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January 14, 2020As part of the reformed Diaconate program, the bold and the brave men who are desirous to conform themselves to Christ-the-Servant as ordained deacons for our diocese are given the opportunity to actively participate in the ‘great conversation’ that has been taking place for the past 2500 years. As part of their intellectual formation the men spend six leisurely years reading and discussing the “ Great Books” of the Western canon. They read, of course, thinkers such as Homer, Aristotle, Dante and Aquinas, but they also wrestle with the so-called “moderns” – individuals such as Machiavelli, Descartes, and Nietzsche.All too oft, these modern thinkers are simply scoffed at and dismissed as irrelevant, but in our program they are read, and read seriously. They have a lot to contribute and are invaluable in understanding our own philosophical biases and presuppositions. Reading them honestly is self-revelatory. We get to know the foundations of our own skewed thinking.
Take for example the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche (d.1900), whom we read last weekend. In the seductive writing of Nietzsche we uncover and are confronted with our own deep-seated desire for rebellion and power. This knowledge can be helpful, especially for men soon to elevated to positions of servant-leadership.