PODCAST · religion
Christians Reading Classics
by Mere Orthodoxy
Christians Reading Classics is a podcast about classic books being read through a distinctly Christian lens. Hosted by author and classicist, Nadya Williams, Christians Reading Classics introduces—or should we say—re-introduces listeners to classic works that have inspired generations. Interviewing experts who know these books well, the hope is to inspire listeners and awaken their imagination to God's world through literary, theological, and even children's works that have stood the test of time.Christians Reading Classics is a Mere Orthodoxy podcast.Find out more at mereorthodoxy.com
Episodes
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Great American Sermons with John Wilsey and Daniel K. Williams [FULL EPISODE]
What does it mean for a nation to read its own sermons? This America 250 conversation takes up four of them — Winthrop's A Model of Christian Charity, Edwards's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Lincoln's Second Inaugural, and King's Mountaintop Sermon — tracing covenant and city-on-a-hill...
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Thomas Aquinas For Protestants with Miles Smith
Can a Protestant read Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae without converting to Catholicism? Nadya Williams welcomes Miles Smith IV (Hillsdale College) to take up the question currently churning on social media. Miles argues yes — and that the more interesting question lies upstream: what do...
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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne with Jeff Bilbro | American 250
Nadya Williams and Jeff Bilbro discuss Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter — its Puritan setting, Hawthorne's fraught ancestry, and the novel's three responses to sin: moralistic judgment, escapist relativism, and Hester's redemptive middle path. They also touch on Hawthorne's friendships…
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain with Ivana Greco and Dixie Dillon Lane
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Moby Dick by Herman Melville with Christina Bieber Lake
Nadya Williams and Christina Bieber Lake discuss Moby Dick — why Americans should read it, what Melville understood about arrogance and the uncontrollable, and how the novel's humor, sprawling cetology chapters, and the famous doubloon scene all serve a single theme: the tragedy of trying to…
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Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand with David Kee
Nadya Williams and David Kee discuss Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged — its origins, philosophy, and enduring relevance for American Christians. Kee, a business professor at Harding University who teaches the novel, traces Rand's objectivism, the tension between individualism and collectivism, and what…
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Mansfield Park by Jane Austen with Beatrice Scudeler
Jane Austen's most underrated novel is also her most serious. In this conversation, books editor Nadya Williams and essayist Beatrice Scudeler explore what Mansfield Park has to say about virtue, vocation, wealth, and the formation of character -- and why Fanny Price, the novel's quiet…
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The Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle with Sabrina Little | America 250
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Wuthering Heights with Evie Solheim
Nadya Williams and Evie Solheim discuss Wuthering Heights, what makes it a gothic classic, why Emily Brontë's moral ambiguity still provokes, how the novel speaks to a generation starved for romance, and why the new film adaptation trades subtlety for TikTok-style spectacle. Also: Anna Karenina,...
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Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe with Obbie Tyler Todd | America 250
Nadya Williams and Obbie Tyler Todd explore Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin as part of season two's focus on classics American Christians should read for America's 250th. They discuss the Beecher family's influence, the Fugitive Slave Law as the book's impetus, Stowe's deeply scriptural...
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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley with Katelyn Walls Shelton | America 250
Nadya Williams and Katelyn Walls Shelton discuss Aldous Huxley's Brave New World — its haunting parallels to embryo selection, reproductive biotechnology, and pleasure-maximizing culture — and what Christians should make of a novel that reads less like dystopian fiction and more like this…
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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...
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass with Shilo Brooks | America 250
Dr. Shilo Brooks joins Nadia Williams to explore Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845), examining how this 60-page masterwork remains profoundly relevant for understanding liberty, education, and authentic Christianity. Brooks illuminates how Douglass's…
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America 250: Books American Christians Should Read | Season 2 Preview
In this preview episode for Season 2 of Christians Reading Classics, host Nadya Williams sets the stage for an ambitious exploration of books that American Christians should read in honor of America's 250th birthday in 2026. Opening with Thomas Jefferson's 1771 letter to Robert Skipwith about...
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Reading Ancient Pagans As Modern Christians
Nadya Williams explores the myth of Tantalus and its implications on the nature of success and temptation. She delves into how Tantalus' horrific actions reflect the seductive nature of victory and the potential consequences of testing divine powers. Nadya highlights the duality of success as…
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The Scandal of the Christian Imagination
As we wrap up season 1 of Christians Reading Classics, Nadya reflects on the scandal of the Christian imagination and the role of reading classic books in forming a nourished imagination.
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T.S. Eliot - The Hollow Men with Eric Hutchinson
Nadya Williams and Eric Hutchinson delve into T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Hollow Men', exploring its themes, complexities, and the nature of classic literature. They discuss what defines a classic, the challenges of appreciating poetry today, and how to cultivate an appreciation for it. The…
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C.S. Lewis - The Great Divorce with Dr. Leslie Baynes
Nadya Williams and Dr. Leslie Baynes explore the works of C.S. Lewis, particularly focusing on 'The Great Divorce.' They discuss the definition of a classic, the significance of free will, and the themes of choice and divine grace in Lewis's writing. The conversation also touches on Lewis's...
