http://JonathansCorner.com/writing/
The writings here represent a diverse collection: fiction, nonfiction, prose, poetry, short story, novel, essay, humor, and satire are all represented. Sit back. Relax. Let these writings open your eyes to things you would never have seen in this world.
The most recent addition here is The Sign of the Grail. There is also a list of recent additions to this site, sorted by date.
If you're looking for a place to start, you might like Hymn to the Creator of Heaven and Earth or The Spectacles.
Like something you see here? Don't like it? Want to write the author? Contact me!
This is a "grab bag" of assorted creative works. Other sections have longer fiction and short stories; this offers a colorful collection of things you can't find other places. If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest A Dream of Light.
A koan is a unique kind of story that is both short and powerful.
Dreamlike images flow throughout this narrative.
Espiriticthus: Cultures of a Fantasy World not Touched By Evil
An exploration of seven different cultures in a world of pure goodness, a world without evil. This comes to mean seven forms of goodness which are sharply different from each other.
It is, in a sense, a description of the ultimate game.
A short collection of prayers, in French and English.
A twist on the classic Dr. Seuss story.
A poster in the tradition of "How To Be An Artist" and "I Learned It All In Kindergarden".
A marvelously silly game from planet Espiriticthus.
An irreverent look at jobs available in theology.
You've heard of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Modern Major-General"? Here's an update.
The Portal is an interactive story. You're the hero.
A set of vignettes trying to capture romantic impressions like the 19th century Romantics did.
An "early work" collection of poems underscoring something I sensed in Christianity that can be hard to see from the West.
These essays range over a number of topics, from business communication to unexpected reasons to study mathematics. As well as these, there's another section of miscellaneous nonfiction works. If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest Theology of Play.
The Administrator Who Cried, "Important!"
You probably know the story of the boy who cried, "Wolf!" Here's an updated version, with a lesson for business communication.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Real Peace Through Real Strength
Most people--pacifist or not--would agree to the claim that violence should be avoided, and that people should study alternatives to violence. Here's a chance to do just that.
I wrote this for a mailing list where I felt attacked for my beliefs--by people who didn't understand them. This post helped other list members to see why I thought certain ideas should be considered and not dismissed out of hand.
An essay following The Patriarchy We Object To which talks about how feminism might find its home.
Eastern Orthodoxy is both Christian and Eastern. and sometimes other Christians, and the West in general, don't pick up on what exactly this means. A Glimpse into Eastern Orthodoxy is written in the hope of creating a spark of connection.
This was an attempt to think outside of the box. It failed, but there may be something very interesting in how it failed.
An essay I wrote in college about how masculinity and femininity are real, good, and part of how we are meant to flourish.
A more recent treatment of masculinity and femininity which tries to go deeper, and voice something important that has been unspoken.
A look at ethical issues connected with icons, Theophany, Creation, animals, and meat from an Eastern Orthodox Christian perspective.
One Presbyterian minister took the time to earn a doctorate from an Orthodox seminary... and wrote some reflections which left me wondering what he'd missed. I think his impressions may be a lot of people's impressions, and I think he's given a pretty candid take.
This note quotes the original reflections (with permission), and posts my reply to what seemed like getting a lot of details right but missing how they fit together in the big picture.
A talk about some of what Orthodoxy can say to feminism.
Heaven is meant to be important to earth.
It sometimes seems easier to think about why work is important, than why play is important. This is an essay on why play is important.
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is written by the doctor who found out that leprosy ravages the body by destroying the sense of touch. He recounts a story about getting sick, letting his foot fall asleep, thinking he had leprosy, realizing his error, and living a life alive to touch as he had never done before. This is part of that story's impact on me.
Have you ever felt like mathematics was a secret game that everybody but you understood? Here's the secret.
A look at why some people insist on a young earth creation in the face of scientists' constant claims that evolution is the only game in town--and why they're not completely wrong.
Here are two journals I've kept. If you're looking at a place to start, I suggest Journal of an Awakening.
A journal of a spiritual awakening.
A journal of ideas I wished to record.
Here are some longer works of fiction: novellas (short novels) and the like. As well as these longer works, you can also see short stories and other assorted creations. If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest Firestorm 2034.
