Following my time at Augustine College, I found myself longing for the deep, challenging conversation that I experienced there with my classmates. This longing led to the idea of building a group that would meet to discuss the traditions of thought and contemporary issues; a kind of Inklings for philosophy, politics, and culture. To my surprise, this desire was not felt in isolation; many of my peers shared my excitement to form such a group. Though we had the sense that the vision behind EIS was striking a nerve; we could never have imagined the response that it would receive.

EIS is a young adult discussion group that exists to foster deep civil discourse on human flourishing and the common good. Our goal is to build a community in which profound ideas and complex issues are discussed from diverse viewpoints, be they religious or secular. EIS was created with the belief that honest discussion can help people refine their thinking towards a nuanced understanding of the world. The challenges of our time require open debate on first principles in addition to particular controversies. The Greek preposition eis [εἰς] means “motion into which” and it is used to denote a forward-looking direction that leads to union with a particular purpose. Understanding and analyzing rival worldviews from within is one of the ways that the EIS community aims to find direction towards the true, the good, and the beautiful – a pursuit which we believe is fundamentally human.

Since its launch in September 2017, the group has become connected with over 40 young adults who attend our bi-weekly meetings at a local pub. Before each meeting, selected readings and lectures relating to a particular subject are posted online. Our time together begins with conversation followed by a brief summary of the selected material to set up the facilitated discussion on the given topic. The topics discussed include ideas from the Western canon and contemporary issues such as interfaith dialogue, big data, and environmental ethics.

Attendees have also invited their friends and the group’s rapid growth has led to the possibility of creating a partner group with a particular focus on cultural apologetics. The widespread interest in this project from young adults is quite exciting. My sense from interacting with youth and young adults is that EIS seems to be resonating with a current movement of young people who are craving deep discussion in a post-truth, ideologically partisan, and soundbite-saturated era.

Since the group was inspired by our experience as students, it also provides a unique platform to share about the Augustine College program and it gives alumni a space to converse about topics which might stem from what they learned at the college. For both discipleship and cultural engagement, we believe that the 3000 years of the Judeo-Christian intellectual tradition supplies the public discourse with valuable insights for the challenges of our time. My prayer is that EIS continues to be a place where truth is pursued with honesty and courage, where meaningful friendships are born, and where young people become connected with the Augustine College program and community.