Saturday, November 21, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Christ and Culture Conference
Christ and Culture is a one-day conference that explores how Christ calls the culture of the present age into conformity with that of the new creation.
Join us on November 21, 2026 as Dr. Doug Sikkema leads us in this year’s topic:
Breaking Bread with the Dead: Great Books for the Good Life.
The Details.
Date: Saturday, November 21, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM.
Location: 1871 Seldon St., Halifax, NS
Cost: $30 per person, including lunch.
Breaking Bread with the Dead:
Great Books for the Good Life.
In our post-literate age, reading books—or anything!—can feel daunting. When it comes to long old books, we can feel an uneasy sense of regret: we want to be the kind of person who could read those "Great Books," but who has the time? We're often distracted, bored easily, and find it hard to sit for hours upon hours entering into the fictional worlds of the imagination.
In three short talks, we're going to explore the state of reading in the post-literate age and then try it out. First by exploring why taking time to (re)learn the pleasures of reading old books is good for you and your community, and then by taking a whirlwind tour of key passages in four very old books: Homer's Odyssey, Plato's Republic, Boethius' Consolation, and Dante's Commedia.
About the Speaker.
Dr. Doug Sikkema is an Associate Professor of English Literature at Redeemer University in Ancaster, ON. Doug’s invested in education, helping start up Oak Hill Academy, a classical Christian school located in Ancaster, as well as serving on the Board for the Charlotte Mason Institute. Together with their four children, Doug and his wife Vanessa live on a small acreage outside of Hamilton.
Conference Schedule.
9:00 AM - Arrival, registration, and light refreshments
9:30 AM - First Lecture and Q&A:
Recovering Reading in Our Post Literate Age
10:30 AM - Coffee Break
11:00 AM - Second Lecture and Q&A:
Greek Longing: Homer and Plato and the Lost Home
12:00 PM - Lunch (provided)
1:00 PM - Third Lecture and extended Q&A: Medieval Wisdom: Boethius and Dante and the Good Life
2:30 PM Conference Ends