The Habit

W. David O. Taylor is Associate Professor of Theology & Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as the director of various initiatives in worship, theology and the arts. He teaches courses in systematic theology, art and worship, art and theology, art and beauty, spiritual formation through the psalms, and theology and science fiction. Along with Daniel Train, he edited a new collection of essays about art and the Holy Spirit—Naming the Spirit: Pneumatology and the Arts. One of the contributors to that collection is Steve Guthrie. Steve is a professor of theology and religion and the arts at Belmont University in Nashville. He is also chairman of the board of the Rabbit Room. In this episode, David, Steve and Jonathan Rogers talk about inspiration, breathing in and breathing out, particularity and mutuality, and quite a few other things. This episode is sponsored by The Focus Retreat, presented by The Habit. October 26-30 in Nashville. Find out more at TheHabit.co/Retreats.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason M. Baxter, a college professor and author, dives into the enduring importance of literature in our tech-driven age. He discusses how storytelling can heal and connect people, emphasizing literature as a 'technology for inwardness.' Baxter highlights literature's role in countering the superficiality of online content and stresses the need for critical thinking. He also reflects on the power of immersive experiences in deepening self-understanding and championing beauty in art. Inspirations from literary greats like C.S. Lewis and Dante further enrich the conversation.

Father Damian Ference, a Cleveland priest and philosophy professor at Borromeo Seminary, discusses the philosophical roots of Flannery O’Connor’s storytelling. He argues that O'Connor’s 'hillbilly Thomist' perspective is deeply influenced by Thomas Aquinas. Delving into how sensory experience shapes our understanding of art and reality, Father Ference emphasizes the interplay between meaning and human experience. He also explores the nuances of storytelling, the pursuit of virtue, and critiques the limitations of artificial intelligence in grasping true human existence.

Heidi White is a teacher, a podcaster, a speaker, and an author. In her speaking and writing she explores literature, education, and the Christian imagination. Her new book is The Divided Soul: Duty and Desire in Literature and Life. In this episode, Heidi and Jonathan Rogers talk about the division and ultimate reunification of “want” and “ought,” and they discuss the truth that this division is central to all story because it is central to the human experience.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karen Swallow Prior, a public intellectual and writer, delves into the complexities of passion and vocation. She challenges the mainstream idea of 'following your passion', suggesting that true fulfillment comes from hard work and self-awareness. Dr. Prior emphasizes the importance of knowing one's limitations and the need for community support in discovering true callings. She also reflects on how pursuing truth, goodness, and beauty can lead to a richer life, highlighting unexpected interests like men's fashion along the way.

Mitali Perkins (mitaliperkins.com) has written many books for young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for a National Book Award) and Rickshaw Girl (adapted into a film), all of which explore crossing different kinds of borders. Her goal is to make readers laugh or cry, preferably both, as long as their hearts are widening. Her new book is for grownups. It’s called Just Making: A Guide for Compassionate Creatives. In it, Mitali begins answering the questions, “Why should we make art while injustice and suffering wreak havoc?” “How can we justify making beautiful things?” and “How do we keep doing the work?” In this episode Mitali Perkins and Jonathan Rogers talk about justice and creativity, the ups and downs of Mitali's career, five destructive interior forces that keep us from doing creative work, and practices that counteract those forces.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carolyn Weber was our special guest at The Habit Summer Writers’ Weekend this past June. Carolyn is the author of Surprised by Oxford and Sex and the City of God. She is also a professor at New College Franklin in Franklin, Tennessee. The following conversation was recorded in front of a live audience of writers. Carolyn and Jonathan Rogers talk about memoir-writing, the memoirist’s ever-developing sense of self, and what it means to be both honest and honoring of others in a memoir.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Songwriter Wendell Kimbrough has been writing, recording, and performing songs based on the Psalms for the last few years. His most recent record is called You Belong. In this episode, Wendell and Jonathan Rogers talk about loneliness, perfectionism, feeling like an outsider, learning to belong–and how one writes songs that sound like the Psalms while also sounding like the Gulf Coast.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daniel McInerny is associate professor and chair of the philosophy department at Christendom College in Virginia. He is also a novelist and dramatist. His scholarship is directed toward reactivating an Aristotle’s understanding of art as imitation, long out of favor among philosophers. HIs biggest step in that direction is his new book, Beauty & Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts. Peter Kreeft wrote of his previous book, The Way of Beauty, “This is literally the best book on beauty that I have ever read: the most convincing, clear, and comprehensive; the most eye-opening and satisfying; the most insightful and delightful. It is a masterpiece.”  In this episode, Dr. McInerny and Jonathan Rogers talk about why human beings take so much pleasure in imitation; they talk about the odd fact that an imitation can often afford us a better insight into a thing than does the direct experience of the thing. Also, they talk about Christopher Walken.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A degenerative muscle disease has made Kevan Chandler altogether reliant on others for his daily care. So he has invited friends into his life—deep into his life—making his need a nexus for community and joy. Kevan’s new book, co-authored with his friend Tommy Shelton, is The Hospitality of Need: How Depending on One Another Helps Us Heal and Grow Together. For Kevan, need is an opportunity for community, an opportunity to love and care for those who love and care for him. Besides reminding us that we all need each other, Kevan’s life gives us courage not to hide our need.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.