Continuing within the subject of the arts, James Meyers discusses the literary arts as a whole before considering literature for the Christian. Many sociologists and anthropologists have concluded that the decline of reading can be largely attributed to cinema or some form of visual media, which additionally has contributed and continues to contribute to minimal attention spans and other cognitive decline. While James laments this as a whole, as a Christian, he finds it most lamentable with Christians, who are People of the Word. Many theologians have observed that if you can read the Bible, you can read anything, which increases your understanding about everything. Sea of Fire does not desire the removal of other media, but simply to raise the Christian to where we must be and have been historically. James believes if we want to change the world and win souls for Christ, we can begin here. Meditating on God’s Holy Word and prayer are the great means through which Christians are sanctified. Perhaps if we are more faithful to the Word of God, God will be more glorified, and this is the purpose for every Christian, namely to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

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Having considered many of the major secular philosophies, James Meyers, III begins to discuss certain areas of life in which philosophy is involved. In this session, James discusses the beauty found in art. The iconoclastic age has wearied many Christians into detesting art entirely, or perhaps are ambivalent. James encourages Christians to return to the love of art as has been historical. Beauty is of God, and we are to seek “to behold the beauty of the LORD” (Psalm 139:4) and to “worship Him in the beauty of His holiness” (Psalm 29:2). James considers how we might establish the objectivity of beauty, and how it most certainly is not “in the eye of the beholder.”

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James Meyers III considers the philosophy known in academic circles as Hedonism. While Hedonism might be fairly unknown or misunderstood, many contemporary philosophers opine that the West is a hedonistic culture. In its nascent form, it seeks optimal pleasure and the avoidance of pain as the ultimate pursuit of life. James considers this and compares the philosophy of Stoicism which unexpectedly has more in common with Hedonism than one might think. He then contrasts these systems with the Christian pursuit of pleasure.

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