Slivers of Beauty: Purposeful Writing as a Christian

On February 21 a group of Geneva humanities students attended the Christian Writers Conference held at Grove City College. The conference is a subset of the Conference on Christianity and Literature, “an interdisciplinary society dedicated to the relationships between Christianity and literature.” The topic this year was Complicity and Hope in Wendell Berry’s Membership. Geneva history professor Eric Miller, PhD, and humanities professor emeritus Shirley Kilpatrick ’74, PhD, were among the conference presenters. Dr. Miller analyzed the parallel lives of Wendell Berry and James Baker Hall in the context of modernist Kentucky while Dr. Kilpatrick explored the role of ordinary ceremony and ritual through Berry’s writings. Other presenters included undergraduate students who have researched topics related to Berry.

Various sessions throughout the day gave attendees the opportunity to hear groups of three presenters at a time and enjoy a time of questions and discussion at the end of each session. In the afternoon, keynote speaker Andrew Peterson explored delightful creativity in the life of the Christian, encouraging writers in their efforts to cultivate the goodness, truth, and beauty of the new creation through art in the here and now. A conference banquet dinner included live music from singer-songwriter Matt Wheeler, with songs that reflected vignettes from Berry’s writing. The evening ended with a concert from Andrew Peterson, featuring his folk songs that both wrestle with the deep questions of walking with Christ and overflow with hope for the coming renewal of all creation when Christ returns.

As a student attendee, I was greatly encouraged to be amongst a group of people that spoke a similar literary language. Not only did I build unexpected friendships with fellow Geneva student attendees, but I also enjoyed being in the midst of others who are wrestling with and discussing deep questions from a Christian perspective. Wendell Berry’s poems and essays make an appearance in many Geneva classes, including the freshman humanities and honors classes. It was an encouragement to hear professors and students from other schools reference Berry’s works that I have read and loved and consider the questions of place, community, hope, and incarnation that are woven throughout Berry’s writing. It was exciting to mention a poem, essay, or quote and have people instantly know what I was talking about.

It was inspiring to hear from other college students who have undertaken academic research and muse how I might add to the world of academia through future research of my own. And it was a joy to leave the conference with a renewed sense of purpose in my writing, to remember that to write as a Christian is not vanity but rather a grasping of the beauty from the world to come and a furthering of God’s kingdom through revealing the truths of the world and the great hope possible through the reality of Christ’s resurrection.

By Sarabeth Schuck ‘25

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

Mar 6, 2025

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