The Education of Henry Adams with Leah Libresco Sargeant | America 250

Nadya Williams, Books Editor for Mere Orthodoxy, talks with Leah Libresco Sargeant, author of The Dignity of Dependence, about Henry Adams's The Education of Henry Adams—specifically the chapter "The Dynamo and the Virgin." They explore Adams's experience of the sublime at the 1900 Paris World Fair, his unresolved spiritual longings, what his Unitarian background reveals about American Christianity, and how Leah's work on embodiment and dependence offers a striking counterpoint to Adams's life of the mind. Plus: Leah's classic pick, Flatland. — Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, 30 Key Moments In Church History: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World by Mark W. Graham, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for a full-tuition scholarship for Beeson Divinity School's M.Div program that begins Fall 2026 here: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships Chapters 00:00 – Introduction & Background on Henry Adams 03:44 – Memoir as a Genre 06:27 – Why Read Adams for America's 250th 09:21 – The Dynamo and the Virgin Explained 13:18 – Adams's Faith and Spiritual Longings 20:34 – Technology, Awe, and False Worship 26:45 – Tips for First-Time Readers 28:24 – The Dignity of Dependence 37:31 – Classic You Wish You'd Written Christians Reading Classics is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.Apply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship. https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships