Abram C. Van Engen, Ph.D., professor in the humanities, chair of the English Department, and professor of religion and politics at Washington University in St. Louis, will deliver the Fall 2024 Ducharme Lecture. Through his talk Word Made Flesh, Van Engen will inspire the active reading of poetry and literature as a method of uplifting one’s faith. The lecture will be presented on September 25 at 4 p.m. in Knott Auditorium.
Contemporary life can be congested with things such as tight schedules, constant to-do lists and traffic jams. What do modern people do that lift us from the day-to-day up to the timeless joy and participation in the goodness of human life? Dancing, gardening, listening to music and journaling are a few activities that accomplish such a thing. Van Engen finds that poetry achieves this enrichment of life so desperately needed today. He calls for poetry and literature to become more significant in our lives as he categorizes it as a catalyst for growth in the Christian faith. With all his intellectual finesse he’ll show the relation of poetry and parables. In addition, he will highlight the interplay between literature and theology— how they perfect and intersect each other in ways yet to be discovered.
Academicians often lament that people have lost their ability to rest, to truly see God and His creation. Van Engen recognizes this and calls for a return to grace and spiritual plenteousness through poetry. Perhaps, he thinks, it could be of use to the Church where tradition is often confused with being stuck in the past, though giving life anew every moment.
Van Engen teaches courses such as “Markets and Morality” and “Early American Literature.” He has published books titled City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism and Word Made Flesh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church on which his lecture is based.
The biannual Ducharme Lecture Series, named for Professor Emeritus of English Robert Ducharme, Ph.D., fosters discussions in fields related to the humanities and liberal arts. The series is endowed through a generous gift from Raphael Della Ratta, C’92.