Trinity Forum Conversations

We continue our Lenten podcast series by considering the spiritual practice of remembering with historian and author, Margaret Bendroth.Remembering is a Scriptural ImperativeThe promise of modernity was progress, and so our default orientation is often to the present and future and away from the past, which can be seen as either irrelevant or even benighted. But it is uncanny how often the Bible instructs us to remember the great story, to meditate upon it, ponder it, write it in our heart, dwell on it, and never forget.In this conversation, Margaret Bendroth invites us to reflect on our own stories, to see our lives as the product of a long choosing linked to the generations that have come before. And then to be willing to examine our family and spiritual histories as part of knowing ourselves and our place in God's story.Righteous Remembrance Means Extending Grace to our AncestorsAnd while she acknowledges the potential for discomfort in looking back, Bendroth encourages us to a posture of “righteous remembrance,” extending the charity to our ancestors that we hope will be extended to us. In doing so, we open up the door to healing not only of our own past, but also to gain access to resources and wisdom from previous generations.May this conversation inspire you to reflect on your own history and its place within the great story.Learn more about Margareth Bendroth. Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Miroslav Volf Related Trinity Forum Readings:Devotions by John Donne and paraphrased by Philip YanceyThe Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo, Introduced by James K.A. SmithPilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie DillardPilgrim’s Progress by John BunyanGod’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley HopkinsA Spiritual Pilgrimage by Malcolm Muggeridge Related Conversations:Liturgy of the Ordinary in Extraordinary Times with Tish Harrison WarrenCaring for Words in a Culture of Lies with Marilyn McEntyreInvitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley BartonOn the Road with Saint Augustine with James K.A. Smith and Elizabeth BruenigThe Habit Podcast, Episode 26: Tish Harrison Warren with Doug McKelveyThe Spiritual Practice of Remembering with Margaret BendrothTo listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org, and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, visit ttf.org/join. Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

On this episode of our special Lenten podcast series we explore the spiritual practice of writing by listening to a conversation between authors, Tish Harrison Warren, Doug McKelvey and Jonathan Rogers.The Spiritual Practice of Writing As these three authors explore the craft of writing, what becomes clear is that the creativity and spiritual insight that marks their work is predicated on the discipline of showing up, to sit in the quiet with tools in hand and to attend to the wonder and mystery of their own lives. The very ordinary disciplines surrounding writing have become for these authors a liturgy by which they come into contact with the divine, writing things and expressing truths they didn't know that they knew.The Habit: Conversations with Writers about WritingThis conversation originally appeared on the Habit Podcast, a production of the Rabbit Room podcast network, and a portion of it is used here with their generous permission and goodwill. To listen to more of the Habit visit Rabbitroom.com/podcast.It's our hope that this conversation will inspire your own practice of writing during Lent and help you to enter into the mystery and grace of the Father's love. Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Charlie PeacockJames Bryant SmithWalker PercyJessica Hooten Wilson Related Trinity Forum Readings:Devotions by John Donne and paraphrased by Philip YanceyThe Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo, Introduced by James K.A. SmithPilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie DillardPilgrim’s Progress by John BunyanGod’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley HopkinsA Spiritual Pilgrimage by Malcolm Muggeridge Related Conversations:Liturgy of the Ordinary in Extraordinary Times with Tish Harrison WarrenCaring for Words in a Culture of Lies with Marilyn McEntyreInvitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley BartonOn the Road with Saint Augustine with James K.A. Smith and Elizabeth BruenigThe Habit Podcast, Episode 26: Tish Harrison Warren with Doug McKelveyTo listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org, and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, visit ttf.org/join. Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

