“Russians do not just become atheists, they believe in atheism," declared Dostoevsky. Through Russian intellectuals’ tendency to pursue questions to extreme conclusions, we can see implications of ideas that might otherwise escape us. That is especially so with atheism, which was explored in depth by Dostoevsky in the nineteenth century. Leninism and Bolshevik rule, whose horrors were justified precisely in terms of atheism, showed still more clearly what complete disbelief in the transcendent might entail.

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In reaction to Leninism, Solzhenitsyn and others rediscovered Eastern Orthodox Christianity at a time when Westerners were losing Christian belief. In this lecture, Dr. Gary Saul Morson from Northwestern University, will consider the consequences of belief and disbelief in transcendence through the eyes of Russian Orthodox writers. This will be the 29th Annual Holmer Lecture in Christianity and the Humanities, and also the 2025 Cunningham Lecture. Dr. Morson is Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University. His most recent book, Wonder Confronts Certainty, traces the roots of Russian ideology through literature and how Russians pursue ideas to their conclusions. 

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The lecture will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 4. It will take place at University Hall in McNamara Alumni Center. Registration is requested but not required.

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Anselm House has hosted the Holmer Lecture in Christianity and the Humanities annually since 1996. Past speakers have included Dr. Carlos Eire of Yale University, Dr. Hans Boersma of Nashota House, Dr. Miroslav Volf, and Dr. James K.A. Smith. The Holmer Lecture is named after the late Dr. Paul Holmer, a deeply committed Christian and philosopher who served as a faculty at Yale University and the University of Minnesota.