Tag: great books

Portrait of Dostoevsky

A Taste of the Classics: The Brothers Karamazov

Ken Boa’s favorite novel, Fyodor Dostoevesky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” explores the Christian view of redemption, as well as themes related to human nature and relationships.

Sketch by Hugh Thomson of a Scene

A Taste of the Classics: Pride & Prejudice

In a society in which money, marriage, and social status had become the measure of all morality, Jane Austen’s finest novel illustrates the need for love and respect as the basis for any happy, healthy relationship (particularly marriage).

Illustration by Gustave Dore of Paradise Lost

A Taste of the Classics: Paradise Lost

Penned in 1667, John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” is an epic poem that weaves together all the threads of Scripture to present the story of God’s redemption of humanity through a rich tapestry of extraordinary imagery.

Image of stairs

A Taste of the Classics: Mere Christianity

Published in 1952, C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity” came out of a series of BBC radio talks during the Second World War. The book makes the case for Christianity, seeks to delineate those beliefs common to all Christians, and discusses matters related to Christian behavior/morality.

A Taste of the Classics

Over the years, Ken Boa has taught and helpfully summarized a number of works from classic literature. This series introduces several of 16 important works.

C.S. Lewis Retreat, June 2018: Introduction

In this recording of a presentation at a men’s retreat in Flowery Branch, GA, in June 2018, Ken Boa begins with a broader talk on “great books” and reading and transitions to an examination of some of C.S. Lewis’s ideas and writings, such as the relationship between higher and lower things and the “hints of heaven” God gives us in the “shadowlands” of this earthly life.

Photo of well-used books on a shelf

Great Books, Playwrights, & Poets (Ken Boa’s List)

Reading encourages you to slow down, think deeply, and make inferences or connections. It also aids your memories, especially if you underline or mark text while you read. This list of titles, compiled by Dr. Boa, includes many classics sure to challenge your thinking and outlook—books that will “bite

Image of hands receiving or giving flower blossoms

Loosening Your Grip

Commentating on A.W. Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God,” Ken Boa explains that everything we commit to God is safer there than anywhere else; in fact, nothing is really secure that is not committed to His care.

Photo of lavender in a field

Rest for a Restless Heart (Tozer Commentary, Part 1)

Apart from God, we thrash about desperately, struggling to find our place in this world. Only upon returning to the Maker of our souls does our grinding search end. This is the first of a three-part commentary on A.W. Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God.”