Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson on Leif Enger's Apocalypse & What Matters at the End of the World? (Reading to Make Sense of the World)

Refusing Despair Amidst Cultural Darkness

What does it look like to cheerfully refuse a collapsing culture without giving in to cynicism, fear, or despair? Host Curtis Chang and Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson—Fletcher Jones Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University— dive into Leif Enger's I Cheerfully Refuse, exploring why great novels still matter, how Christians can resist ideations of apocalypse with joy, and what faith-filled fiction reveals about beauty, truth, and survival in dark times. This conversation is for listeners hungry for cultural commentary,hopeful resistance, and deeper ways of reading the world through faith.

01:28 - Challenges of Reading Contemporary Novels

06:03 - The Meaning Behind the Title "I Cheerfully Refuse"

07:47 - Lessons for Dark Times

10:02 - The Enduring Power of Books vs. New Media

12:16 - Cultivating Fruitful Practices in Dark Times

14:36 - Living as a Cheerful Refuser Today

15:02 - Is the Christian Worldview True Reality Or A Bubble?

17:04 - What Is Enger's Idea of True humanity?

18:19 - Recommendations for Similar Books and Authors

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Mentioned In This Episode:

Leif Enger's I Cheerfully Refuse

Leif Enger's Peace Like a River

Leif Enger's Virgil Wander

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Claude Acho's Reading Black Books

Eugene Vodolazkin's Laurus

Rumor Godden's In This House of Brede

Dylan Thomas'