Restless Hearts: Lessons for Classical Education from Augustine’s Confessions
Augustine’s Confessions is one of the most important and influential works of Christian theology and Christian testimony, but it is also a dramatized response to a classical education—entirely in the mode of prayer, directly addressed to God. This retreat provides an opportunity for classical educators to encounter the whole of Augustine’s Confessions. Whether or not faculty teach this particular text, educators from across the curriculum can benefit from a sustained engagement with Augustine’s prayerful attempt to understand his own story in light of God’s story. The Confessions dramatizes a Christ-centered attempt to grapple with the grammatical, the dialectical, and the rhetorical legacy of the Greco-Roman world. Because of this, the text continues to speak to classical Christian educators today, at all levels and across all disciplines.
- Schedule and Presenters: Friday, April 10, at 4:30 p.m. to Saturday, April 11, at 9:00 p.m. The retreat will include seminar presentations from a variety of Texas Alcuin Fellows, as well as special guest presentations from Dr. Michael P. Foley, Professor of Patristics in the Great Texts Program at Baylor University; his fine edition of Confessions can be found here. Although it will involve the reading and discussion of a challenging text, the retreat also will be practical, showing teachers concrete ways in which Augustine’s engagement with Classical education continues to speak into classroom practice today. The retreat includes times of common prayer and worship.
- Location: Baylor University, Waco, TX
- Cost: $150 (includes three meals).
- Lodging: Participants should make their own lodging arrangements in proximity to Baylor University.
- Questions: For more information, contact Aly Barnes at alyssanbarnes@gmail.com.
- Deadline: Please register by March 15, 2026.
Participants are asked to read Augustine’s Confessions in its entirety before arriving. Participants may wish to use Foley’s edition of Confessions, which can be found here.