Learning to Read
Four years of Greek and Hebrew at a Baptist college taught me the opposite of what I expected. Not precision—the places where the English hides a decision.
· 48 min read
Personal Essays
First-person writing: conversion, family, vocation, and the years that shaped how the rest of this site reads.
45 articles in this topic
The Faith of My Fathers
A Catholic convert's gratitude for the Southern Baptist faith that raised him—the Bible under his arm, the casseroles, the cost, the hymn verse he never sang.
· 25 min read
The Apologist Who Believed Too Much
A sophomore apologetics assignment on Justin Martyr's First Apology cost me the church I was raised in. What chapter 66 says about the Eucharist.
· 39 min read
The Yale Divinity School Application Guide: Acceptance Rate, Essays, Degrees, and What to Expect
Yale Divinity School's acceptance rate is roughly 23%. I got in — my complete 2026 guide to degree options, essays, full-tuition aid, and what admissions actually looks for.
· 18 min read
Is Yale Divinity School Worth It?
Is Yale Divinity School worth the cost, time, and challenge? An M.Div. graduate evaluates the academics, community, career outcomes, and spiritual formation at YDS.
· 16 min read
Yale Divinity School M.Div. Degree Requirements: A Complete Guide (2025 Curriculum)
A complete breakdown of Yale Divinity School's current Master of Divinity degree requirements — the 2025 cohort-based curriculum, prescribed courses, Integrative Seminar, internship, and electives.
· 12 min read
Yale M.Div. Degree Requirements: Pre-2025 Curriculum Guide
A complete breakdown of Yale Divinity School's pre-2025 Master of Divinity degree requirements — the five-area distribution framework, credit hours, content areas, language courses, placement exams, and electives.
· 11 min read
Evangelical to Catholic: The Intellectual Journey
The story of my conversion from Southern Baptist evangelicalism to the Catholic Church, told as a series of essays — the road in order, one installment at a time.
· 2 min read
Buckley's Fusionism and the Future of the Conservative Coalition
How William F. Buckley Jr. and Frank Meyer unified traditionalists, libertarians, and anti-communists into a coherent movement—and whether that coalition can survive.
· 12 min read
The Buckley Program at Yale: Intellectual Diversity on a Progressive Campus
A firsthand account of the William F. Buckley Jr. Program at Yale—what it does, why it matters, and what it's like to be a conservative Fellow on a campus that would rather you weren't.
· 12 min read
Why Conservatives Should Read Their Opponents
Why conservatives should engage the strongest progressive arguments—drawn from Buckley, Mill, Aquinas, and three years at Yale Divinity School.
· 10 min read
Judaea Capta Coins as Imperial Propaganda
How Vespasian and Titus used Judaea Capta coins to broadcast Rome's victory over the Jewish Revolt and assert imperial dominance across the empire.
· 5 min read
The Greatest Country as a Unifying Theme
America is the greatest country on earth, and shared patriotism can unite us across political divides. Why love of country still matters as a unifying theme.
· 3 min read
COVID-19 Testing Delays and Government Incompetence
With these testing delays that are plaguing the country, I am left wondering what value these mass testings have.
· 2 min read
The Year of COVID-19 and Hope for the Future
In this post, I discuss COVID-19, murder hornets, the joy that is 2020, and my optimism for the future.
· 2 min read
Disown Family Members Over Politics?
Why disowning family members over politics betrays what truly matters. A personal reflection on family, friendship, and political civility.
· 2 min read
Twitter Toxicity
In this post, I reflect upon Twitter toxicity and the worldview-warping nature of social media.
· 2 min read
What Is Forgiveness?
In this post, I write about my journey toward understanding forgiveness.
· 2 min read
What is a Liberal?
Beyond the shallow definition—discover what truly separates liberals from conservatives: the role of government coercion in achieving policy goals.
· 11 min read
Waiting to Reopen
A 2020 quarantine reflection from Yale Divinity School on hermitage, fatherhood, and gratitude during the COVID-19 pause.
· 3 min read
Paper Writing and Basement Dwelling
How I adapted my paper writing process during a five-month lockdown while managing three major academic papers and a final exam.
· 5 min read
The Ivy League's Response to COVID-19: Why Universal Pass/Fail Misses the Mark
How Yale Divinity School and peer institutions adopted pass/fail grading during the pandemic—and what the push for universal pass reveals about student entitlement and institutional confusion.
