Author Archives: awtraughber

Playing our Roles Fittingly (Civics Edition)

In class I often revisit the question of “how can I play my role fittingly?” in light of the biblical story.  This is a nod to both N. T. Wright’s “five-act play” of the biblical story and Kevin Vanhoozer’s “drama … Continue reading

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Living with Loss

Last week America posted a short reflection by James K. A. Smith about how Christians handle loss.  What begins with a nod to Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead takes a personal turn that I found difficult and brilliant.  Smith writes: A number … Continue reading

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Jacob and the Face of God

Yesterday I mentioned the manuscript I wrote for this week’s chapel.  The topic was Jacob’s encounter with God.  The task was partly to retell the story to an audience who has a basic knowledge of the story.  Here’s a cleaned-up … Continue reading

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Submitted for Your Approval?

I recently spoke for what will probably be “the last time” in chapel this quarter.  If the timing goes well, it could be my last time for the year.  We’ll see.  Either way, in my head I had planned on … Continue reading

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On Friendship

Earlier this week many conservative writers mourned the loss of Roger Scruton, a British teacher and public intellectual.  His name and thinking have hovered on the edges of my interests for some time now, but I’ve not spent much time … Continue reading

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From Spyfall to Planetfall

One thing an early January start-date allows for Doctor Who is that there’s not much broadcast TV competition.  What makes it even sweeter is that the season, two episodes in, has really leaned into the show’s mythology more than every … Continue reading

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The One with the Spoilers

This morning I caught a matinee showing of Greta Gerwig’s adaption of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.  I was up for a movie but didn’t quite feel ready to walk back into The Rise of Skywalker again.  I had heard … Continue reading

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Spyfall with Spoilers

Well, I spent most of today on an airplane or two.  I have to admit, the American Airlines route from HNL to BNA through ORD is quite good.  The success of it depends on weather and delays, I think, but … Continue reading

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Skywalker’s Rise

For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t able to make it opening night of a Star Wars movie.  But banquet is when banquet is, so Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker had to wait until early Friday … Continue reading

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Reading in 2020

2019 was an interesting year in reading for me.  I continued to try and find points of connection between faith and learning.  I tried to revisit favorites like Lewis and Tolkien while also diving a little deeper with thinkers like … Continue reading

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