{"podcast":{"title":"Ascend - The Great Books Podcast","slug":"ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379","podcast_index_feed_id":6733379,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/ascend-the-great-book/","website_url":"https://ascend-the-great-book.captivate.fm","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/91cb8b50-c0b7-49d8-9476-279514463e73/TfaX-DfFN1GQWT2CL2LiBMBS.png","author":"Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan","episode_count":141,"summary":"Welcome to Ascend! We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan. What are the Great Books? The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Why should we read the Great Books? Everyone is a disciple of someone. A person may have never read Locke or Nietzsche, but he or she thinks like them. Reading the Great Books allows us to reclaim our intellect and understand the origin of the ideas that shape our world. We enter a \"great conversation\" amongst the most learned, intelligent humans in history and benefit from their insights. Is this for first-time readers? YES. Our goal is to host meaningful conversations on the Great Books by working through the texts in chronological order in a slow, attentive manner. Our host Adam Minihan is a first-time reader of Homer. We will start shallow and go deep. All are invited to join. Will any resources be available? YES. We are providing a free…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-14T20:18:29.696270+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379"},"episode":{"title":"Discover the Hidden Meaning of Narnia's Endless Winter","slug":"discover-the-hidden-meaning-of-narnia-s-endless-winter","published_at":"2026-04-07T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/discover-the-hidden-meaning-of-narnia-s-endless-winter","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379","url":"http://mcidfrxn.podcastwebsites.com/episodes/discover-the-hidden-meaning-of-narnias-endless-winter","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/c72ce22c-d19e-4687-9e16-7dbc6362dfd0.mp3","summary":"Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick takes a popular article from The Ascent, a top 100 substack in faith and spirituality, and does a deep dive on CS Lewis, Dante, and the problem of evil (theodicy). Check out THE ASCENT - a top 100 Substack on Christianity spirituality. Check out \"The Hidden Meaning of Narnia's Endless Winter \" Substack article. Check out the NEW Instagram page for Ascend. In this fascinating episode Deacon Garlick explores one of C.S. Lewis’s most striking images: the never-ending winter in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . Why is it “always winter but never Christmas”? Far more than a chilly backdrop, Lewis uses the endless cold as a powerful allegory for evil itself. Deacon connects Lewis’ imagery to Dante’s frozen pit at the bottom of Hell in the Inferno , revealing how both Christian master-teachers portray evil not as an opposite of the good, but as a cold, lifeless privation —an absence of heat, motion, and life. You’ll gain fresh insight into: - Why evil is best understood as a “hole in the ground” or darkness without light - How the White Witch’s power to turn creatures to stone mirrors the soul-freezing effect of sin - The beautiful contrast of Aslan’s warm, life-giving breath (echoing John's Pentecost and the forgiveness of sins) - The deeper Christian truth that goodness and being are convertible—evil pulls us toward unreality and non-existence Deacon also shares why reading Narnia to children is such a gift: it trains young minds to love allegory, unlocks the four senses of Scripture, and cultivates a richer, more sacramental view of reality. Warm, thoughtful, and packed with spiritual wisdom, this episode will leave you with renewed appreciation for Lewis, Dante, and the profound way great stories reveal…","meta_description":"Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick takes a popular article from The Ascent, a top 100 substack in faith and spirituality, and…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2575,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/episodes/discover-the-hidden-meaning-of-narnia-s-endless-winter/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/discover-the-hidden-meaning-of-narnia-s-endless-winter.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}