· 8 min read
Zoom, Yale, and the New Ivy League Experience
A 2020 reflection on Zoom classes at Yale Divinity School during COVID—technical issues, Credit/No Credit grading, library closure, and Ph.D.-track pressure.
· 7 min read
Angry All the Time in the Ivy League
Campus activists at elite colleges like Yale often appear perpetually angry. But beneath the outrage lies a deeper psychological need: the search for heroic purpose and significance.
· 6 min read
COVID, Yale, and a Brave New World
How COVID shut down Yale's campus mid-semester, forcing remote learning via Zoom and canceling spring commencement. A personal account of pandemic disruption to campus life and academic work.
· 13 min read
Spring Break, Buckley, and the Coronavirus
In this post, I discuss the first week of spring break, the Buckley seminar, and the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.
· 6 min read
The Ivy League Facade
As I begin to grow comfortable at Yale, I am becoming more aware of the Ivy League facade that masks much of the mundane and unpolished aspects of elite universities. Explore the reality behind the prestige.
· 8 min read
Making Summer Plans at Yale: Language Study and Ph.D. Preparation
Planning summer academics at Yale Divinity? Learn how I structured German language study, navigated GI Bill regulations, and prepared for Ph.D. applications.
· 8 min read
My Dinner With Rich Lowry
How I had dinner with National Review editor Rich Lowry at Yale's Buckley Program. Reflections on intellectual humility, the danger of familiarity with greatness, and engaging James Cone's liberation theology.
· 10 min read
Ivy League Buzzwords
An insider's look at how Ivy League students use buzzwords like 'oppression,' 'power dynamics,' and 'create a space' to such excess that they dilute the meaning of justified critique and desensitize people to real injustice.
· 8 min read
Roman Law at Yale: How Divinity Students Can Take Classes Across Campus
How Yale Divinity School's degree flexibility enabled me to take a Roman Law graduate seminar at the law school, and what I learned about course selection across campus.
· 11 min read
Grades at Yale and the End of the Semester
How does grading work at Yale Divinity School? A personal reflection on semester grades, the H- conversion to A-, and what academic success means beyond the transcript as I transition toward PhD work in New Testament.
· 11 min read
Week 14 at YDS: Finals at Yale
Seminary finals at Yale Divinity School: a firsthand account of blue book exams in New Testament, Greek, and Early Christianity. Reflections on theological education and spiritual formation.
· 5 min read
Discerning Vocation at Yale: A Seminary Student's Essay
A Yale Divinity student's personal essay on vocational discernment, Catholic conversion, and the intersection of faith, military service, and academic calling.
· 5 min read
The 2019 Harvard-Yale Game Protest
A Yale Divinity student's firsthand reaction to the 2019 Harvard-Yale football game protest — the climate demands, the virtue signaling, and what it reveals about elite campus culture.
· 10 min read
Week 12 at Yale: Finishing the Semester
A weekly update from Yale Divinity School — progress on final papers, preparing for exams, visiting the Yale Art Gallery's Dura-Europos exhibit, and thoughts on the curriculum.
· 6 min read
The Obsession with Oppression at Yale Divinity School
A conservative student's firsthand account of oppression culture at Yale Divinity School—the fetishization of victimhood, the woke scold minority, and the silent reasonable majority.
· 8 min read
Week 10 at Yale: Ph.D. Aspirations
A Yale Divinity School student reflects on PhD aspirations, academic grading, and the top doctoral programs in New Testament and religious studies worth pursuing.
· 9 min read
Week 8 at Yale: Cancel Culture Comes to YDS
A firsthand account of cancel culture at Yale Divinity School: how ideological conformity silences diverse perspectives, the consequences for free speech, and why this matters for conservative students.
· 13 min read
Week 5: Conservatives at Yale Divinity
Is Yale Divinity liberal? Yes. But conservative students thrive. A candid account of being a conservative at Yale Divinity School and finding your place there.
· 11 min read
Week 1 of the M.Div. at Yale Divinity School
What the first week of Yale Divinity School is really like — classes, community, and culture shock. A veteran's firsthand account of the M.Div. program.
· 16 min read
BTFO (Before the Fall Orientation) at Yale
A first-person guide to BTFO at Yale Divinity School covering Berkeley Divinity, class registration, grades, campus life, and what incoming students should expect.
· 22 min read
Writing Sample from Yale Divinity Application
The complete writing sample from a successful Yale Divinity School M.Div. application, drafted from scratch after seven years out of school.
· 12 min read
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