Repentance and St. AugustineWe continue our Lenten podcast series by considering the spiritual practice of repentance with author, philosophy professor, and Trinity Forum Senior Fellow, James K.A. Smith. Few figures cast as long a shadow over church history as Saint Augustine of Hippo, regarded by many as second only to St. Paul in terms of his extraordinary contributions to theology and philosophy. For his part, James K.A. Smith takes a different approach, describing Augustine as an AA sponsor for the soul.Disordered Desire and the Role of RepentanceIn Augustine’s book, Confessions, he offers us a searingly honest glimpse into the human heart and it’s Augustine’s refusal to look away from his own disordered loves, but instead to confess and repent at the level of his deepest desires, that makes Confessions one of the most enduring works of Christian spiritual writing of all time.Learn more about James K.A. Smith.Watch the full Online Conversation and read the transcript. Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Confessions by St. AugustineOn The Road With Saint Augustine by James. K.A. Smith Related Trinity Forum Readings:Devotions by John Donne and paraphrased by Philip YanceyThe Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo, Introduced by James K.A. SmithPilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie DillardPilgrim’s Progress by John BunyanGod’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley HopkinsA Spiritual Pilgrimage by Malcolm Muggeridge. Related Conversations:Liturgy of the Ordinary in Extraordinary Times with Tish Harrison WarrenCaring for Words in a Culture of Lies with Marilyn McEntyreInvitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley BartonThe Second Mountain with David BrooksOn the Road with Saint Augustine with James K.A. Smith and Elizabeth BruenigTo listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org, and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, visit ttf.org/join. Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

Generosity with Marilyn McEntyreWe continue our Lenten podcast series this week by looking at the spiritual practice of generosity with professor, author, and poet, Marilyn McEntyre. Generosity, or to use more ancient language, charity or almsgiving, was a practice Christians historically emphasized during Lent. And while providing material support to those in need is certainly a vital part of charity and love of neighbor, in this episode, Marilyn challenges us to broaden our understanding of what generosity can mean.Caring for our Words is Part of Caring for our NeighborThe book of Proverbs teaches us that death and life are in the power of the tongue and, in this conversation, Dr. McEntyre argues that caring for language is inextricably bound up with our caring for others. It's our hope that the conversation which follows stretches your categories of generosity and caregiving this week, as we consider together what it means to attend to our language and to practice charity with our words.To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org, and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, visit ttf.org/join.Learn more about Dr. Marilyn McEntyre.Watch the full Online Conversation and read the transcript. Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies by Marilyn McEntyreJane AustenDavid Brooks Related Trinity Forum Readings:Devotions by John Donne and paraphrased by Philip YanceyThe Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo, Introduced by James K.A. SmithPilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie DillardPilgrim’s Progress by John BunyanGod’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley HopkinsA Spiritual Pilgrimage by Malcolm Muggeridge Related Conversations:Liturgy of the Ordinary in Extraordinary Times with Tish Harrison WarrenCaring for Words in a Culture of Lies with Marilyn McEntyreInvitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley BartonThe Second Mountain with David BrooksOn the Road with Saint Augustine with James K.A. Smith and Elizabeth Bruenig Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

Silence and SolitudeWe continue our special Lenten podcast series with author and spiritual director, Ruth Haley Barton, and this brief introduction to the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude. Ruth considers the unique gift these practices offer us, why they can be so challenging, and the way that these practices look different depending on your season of life. Where We Encounter God"Solitude and silence in particular is where we encounter God, but it is also the place that's most challenging for us on so many different levels." - Ruth Haley BartonWe hope you're encouraged to start right where you are, even if that's just a minute or two of silence in the morning before the day begins, or at night to allow the sediment of the day to settle and to see more clearly what's most important.Learn more about Ruth Haley Barton. Watch the full Online Conversation and read the transcript. Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Richard RohrDallas Willard Related Trinity Forum Readings:Devotions by John Donne and paraphrased by Philip YanceyThe Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo, Introduced by James K.A. SmithPilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie DillardPilgrim’s Progress by John BunyanGod’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley HopkinsA Spiritual Pilgrimage by Malcolm MuggeridgeRelated Conversations:Liturgy of the Ordinary in Extraordinary Times with Tish Harrison WarrenCaring for Words in a Culture of Lies with Marilyn McEntyreInvitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley BartonOn the Road with Saint Augustine with James K.A. Smith and Elizabeth Bruenig Listen to this or any of our conversations in full at ttf.org, and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, visit https://ttf.org/join. Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