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Dorothy L. Sayers - Gaudy Night with Carolyn Weber
Nadya Williams and Carolyn Weber explore the literary significance of Dorothy L. Sayers' 'Gaudy Night', discussing its themes of women's roles in academia, the intersection of murder mysteries and theology, and the nature of what constitutes a classic. They look into Sayers' complex character…
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Flannery O'Connor - A Good Man Is Hard To Find with Jon Parrish Peede
Nadya Williams and Jon Parrish Peede discuss the literary legacy of Flannery O'Connor, exploring her impact on American literature and the theological themes present in her work. They highlight the Southern Gothic genre, O'Connor's unique storytelling style, and the reader's engagement with her...
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Sinclair Lewis - It Couldn't Happen Here with Daniel K. Williams
Nadya Williams and historian Daniel K. Williams examine Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel "It Can't Happen Here," analyzing its treatment of democracy, authoritarianism, and religion's political role. Their discussion covers what qualifies a work as a literary classic, the historical circumstances...
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The Heart of a Dog - Mikhail Bulgakov with Vika Pechersky
Nadya Williams and Vika Pichersky delve into Mikhail Bulgakov's 'Heart of a Dog,' exploring its themes, characters, and the critique of Soviet society. They discuss the nature of classics, the challenges of translation, and the moral questions raised by the transformation of a dog into a human.…
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C. S. Lewis - That Hideous Strength with Philip D. Bunn and Ronni Kurtz
Nadya Williams discusses C.S. Lewis's novel 'That Hideous Strength' with experts Philip Bunn and Ronni Kurtz. They explore the themes of the book, its place in Lewis's Space Trilogy, and the significance of literary classics. The theological implications of Lewis's work, character analysis, the...
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Alexis de Tocqueville - Democracy in America with John Wilsey
Nadia Williams speaks with church historian John Wilsey about Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America," marking its 190th anniversary. They explore what makes this political work a classic, Tocqueville's aristocratic background and surprising observations about American equality, religion's...
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The Nicene Creed with Shawn Wilhite and Coleman Ford
Nadya Williams talks with theologians Coleman Ford and Shawn Wilhite about the Nicene Creed, marking its 1700th anniversary. They explore what makes a theological work a "classic," the historical background of the Council of Nicaea, the meaning of key Christological terms, and how to "think...
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J.R.R. Tolkien - The Return of the King with Kirsten Sanders
Nadya Williams talks with theologian Kirsten Sanders about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, exploring its vision of good and evil, the tragic imagination, and the "faith of hobbits." They discuss why classics endure, the theological depth of Tolkien's world, the moral resonance of small...
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Lewis Carroll - Alice in Wonderland with John Shelton
Nadya Williams and guest John Shelton explore Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on its 160th anniversary. They discuss what makes a book a "classic," the balance between whimsy and seriousness, Carroll's satirical brilliance, and the enduring cultural impact of Alice. The...
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Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the Prairie with John Fry and LuElla D'Amico
In this episode of Christians Reading Classics, Nadya Williams talks with historian John Fry and children's literature scholar LuElla D'Amico about Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie. They explore what makes a children's book a classic, Wilder's life and historical context, the...
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Ignazio Silone - Bread and Wine with Geoffrey Kurtz
Nadya Williams talks with Geoffrey Kurtz about Ignazio Silone's Bread and Wine, exploring its political, spiritual, and literary significance. They discuss what makes a classic, Silone's shift from communism to a more open-ended moral vision, the novel's blend of politics and clandestine faith…
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A. A. Milne - Winnie the Pooh with Ivana D. Greco and Dixie Dillon Lane
Nadya Williams is joined by Ivana Greco and Dixie Dillon-Lane to explore Winnie-the-Pooh as a children's classic. They discuss what makes a book timeless, how Milne's humor and characterization capture the child's mind, the role of family lore and shared cultural touchstones, and how to navigate...
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G.K. Chesterton - The Everlasting Man with Timothy Larsen
Nadya Williams interviews Dr. Timothy Larsen on G.K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man, exploring its enduring insights on humanity, Christ, and the joy of Christian apologetics. They discuss what makes a "classic," Chesterton's playful paradoxes, his cultural context after WWI, and how to…
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Introducing: Christians Reading Classics
Welcome to Christians Reading Classics! A new Mere Orthodoxy podcast hosted Nadya Williams. In this introductory episode, you'll learn what this podcast is all about and what you can look forward to. If you love classic books, or are even interested in learning more about them, you're in the…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Christians Reading Classics is a podcast about classic books being read through a distinctly Christian lens. Hosted by author and classicist, Nadya Williams, Christians Reading Classics introduces—or should we say—re-introduces listeners to classic works that have inspired generations. Interviewing experts who know these books well, the hope is to inspire listeners and awaken their imagination to God's world through literary, theological, and even children's works that have stood the test of time.Christians Reading Classics is a Mere Orthodoxy podcast.Find out more at mereorthodoxy.com
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Mere Orthodoxy
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Christians Reading Classics have?
Christians Reading Classics currently has 32 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Christians Reading Classics about?
Christians Reading Classics is a podcast about classic books being read through a distinctly Christian lens. Hosted by author and classicist, Nadya Williams, Christians Reading Classics introduces—or should we say—re-introduces listeners to classic works that have inspired generations. Interviewing...
How often does Christians Reading Classics release new episodes?
Christians Reading Classics has 32 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Christians Reading Classics?
You can listen to Christians Reading Classics on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Christians Reading Classics?
Christians Reading Classics is created and hosted by Mere Orthodoxy.
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