The “good life” is less an ideal that we think about and more a vision that we imagine, a picture we want, a reality we hunger for. Our orientation to the good life happens on the register of our loves—which is why we need to be attentive to all of the unconscious ways the habits of the heart are captivated by rival, disordered visions of the good life. This talk will explore the importance of seeing classical Christian education as a rehabituation of the heart.
Jamie Smith
James K.A. Smith is professor of Philosophy at Calvin College, where he holds the Gary & Henrie a Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology & Worldview. The award-winning author of Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism? and Desiring the Kingdom, his recent books include Imagining the Kingdom (2013), Who’s Afraid of Relativism? (2014), and How (Not) To Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor (2014). His new book, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit, was just published by Brazos. His popular writing has appeared in magazines such as Christianity Today, Books & Culture and First Things and periodicals such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. Smith is also a Senior Fellow of Cardus and serves as editor of Commentmagazine. He and his wife, Deanna, have four children (all students at Calvin College!) and live in the Heritage Hill neighborhood of Grand Rapids, MI.
