- veritas de Terra -
Truth From the Land (Ps 85:12)
I am a professor, researcher, speaker, and homesteader. Most importantly, I am a husband & father with a passion for examining and diving into life’s deepest questions.
Why are we here?
What is good?
What is beautiful?
What is truE?
After 20 years of teaching I have learned that these questions are not answered in isolation. Faith + reason, informed by both revelation + nature, provide an exciting context in which to examine the fundamental truths as well as the practical realities and messiness of our lives.
My family and I work a small homestead in Tennessee and I teach, write, speak and conduct research on a host of topics related to education, theology, family life, ethics, ecology and the common good.
Thanks for visiting!!!
Stay curious...seek truth.
Services
Non-Profit Consulting
Non-profits and Churches are unique. Parishes, schools, universities and apostolates require a blend of authentic zeal along with sound business practices and good stewardship. As a Fellow of the San Juan Diego Institute, I provide consultation and support ranging from turn-key project development, small capital campaigns, strategic planning, board training and development as well as hiring and succession planning.
Online Webinars
While in-person is always preferred, technology can provide a suitable bridge for trainings, staff engagement, and consultation which encourages good stewardship of financial resources and the environment.
SpeakinG Engagements
Last year I spoke to over 50 groups ranging from churches to college classrooms to business boardrooms. Mixing a sense of humor and inspiration alongside scholarship and deep joy for the truth, talks aim to teach, inspire, and guide people to continued study and engagement on a host of topics. From family life and Christian ecology to Catholic/Classical education and Virtuous Leadership.
Staff & leadershiP Formation
Forming staff and faculty to know and understand their role in the mission is key to the success of any organization. By blending experience serving on small committees, boards, large international charities and complex university systems, staff and leadership development can be designed to meet the specific needs of your organization.
Areas of Practice
Historical Theology
Church history is much more than an examination of past events. It is the study of the ideas that shaped western civilization and the engagement of Judeo-Christian ideals with the ancient and classical world. I teach church history and more specifically the practice and development of theology in the eastern and western traditions.
Culture & Modernity
Modernity and post-modernity present some unique challenges to the formation and renewal of Christian culture. Despite the challenges of relativism and false notions of freedom, the modern world still hungers for beauty, truth and goodness, and it can still be found if you know where to look.
The Family
The family is the "vital cell of society" and it plays a central role in the the New Evangelization. In their beauty and brokenness families teach us how to love. In the battle for a more humane and ethical world, the family is both the proving and the battle ground. If there is to be an authentic renewal of culture it will begin with a renewal of family life.
Catholic & Classical Education
What is the purpose of a Catholic education? What are the foundations of a classical & humane formation? We are 60 years into an experiment which reduces education to the purely pragmatic, & reduces human purpose to being good consumers and functionaries. It is time to rediscover with great joy & conviction the true purpose of education.
The Land
Wendell Berry explains "there are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.“ Of the three fundamental relationships, the right relationship with the land is most confused today. The truth that grace builds on nature and we are meant to 'guard and till' requires an authentic and renewed Christian ecology.
Virtuous Leadership
Leadership is often misunderstood today. It is not just about project completion and the bottom line. In the words of Alex Havard, a real leader 'seeks to achieve greatness by bringing out the greatness in others.' They get the job done while developing and cultivating the people they lead.
“Ryan has been blessed by the Lord Jesus with a testimony, gifts, & a marriage & family which serve the needed New Evangelization in our time in remarkable ways. He is a Catholic man of authentic faith whose speaking & consulting come from a deep place of prayer. I recommend his work highly.”