Imagine... A group of people linger after the church feast at Christmas. The snow has been falling, and they're all snowed in. So they decide each to tell a story--and talk about what they're thankful for, about the Holy Grail, a pilgrimage, a fairy tale, anything. It is a long time before they step outside...
A novella which explores the connection between a circle of friends as they pass through harrowing experiences.
A science fiction story about a medieval who is transported to the 21st century, and the chaos that ensues. It explores decades of shift in technology and culture. Heinlein fans will note a resemblance to Stranger in a Strange Land, which I drew on--perhaps they'll like this one, too.
A college freshman explores his room and finds a book, Brocéliande, and his eyes begin to open when he starts to read legends of King Arthur's court.
The Steel Orb is a story set in a world that has been simmering in my heart for years. It concerns a young pupil who wants to be a teacher, and the struggles he goes through on the way. It is a fantasy novella based on the patristic East instead of the medieval West.
Another section has essays. This section is a "grab bag" of other nonfiction works, from the serious on mentorship to the silly All I Really Needed to Learn about Programming, I Learned from Java. If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest Jonathan's Canon.
The ancient Greeks developed an art of memory that is very good with concrete facts. I wanted to see if I could adapt the principles to be more effective in storing abstractions.
All I Really Needed to Learn About Programming, I Learned From Java
As I look back on my programming experience, the most important things were not writing low-level serialization routines, or stunning optimizations that drew on deep theory. All I really needed to learn about programming, I learned from Java.
Many people think good web design means making a design that's different from other websites. This article argues another perspective.
A carefully thought-out resource for reviewers for web awards program, on how to best present their programs to the web.
An annotated bibliography of works that have influenced me, that I would like to pass on.
Excerpted from the Journal of an Awakening.
Do you believe that prayer is a good thing, but struggle to enjoy it for more than two minutes? I did for a long time; then something clicked.
A description of mentorship that has more than technique.
This is something I wrote about spiritual discipline and stress. I went to a Bible study that talked about dealing with stress, and when I heard the discussion, I realized that I was living at a much lower level of stress than what was assumed. I thought about how to explain why I experience less stress, and I realized that stress was the tip of the iceberg.
Do you hate spam? Here's a letter you can send to business owners who don't understand why spamming is bad.
This lecture was given at Mensa's Chicago Regional Gathering, and was meant to share several facets of interesting personal experience.
This is a revision of a classic guide for managers confused by hackers they've hired. Not the vandals who break into other people's computers--the other kind of hacker, the law-abiding kind. Haven't heard of them? Here's a chance to do just that.
Something I wrote when my brothers were twelve to introduce them to programming. It tries to be very simple--just enough so kids can start tinkering.
There was something I missed in school, and had to invent myself. This book is for bright young people, and their parents, who would want to know what I've learned about thinking.
The lighter side of Orthodoxy. Well, the really fun part about Orthodoxy is the feasts (and other things that one discovers along the way), but this is not just one writer's quirky sense of humor applied to Orthodoxy. (The Onion Dome is one of the more popular Orthodox websites.)
The confused person's guide to being even more confused about Orthodoxy.
If you don't know what this refers to, do a Google search for "Archbishop of Canterbury becoming a Druid." The issue is more complex than it looks, but not that much more complex.
Communities of Mount Mathos Release Another Open Letter to Oecumenical Patriarch
It appears the communities have released another open letter...
You may have heard of the Evangelicals who studied hard, tried to re-create the Early Christian Church, and rediscovered the Orthodox Church. Here's an update.
The most convenient way to become an Orthodox bishop.
There is an ancient Orthodox saying that goes, "A theologian is one who prays and one who prays is a theologian." Theology is not about transmitting information in a Western sense, but about bringing Heaven down to earth. I'm still learning how to do that, but here are some attempts to bring Heaven down to earth so that Heaven's glory shines on earth.
If you are looking for a place to start, I suggest A Pet Owner's Rules. You might also be interested in material from other sections of this website, such as The Christmas Tales, The Steel Orb, Stephanos, and An Orthodox Looks at a Calvinist Looking at Orthodoxy.
