Category Archives: Blog

Following 9/11: A Prophetic Osama Bin Laden

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

In preparing for the In Memorium blog post earlier this month I had been rereading Lawrence Wright’s 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning book The Looming Tower – Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. In the book Wright referenced an interview … Continue reading →

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A Theater of Envy – René Girard & The Bard of Avon: an Albertus Magnus Institute podcast

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

It is always encouraging to find others who are working to make the work of René Girard better known. Of course, sometimes the initial excitement is dimmed by finding the approach to and interpretation of mimetic theory reflects the common … Continue reading →

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In memorium:

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 news outlets, internet pundits, and all manner of social media will likely be filled with retrospectives from every conceivable angle telling us the significance of the … Continue reading →

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Coda to Report from the machines…”please hold for the next available customer support representative”

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

Gil Bailie and I had a short conversation this afternoon with an AI ‘customer support’ assistant developed by our cell phone company to handle most of the mundane chores answering customer’s questions and facilitating simple account matters. In the days … Continue reading →

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A Report from among the machines

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

Colloquium on Violence & Religion 2021: For over thirty years the Colloquium on Violence & Religion has held a summer conference to allow members to share their research into aspects of René Girard’s mimetic theory. Gil Bailie is one of the founding … Continue reading →

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New in our store: Reflections on the Bible: From Slavery to Freedom

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

Reading the Bible is like looking out of a window and seeing a crowd out in the street shading their eyes and gazing with intense interest at something that we can’t see because of the roof of the building from … Continue reading →

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Democracy Devoid of the Sacred

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Gil Bailie

The desacralizing effect of the Jewish and Christian revelation which René Girard so masterfully explicated is not to be confused with an ideological agenda which enshrines in the place of meaningful moral and political norms saccharine bromides — tolerance and … Continue reading →

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Website Update: Podcasts & Streaming Media now online…Hurray!

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

The recent troubles with our streaming media and podcasts are resolved. We have moved our web hosting service to a new company and we’ve received excellent support for the transition. There will no doubt be a few remaining glitches that … Continue reading →

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Update: Website Streaming Media & Podcasts Not Working…sigh

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Randy Coleman-Riese

We were informed today of the death of Brian Carpenter, the owner/manager of the small webhosting company from which our website and podcasts are made available. This explains the lapse in tech support we experienced with our recent streaming media … Continue reading →

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Keeping Faith & Breaking Ground Episode 15: The Emmaus Road Initiative – Easter In The “Meantime”

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Gil Bailie

The Emmaus Road Initiative Beginning in 2005 and continuing through 2009 Gil Bailie traveled around the country giving a series of monthly presentations and follow-up discussions for religious educators, pastors, parents, and all those committed to fostering Christian faith and … Continue reading →

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