Finding Our Way with Dante
Dr. Jason Baxter
Director for the Center for Beauty and Culture,
at Benedictine College.
Recent Works By Dr. Baxter
Dante’s Divine Comedy begins with the poet lost in a dark, hopeless wood. He then recounts his passage through the Inferno, Purgatorio, and up through Paradiso to the inexpressible vision of God. Throughout his travels, Dante paints a picture of human sin, virtue, and the beauty and goodness of God that draws us up into true fulfillment. But Dante wrote a long time ago in a world that was far different than it is now. Does his story of sin, virtue, and hope still have anything to say to us today? How can we talk about or teach Dante in a world of science, space travel, social media, and the tantalizing promise of AI to cure our illnesses and our unhappiness?
This year, the Worldview Academy is inviting Dante expert Dr. Jason Baxter as our keynote speaker. In addition, there will be several other local speakers from Samford University and nearby institutions who will discuss issues related to these questions, particularly how to articulate a rich Christian view of our nature, our sin and despair, and our hope and fulfillment.
The event is free and will be held in Brooks Hall Auditorium (Room 134) at Samford University. Schedule:
- Friday, July 17: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
- Saturday, July 18: 8:00am – 5:30pm
Snacks will be provided in a nearby room. Please note that lunch is not provided on Saturday—there will be a break for lunch on your own.
SCHEDULE
Friday
| 7:00p | Jason Baxter: Inferno |
Saturday
| 8:00a | Doors open, coffee |
| 8:15a | Daniel Lee“The Eye is the Lamp of the Body: Biblical Interpretation under Beatific Vision” |
| 8:45a | Jason Baxter: Purgatorio |
| 9:45a | Dawn McCormack“From Curses to Cheat Sheets: Surviving the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt and What it Tells Us About Ancient Egyptian Thought” |
| 10:30a | Brian Rodan: “‘The Wound Man Was Born For’”: How to Inhabit Time With the Wisdom of C.S. Lewis |
| 11:15a | Johnathan Harris: “Christ’s Divine Comedy and Our Participation in the Descent and Ascent of the Son” |
| 12:00p-1:15p | Break for Lunch |
| 1:15p | Jason Wallace: “So Dante was a Republican?: The Political Context of Dante’s World and Why it Matters.” |
| 2:00p | Emily McCarty: “Getting What You Want: Dante’s Conception of Sin in the Inferno” |
| 2:45p | Sarah Neely: “A Tale of Two Sacrifices: Why Abortion Cannot Live in the Christian Worldview” |
| 3:30p | Joshua Farris: “Why We Need Dante in a Pagan Age” |
| 4:15p | Jason Baxter: Paradiso |
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RSVP Date: July 17-18 Friday Night from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM Saturday July 18 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Location: Samford University Brooks Hall Rooms 134 and 135