Holbein's Folly

 The Andreas Center

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About Us

 

Our Philosophy

The Andreas Center is a group of people exploring Christian thoughtfulness, foolishness, industry, repose, outrage, wisdom, community, solitude, and soup. Thoughtfulness, because there is something in the Bible about loving God with all your mind. Foolishness, because there is also something in there about becoming a fool in order to become wise. Industry and repose, because spiritual health is nourished by both labor and rest. Outrage and wisdom, because one drives us toward justice and the other helps us attain it. Community, because we need to be interdependent with other people. Solitude, because we also need to be alone. And soup, because we like soup, and it does not make us feel stuffed when we want to think and talk.

What We Do

Imagine a big, creaky, rambling house, stuffed full of books and periodicals and furniture to sprawl on and lamps to read by and tables to gather at and a powerful and expensive espresso machine and people thinking and talking about everything under the sun. In a perfect world, that is what the Andreas Center would be. (And there would be places like it everywhere.)

But it isn’t a perfect world. Therefore we did what we could without having everything we could imagine.

We hosted public evenings, normally on a Friday. We served a nice soup, and people arrived from work or school and ate together. Then we engaged in thought and conversation about some idea or topic, or read a play or a short story. Most of the articles on this Web site originated as Friday events.

Stephen Broyles and Sharon Messer developed the initial idea and conducted the first meetings in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Hilja Terry helped write the statement of philosophy given above and is responsible for the varied nature of the events. Stephanie Shiman prepared soup and provided recipes. Others gave their ideas and presence and moral support.

Will there be more Friday evenings? Who knows. Things change. Perhaps there will be. But for now the Andreas Center is an idea again, until the future unfolds.

Who Is Andreas?

Andreas was the archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia who in the seventh century wrote a commentary in Greek on the Book of Revelation. The center was named in his honor.

 

 

 

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