One thing I have learned as a Christian is what it means for God to look after you.
Some of us spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be human. It's also worth thinking a little about animals.
Ever hear a broken record talking about how Orthodoxy has always been a matter of creative fidelity and never a matter of parrot-like repetition?
Christ's crown of thorns has every relevance to our daily lives. Is it something we can have on our own terms?
We have a lot of rights these days. Or at least we think we do, and the list of our rights is growing longer and longer.
What if I told you that people can get along well without thinking in terms of rights?
In Orthodoxy, there are seven sacraments, officially speaking; but there's a great deal of truth in saying that there is only one sacrament, or that there are a million of them. This is a look at one among many of the "other" sacraments.
I enjoyed Halloween for many years, but it looks different as I begin to understand Orthodoxy.
The Horn of Joy: A Meditation on Eternity and Time, Kairos and Chronos
A meditation on eternity and time.
A celebration of the resplendent beauty of the natural world.
An Orthodox artist looks at art as a variety of icon.
A homily touching on a subject that doesn't get much treatment for how important it is.
God is like a pet owner who has only two rules.
One of the moments is long ago. The other one can be right now.
Among Christians, there's a debate about "headship". And those involved can miss something very important.
Satire. If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest Religion Within the Bounds of Amusement. You might also like Orthodox Humor.
Ambrose Bierce wrote a classic of wit and satire, called The Devil's Dictionary. This book follows in that tradition, and comments on any number of things in American life.
There is a considerable buzz among New Testament scholars among the discovery of a nearly complete manuscript to the book of the Bible called Romans.
Inspired by a visit to a "seeker service." To those unacquainted with Christian lingo, this means a church service which tries to reach out to people seeking God--but "reach out to people seeking God" really means, "put on a circus."
Read a 26th century historian as he extols the poetic beauty of a light bulb, praises Darwinism as a truly great myth... and analyzes a rather strange archaeological find.
Short stories, besides the assorted creations and longer fiction. If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest Unashamed.
This is a piece of wisdom literature about a man who has been searching for the Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, in One Volume, Containing a Careful Analysis of All Cultural Issues Needful to Understand the Bible as Did Its First Readers... and why he is so very unhappy when he finds what he desires.
A dream about another world.
A fictionalized Gospel account set in contemporary America. It tries to convey how genuinely shocking a person is described in the Gospels--and how he'd still be stunning, today.
The story of a traveller moving deeper and deeper into a monastery--in more ways than one.
What, exactly, is the nature of evil? Read about three painters who tried to show it.
There is more to this man than meets the eye. He appears quite ordinary; he's learned that skill well enough...
Stephanos begins when a boy enters a temple to get away from his sister...
Why was a picture of beauty so disturbing?
Abigail loves to sit down at a keyboard and improvise with her father. Why is she afraid one day?
A disillusioned young man wants to escape into another world, a magical world, and finds an old man who might help him.
There's more connecting these three items than you might think. But the differences are more than meets the eye, too.
It really doesn't matter if the situation is ordinarily bad or extraordinarily bad. Not for what really counts.
Socratic dialogue: philosophy with more than a dash of drama. If you're looking for a place to start, I reccommend The Watch.
A dialogue which has a brilliant alumnus return to his school and discuss philosophy of education with its founder.
A slightly updated look at Plato's Allegory of the Cave... or perhaps not really an updated look at all. Should the most famous piece
God is spirit, and he invites us to be spirit too.
On the surface, it's about a watch that has another way of telling time. Under the surface...
Does Einstein's theory of relativity say anything that relativism does not? Or does relativism say anything that Einstein's theory of relativity does not?
Is there a difference that matters?
A sleek car under starlight, a different kind of information technology, a deep, blue-robed host, and the wisdom of a Socratic dialogue in a science fiction world.
Yonder is a science fiction story that starts in a world where mind and body are separate. Or at least that's one way of looking at it. You could also describe it as a miniature Divine Comedy, a journey which begins in Hell and ends in Heaven, but uses none of the traditional imagery: Hell is a place where you can have any pleasure you want, while Heaven is a place with intense suffering.