All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age

“It is true I do not have an absolute purpose in life—I am not dedicated to ‘glorifying God’ anymore. But I find creating my own purpose thrilling. I am the author of a novel, and the book is my life. The freedom is exhilarating. . . . Life is as happy and meaningful as you make it.”25 Is it? There are two questions to ask those who take this remar

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We can thus describe religious and secular faith as two different motivational structures. If I am motivated by religious faith, the goal of my striving is to rest in peace. I may never achieve such peace, but if my desire were fulfilled I would be free from all care. My ultimate concern is to have no concern. In contrast, if I am motivated by secu

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This Life addresses both religious and secular audiences. I invite the religious (and the religiously inclined) to ask themselves if they actually have faith in eternity and if this faith is compatible with the care that animates their lives. Furthermore, I encourage both religious and secular readers to see why the finitude of our lives should not

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