Pursuing Embodied Wonder and Material Wisdom: Chris Hall on the Common Arts
In this episode of Forged, Chris Hall reflects on the formative power of the “common arts”—the ordinary skills and embodied practices that introduce us to the givenness of the world and manifest our humanity. Drawing on stories from the classroom and the farm, Hall argues that formation and education flourish when intellectual study is joined to hands-on craft, inviting students into apprenticeship, real responsibility, and attentiveness to the natural world. He also addresses the cultural divide between academic learning and vocational skill, urging a recovery of an older vision in which the liberal arts, practical arts, and fine arts enrich one another for the sake of a fully embodied, fully aware human life of discipline, delight, craft, and calling.
In this episode, Lynette Hull invites us into a conversation about art, faith, and the quiet transformation that can happen when the two meet. With warmth and wisdom, she reflects on creativity as a spiritual practice and on the ways beauty can draw us deeper into meaning and connection. It’s a thoughtful and inspiring exchange that will leave you curious to see the world, and perhaps your own creative life, a little differently.
Contemplate or Exploit: Andy Crouch on Technology, Formation, and the Innovation Bargain
In this Forged conversation, Andy Crouch argues that “we either contemplate or we exploit”—a bracing claim that frames his vision for stewarding our humanity in an age of technological convenience. Drawing on a biblical account of the human person as heart, soul, mind, and strength, he contends that genuine flourishing is found through the relational, embodied labors of home, church, and school. Crouch names the “innovation bargain” as a crucial lens for reckoning with technology’s costs, and he calls listeners back to shared household rhythms and focal practices as ordinary disciplines for becoming more fully human.
Podcast Series
Dive deeper into the ideas driving the renewal of classical education
In this podcast, author and poet Christine Perrin interviews women (and some men) to discover how they have composed a life of meaningful patterns and routines that give life to themselves and their families.
In this podcast, Dr. Brian Williams of the Templeton Honors College interviews men (and some women) to learn how they seek to forge meaningful lives of at work, home, and in the broader culture.
Pursuing Embodied Wonder and Material Wisdom: Chris Hall on the Common Arts
In this episode of Forged, Chris Hall reflects on the formative power of the “common arts”—the ordinary skills and embodied practices that introduce us to the givenness of the world and manifest our humanity. Drawing on stories from the classroom and the farm, Hall argues that formation and education flourish when intellectual study is joined to hands-on craft, inviting students into apprenticeship, real responsibility, and attentiveness to the natural world. He also addresses the cultural divide between academic learning and vocational skill, urging a recovery of an older vision in which the liberal arts, practical arts, and fine arts enrich one another for the sake of a fully embodied, fully aware human life of discipline, delight, craft, and calling.
In this episode, Lynette Hull invites us into a conversation about art, faith, and the quiet transformation that can happen when the two meet. With warmth and wisdom, she reflects on creativity as a spiritual practice and on the ways beauty can draw us deeper into meaning and connection. It’s a thoughtful and inspiring exchange that will leave you curious to see the world, and perhaps your own creative life, a little differently.
Contemplate or Exploit: Andy Crouch on Technology, Formation, and the Innovation Bargain
In this Forged conversation, Andy Crouch argues that “we either contemplate or we exploit”—a bracing claim that frames his vision for stewarding our humanity in an age of technological convenience. Drawing on a biblical account of the human person as heart, soul, mind, and strength, he contends that genuine flourishing is found through the relational, embodied labors of home, church, and school. Crouch names the “innovation bargain” as a crucial lens for reckoning with technology’s costs, and he calls listeners back to shared household rhythms and focal practices as ordinary disciplines for becoming more fully human.
In this thoughtful episode, Christine sits down with writer and educator Agnes Howard for a rich conversation about motherhood, community, and what it means to share in the human experience. Together, they reflect on the deeper significance of pregnancy, the cultural pressures surrounding work and family life, and the beauty of living in meaningful connection with others. With warmth and insight, Howard invites listeners to reconsider familiar assumptions and to see everyday life as something both communal and deeply significant.
What does it mean to build a school and a life shaped by community, conviction, and daily rhythms of grace? In this episode, Madeleine Hewitt, Assistant Head of School at Claritas Classical Christian Academy, shares her journey through education, motherhood, and mentorship, and how each has shaped the other. She reflects on the challenges of idealism, the power of guiding principles, and the formative role of liturgy in everyday life. Madeleine closes by reading Gerard Manley Hopkins beautifully, capturing the wonder and weight of it all.
Poet, priest, and professor Malcolm Guite invites us into a conversation that moves from the Arthurian legend of the wounded king and ruined land to our own modern struggle to see the world as meaningful and alive. He shares how a childhood encounter with the Grail stories taught him that one reckless act can wound a whole world, and how healing begins with recovering wonder. Guite makes a compelling case for poetry and story as wisdom-bearers that help restore our vision. He closes with his radiant poem “O Sapientia,” a final invitation to recognize hidden wisdom “disguised as everything.”
The Ranger, the Teacher, and the Farmer: Forging a Coherent Life with Doug Woolery
In this episode of Forged, host Brian Williams speaks with Doug Woolery—Army Ranger, teacher, coach, and farmer—about a life shaped by service, learning, and faith. Doug reflects on his journey from the military to the classroom, the impact of male educators, the importance of parental involvement, and the quiet lessons of farming. Drawing on his experiences as a parent and grandparent, he shares insights on coherence, contentment, and living a well-rounded life.
In this episode of Composed, Emily Maeda describes the living patterns in her life passed down from her own mother that have helped her in raising her children, starting a school, and designing gardens for now and for posterity.
In the inaugural episode of the Forged and Composed podcasts, our hosts come together for a conversation about what it means to “forge” and “compose” a life marked by beauty, order, and purpose. Their dialogue explores human flourishing, focal practices, and the formative power of beauty, art, and community. Drawing on personal experience, they reflect on hospitality, generosity, nature, and the role of exemplars in shaping lives marked by meaning and fulfillment. Join us at the beginning.
“Classical education introduces students into a tradition of inquiry that explores the enduring human questions in deep and beautiful ways.”
Dr. Brian Williams
Stay Oriented
Occasional stories, reflections, and resources to support your exploration of classical education.
