The reign of Pope Boniface VIII is a tapestry of papal agendas fashioned for the creation of empire under the guise of the Holy Roman Church. His papacy materializes as kingship rather than pure Apostolic See. The papacy is a relic of the spiritual body. Empire is the incarnation of
Reflective Commentary (2025)
This essay undertakes a critical examination of infallible, divine revelation in Christianity, focusing on the dynamic interplay between Scripture, Tradition, and ex cathedra authority as understood within both Catholic and Protestant traditions. One of its main strengths lies in its expansive historical grounding, tracing the development of
The keynote address for incoming doctoral students at Freed-Hardeman University, titled On Being Scholarly, was delivered by Dr. Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, on May 13, 2018, in Henderson, TN.
You are a scholar; these are your fellows.
Individually, you are scholars. A scholar is one given to serious academic inquiry.
The keynote address for incoming doctoral students at Freed-Hardeman University, titled On Being Scholarly, was delivered by Dr. Shawn D. Mathis, PhD, on May 13, 2018, in Henderson, TN.
You are a scholar; these are your fellows.
Individually, you are scholars. A scholar is one given to serious academic inquiry.
The reign of Pope Boniface VIII is a tapestry of papal agendas fashioned for the creation of empire under the guise of the Holy Roman Church. His papacy materializes as kingship rather than pure Apostolic See. The papacy is a relic of the spiritual body. Empire is the incarnation of
Reflective Commentary (2025)
This essay undertakes a critical examination of infallible, divine revelation in Christianity, focusing on the dynamic interplay between Scripture, Tradition, and ex cathedra authority as understood within both Catholic and Protestant traditions. One of its main strengths lies in its expansive historical grounding, tracing the development of
Reflective Commentary (2025)
This brief essay, composed in 2015, records my first serious engagement with the post-structuralist theories of Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida. At that time, my priority was to précis their arguments and to register my own tentative responses as a doctoral student. On re-reading, I recognise the
Reflective Commentary (2025)
This essay marks a foundational moment in my scholarly engagement with Immanuel Kant’s philosophy of art and aesthetics. The primary aim was to unravel Kant’s conceptual framework concerning fine art. Attention centred on his elevation of poetry and the notion of the imaginative genius. The
Reflective Commentary (2025)
The following essay was written in 2014 for one of my earliest doctoral courses at Faulkner University. Dr. Robert Woods led the course titled “Introduction to Human Letters."
An Evaluative Inquiry into the Life of the Modern Liberal Individual
Leisure and festivity together form the foundation
Reflective Commentary (2025)
This essay examines the layered meeting point of pagan and Christian traditions in Renaissance Florence, using the transformation of the Temple of Mars into the city's Baptistry as a symbol of wider cultural and theological interplay. My intent is not only to recount historical transitions
Reflective Commentary (2025)
Composed during the course of my doctoral research, this essay is presented as an original scholarly inquiry into the nuanced negotiations of faith, authority, and the hermeneutics of tradition. As with Underhill’s steady regard for the interior life and Ackroyd's measured historicism, my approach
