In what way is Old Western Culture a "Christian Approach" to the Great Books?
Old Western Culture is a distinctly Christian course. The creators of the course believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, the Providence of God working in history, and that all truth is God’s truth wherever it may be found.
A Christian worldview is not “taught” as an afterthought, but assumed throughout and thoroughly integrated in the approach to the material. Below are two small excerpts from the course which demonstrate how this works itself out in Old Western Culture.
Platonic Heresies and the Church (excerpt from The Philosophers).
Why the Aeneid Mattered to Early Christians (and still matters today!)
The Bitterness of Achilles (excerpt from The Epics).
Does Old Western Culture present the perspective of a specific denomination?
Wes Callihan, the author, makes this statement:
I teach explicitly as a Christian and in the light of the historic, universal Christian faith. In nearly every class I make connections to that faith and to the radically
redemptive character of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection and of the church’s mission for individuals and nations. I affirm three things as most important:
- the Nicene Creed as a faithful summary of the Christian faith,
- the gospel as declared in John 3:16, Romans 10:9-13, and I Corinthians 15:1-4.
- the absolute necessity of Christian unity and love in the bond of peace as expressed in Galatians 5:22-23 and throughout I John.
I am largely in agreement with the major Reformational Protestant confessions, especially the Westminster Confession of Faith and the 39 Articles of the Church of England, but am deeply appreciative of and often sympathetic to the historic Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
None of this is required of students – the only spiritual requirements are a good attitude and a willingness to learn – but it should be expected that the teaching will clearly, explicitly, and regularly reflect a historical and classical Christian perspective.
If Old Western Culture is a Christian course, why does it include Pagan literature?
More on why you should study Pagan literature:
– Q&A with Wes Callihan: Why Should we Study Pagan Authors? (10 min video)
– Course Excerpt from The Philosophers: St. Paul alludes to Socrates (2:44 min video)