The Frederic Whitney“ Eric” Wu’ 14 APC Lecture Series( May 6, 2026)
A Spiritual Journey with Christopher Beha’ 94
By Peter Martin
A hallmark of the academic year at Saint David ' s, our Alumni Parents Council( APC) Lecture Series, led by Co- Chairs Winnie Feng( P’ 99) and Annie Haddad( P’ 09, P’ 12) sponsors an annual lecture series for our eighth grade class, their parents, as well as parents of alums. In 2020, the Wu family established the Frederic Whitney " Eric " Wu’ 14 Memorial Fund to celebrate and honor his short but meaningful life. The Fund supports all aspects related to the APC Lecture Series, as it was an experience Eric treasured when he was a Saint David ' s student.
Chris Beha’ 94 is a proud Saint David ' s graduate who later attended Loyola School and Princeton University, Class of 2002. He is the author of five books, including the memoir Why I Am Not an Atheist, which Penguin Press published earlier this year. Although faith and skepticism are often perceived as opposites, the two are in fact intertwined, he argues. In his new book, Why I Am Not an Atheist: The Confessions of a Skeptical Believer, he reflects on his own spiritual journey from a devout Catholic upbringing- to Atheism- and back to Christian faith. Beha argues that faith provides a more coherent understanding of reality; and that true belief often begins with skepticism. His novel The Index of Self-Destructive Acts was nominated for the 2020 National Book Award. Beha served until 2023 as the editor in chief of Harper ' s Magazine, America ' s oldest continuously published monthly magazine, where he was a two-time National Magazine Award winner. The New York Times called Harper ' s under his watch“ America ' s most interesting magazine.” His latest book, OPPO: A Novel, is scheduled for publication next spring.
During Chris ' lecture with Saint David ' s senior boys, he spoke to his own spiritual evolution, but also focused on the importance of living our lives with a richness and fullness as“ no one is promised a fixed state of time.” One boy asked, what does this sense of purpose look like? In the classical sense, leisure( scholé in Greek) was not defined as mere idleness or a break from work. Instead, it was considered the ultimate purpose of life, requiring freedom from the necessity of labor so one could pursue human flourishing, character development, and truth.
Therefore, education is to be considered leisure; it is not a means to an end. One should study for its own sake, and for Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, contemplation was considered a group activity.“ The power of contemplation puts you in touch with the divine,” Beha stated.“ Augustine applied the concept of leisure to Christian life.” By this Greek definition of activities carrying intrinsic value, and for their own sake, flourishing occurs within religion and during meditative practices as well. Beha connected the pillars of leisure with Saint David ' s pi l l a r s,