize the crap out of it, then I… Continue reading
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Same-Sex Marriage: Some Thoughts
In light of the recent decision by the Supreme Court that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to have their marriages licensed and recognized by all fifty States, I’ve decided to pen some reflections on the topic that I hope will offer folks something interesting to read and think about. While there are layers upon layers of… Continue reading
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My Life and My Work: Toward a Synthesis
I’ve spent the first half of this semester doing two main things: changing diapers and resisting the dominant intellectual currents in my field. * * * My daughter, Ellie, is over a month old now. She is adorable and sweet and always hungry. She is perverse, preferring to wait until she has a clean diaper… Continue reading
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Lent 2015
In the past, I have explored various Lenten themes. Two years ago (my heyday for blogging), I explored doubt and lament and injustice. And that is all good. This year for Lent, however, I would like to explore its traditional penitential aspect further. Repentance is something I have long struggled with because it reminds me… Continue reading
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Why I Am Not Quitting My PhD
I’ve thought about quitting my PhD on multiple occasions. It’s not just that tenure-track jobs in the humanities will be hard to find once I graduate, nor is it merely that I could be making a lot more money right now if I wasn’t in academia at all (money seems more important than it used… Continue reading
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The Virtuous Life Part 1: Anxiety
I often wonder whether a psychiatrist would diagnose me with some kind of anxiety disorder. There have been moments in my life, lasting for several weeks at a time, when I exhibit relatively serious OCD symptoms. This usually occurs around times of high stress or when experiencing big change–like the last six months. But even… Continue reading
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Learning to Love and Pray (at the Same Time): The Beginning of a Synthesis
I recently finished G. K. Chesterton‘s The Everlasting Man, and I am now about a third of the way through Kathleen Norris‘s Amazing Grace. My intellect, long the center of my approach to the world and to faith, has finally found its interest in robust, historical, liturgical Christianity matched by an emotional and artistic delight.… Continue reading
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Thankful Tuesday: June 24
Welcome to Thankful Tuesday! One of my fundamental beliefs, rooted in my Christian faith, is that the primary (though not only) cause of suffering in the world is people. Something is fundamentally wrong with people on an ontological level. Contemporary accounts of this problem variously include the following: ignorance (to be solved through education), lack… Continue reading
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Against Ideology and Hegemonic Discourse: Toward a Rhetoric of Love
This is the essay I wrote for my Comprehensive Exam for my MA this past spring. It contains a lot of ideas relevant to how I understand my purpose in relationship to the church and the academy. One central idea, arrived at toward the end of the essay, is the idea that liturgy (while encompassing… Continue reading
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On Being an Old Curmudgeon
To some degree, I’m a walking anachronism. While I’m obviously a member of, and conversant in, this generation’s culture, technology, and worldview–I nevertheless do not fit in in a variety of ways. Most of these ways have to do with technology in one way or another, though, of course, it goes beyond that. At times… Continue reading
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A Simple Revolution
I’ve been experiencing a lot change recently. I got married four months ago. I began my master’s program a year ago. I will be applying for PhD programs in the next couple of months. I left Beltway and joined Highland 15 months ago. But far more than my material circumstances or local contexts have changed:… Continue reading
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God Died Last Night: A Meditation
I’ve always hated the book of Job. It makes God out to be totally amoral. I mean, the premise is that God wants to win a bet against Satan, so that’s why there is suffering. And, just in case you complain about being unjustly oppressed, know that God can beat you up, so you better… Continue reading
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Weekend Compilations (8)
Welcome to this week’s installment of Weekend Compilations, a blog post where I share links to my favorite blog posts from the previous week. Sunday: Sarah Bessey talks about being fearless. She writes, “I used to think that conquering my Fears will be a lot more sexy than it really is. I thought I would… Continue reading
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Thankful Tuesday (I know it’s actually Wednesday): christmas music out of season
Today as I listened Shane and Shane on shuffle at work, “O Come O Come Emmanuel” came on. And while I normally don’t listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, I let it slide today. And, so, right now I want to do nothing less than blast Christmas music, pour a cup of coffee, and… Continue reading
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Weekend Compilations: my favorite blogs from this past week (6)
Welcome to this week’s installment of Weekend Compilations, a blog post where I share links to my favorite blog posts from the previous week. I am at the point in the semester where I am incredibly busy trying to finish my term papers. So, please forgive me for having Weekend Compilations a day late this… Continue reading
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Election Compilation: a collection of my blog posts about the 2012 election
Well, today is the day after Election Day, which means it’s a day for reflection—both for thinking about what has happened and thinking about what will happen. I don’t have anything new or special to say today except that which I have already said. So, here is my collection of blog posts about the election.… Continue reading
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Don’t Tread on Me: The Politics of the Infantile
So, as everyone knows, there is an election in full swing. We, as citizens of the United States, will—come November—elect a president and a slew of senators and representatives. And, so we’ve been told, this presidential election is the most important election in our lifetimes. Just like the last one. And the one before that.… Continue reading
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Meat Sacrificed to Idols: “Your Body is a Wonderland”
Are you a moralist? If so, you are likely the sort of person who bleeps cuss words, or skips sex scenes in movies. You don’t drink alcohol or smoke. You don’t buy R rated movies. This misses the point. Aside from its inconsistency (you probably are ok with violence, greed, and divorce in movies), it… Continue reading
About Me
Gregory C. Jeffers
Anglican Christian | Husband | Father | Teacher | Scholar | Poet
G. C. Jeffers 