Writings

"Annum": Music for the Seasons

A series of (non-AI) instrumental background music playlists curated for the 8 seasons of the solar year

The Liturgical calendar

A series introducing the basics of the holy days & liturgical seasons of the Christian calendar

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Published Works

Published works

Approaching Sounds as Symbols in Archetypal Studies

In Quadrant: Journal of the Carl C. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, vol. 2

Fall 2022

The sound of a baby's cry. A heartbeat. Thunder. These acoustical phenomena are universal to the human experience, and tend to correlate with distinctive biological responses from which a myriad of meanings arise. Given the somatic and psychological power of embodied sonic experiences, more attention to the semiotic and communicative power of sound is needed in order to address how music might relate to Jung's theory of archetypes. Symbol anthologies such as The Book of Symbols published by the C.G. Jung Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism reveal a distinct bias towards the visual, reflecting Jung's own bias towards images until late in his career. Drawing on wisdom from musicology and music therapy, this paper suggests pathways for approaching sounds as symbols to open up new areas of inquiry in psychoanalytic research.

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What Did It Cost? Sacrifice & Kenosis in The Infinity Saga

In Theology and the Marvel Universe, edited by Gregory Stevenson

Bloomsbury Press, 2019

"Sacrifice" is not only a primary underlying theme woven throughout the MCU's Infinity Saga, but it has served as a recurring motif in many of our culture's foundational mythologies and religions. This paper juxtaposes themes of sacrifice in The Infinity Saga with those found in the Bible, the early church, and Western Christendom, in order to arrive at insights about both theology and culture in relation to the narrative trajectory of the MCU. The question of whether "Thanos was right" is considered, and the saga as a whole is analyzed from the perspective of René Girard's work on sacrifice, as well as Walter Wink's critique of "the myth of redemptive violence." This paper points ultimately to the need for a more precise understanding of the Christian concept of kenosis as distinct from notions of sacrifice in Western pop culture.

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An Ascetic Aesthetic: Chrysostom's Discernment of Beauty in Music

In The Concept of Beauty In Patristic & Byzantine Theology, edited by John McGuckin

Theotokos Press, 2012

While philosophical considerations of Beauty as a transcendental aspect of existence abound in classical theological aesthetics, the question of how Beauty with a capital "B" might relate to actual instances of perceived beauty in the artistic forms and expressions we find in the material world remains a subject of much neglect in scholarly circles. If we hope to return "Beauty" to its proper place in philosophical and theological discourse, we will ultimately have to develop some theological apparatus for discussing "the beautiful" as it manifests in creation. This paper contributes to such an effort through a discussion of John Chrysostom's theological approach to assessing "beauty" in the musical expressions of his own time.

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Conference Papers

"The Artist as Prophet, Priest and Holy Fool"

Shaped by Beauty: Music, Art, Theology, Ethics, & Spirituality in Conversation

Presented at Heythrop College in London, June 2014

A re-examination of the role & vocation of artists in the life of the church, invoking Eusebius' image of Jesus' threefold ministry as prophet, priest, and king. Drawing on the work of Karl Rahner, Paul Tillich, and Frank Burch Brown, this paper offers a lens for understanding the work of "secular" artists as vital to the ministry of the church. Suggestions are offered for how churches can support the vocations of both sacred and secular artists and musicians.

"Medieval Sight-Seeing: Visual, Culture & Religious Practice"

Knowledge in Medieval and Early Modern Europe Conference

Presented at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, April 2014

A nuanced re-evaluation of the medieval understanding of sight and its role in shaping European theology, knowledge, and religious culture. Analysis of beliefs and practices like the evil eye, "ocular communion," and reverence for icons and relics is contrasted with the significant changes that took place in not only the metaphysics of sight, but the phenomenological experience of seeing during the Reformation and into the early modern period.

"Early Church Music and the Songs of Devils"

Sophia Institute Center for Orthodox Thought & Culture Annual Conference

Presented at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, December 2012

The writings of Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, Ambrose of Milan, Tertullian, John Chrysostom, and Augustine of Hippo provide us with most of the extant sources about the role and nature of music in the early church. Many of these writings contain strong polemics against certain instruments, genres, and modes, which have often been interpreted as a wholesale rejection of "secular" music by the early church. This paper complicates this interpretation by examining these early Christian references to music in their historical context, showing the influence of Greek philosophical thought and Hellenistic culture on the musical practices of the early churches.