Formation and Habit with Tish Harrison WarrenIn our first Lenten podcast, we're turning to author and Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren to help us frame our thinking about how we're formed spiritually and what the goal of formation is. Tish helps make us conscious of the habits, practices, and liturgies that are present and forming us in our everyday lives.Practices are a Response to LoveShe does a beautiful job of recasting spiritual disciplines not as an effort to make ourselves worthy of God's love, but as a response to God's declaration that we are already his beloved. We hope this conversation inspires you to consider anew the formative power of your habits, and to join us weekly in exploring spiritual disciplines, not out of obligation, but out of a deep and growing sense of your own belovedness before God.To listen to this or any of our conversations in full, visit https://ttf.org, and to join the Trinity Forum Society to help make more content like this possible, visit https://ttf.org/join.Learn more about Tish Harrison Warren.Watch the full Online Conversation and read the transcript.Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison WarrenJohn Mark ComerRelated Trinity Forum Readings:Devotions by John Donne and paraphrased by Philip YanceyThe Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo, Introduced by James K.A. SmithPilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie DillardPilgrim’s Progress by John BunyanGod’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley HopkinsA Spiritual Pilgrimage by Malcolm Muggeridge Related Conversations:Liturgy of the Ordinary in Extraordinary Times with Tish Harrison WarrenCaring for Words in a Culture of Lies with Marilyn McEntyreInvitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley BartonOn the Road with Saint Augustine with James K.A. Smith and Elizabeth Bruenig

For 2000 years, Lent has been a season of spiritual preparation in which you reflect on Christ's temptation suffering and death. Beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter, the 40 days of lent have historically been a time for Christians to draw closer to God through prayer, fasting, repentance, and self-denial.Of course, that's a hard sell in our time. Embracing spiritual disciplines has never been easy, but in a cultural context where denying ourselves our desires is seen not just as odd, but repressive, or even harmful, humbling ourselves through spiritual disciplines and walking in these ancient paths can seem more daunting than ever.But far from being the exclusive province of medieval monks or cloistered mystics of some far away place and time, these disciplines are for everyone, and offer through embodied practices, a path to more deeply and joyfully following in the ways of Jesus. So this Lenten season, we ask you to join us as we explore seven different spiritual disciplines through this special podcast series.Each week we'll release a new conversation that considers a practice to help you draw closer to God in mind, body and spirit. The point is not to master any particular spiritual discipline, but to simply start where you are. It's our hope that these conversations will inspire you to take a step into a new practice of learning to better know, love, and enjoy the Lord who died for us as we remember his passion, and anticipate the joy of his resurrection.Listen to or watch any of our conversations in full at TTF.org, or to help support this podcast and our ongoing work, visit: TTF.org/join.Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

On Friday, May 1 The Trinity Forum hosted from Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and Poet Laureate of California, Dana Gioia. Dana shared his unique insights about beauty, poetry, and solitude. Dana encourages us to use this time of quarantine to begin afresh.Learn more about Dana Gioia. Watch the full Online Conversation and read the transcript from May 2020. Authors, artists, and books mentioned in the conversation:T.S. EliotWallace StevensJacques MaritainThomas AcquinasA Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man, by James JoyceGeorgia O'KeeffeÉtienne MallarméEdgar Allen PoeFriedrich NietzscheHoraceCatullusVirgilW.H. AudenPhilip LarkinRobert FrostEmily DickinsonA.E. StallingsHenry Wadsworth LongfellowJohn Greenleaf WhittierKing Lear, by William ShakespeareThe Idiot, by Fyodor DostoevskyC.S. LewisImmanuel KantFrederick TurnerMakoto Fujimura Related Trinity Forum Readings:God’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins with introduction by Dana GioiaBulletins From Immortality: Poems by Emily DickinsonDevotions by John Donne (paraphrased by Philip Yancey)Sacred & Profane Love, John Donne with an introduction by Dana GioiaFour Quartets! By T.S. Eliot with an introduction by Mako Fujimura Related Conversations:Waiting on the Word with Malcolm GuiteDana Gioia - Beauty“Poetry, Imagination, and Spiritual Formation” an Evening Conversation in with Dana Gioia, September 11, 2019“Why Poetry Matters” an Evening Conversation with Dana Gioia, April 20, 2016 “Why Beauty Matters: The Significance of Beauty in Art, Faith, and Politics” an Evening Conversation with Dana Gioia, April 1, 2014 “Poetry, Prayer, and Passion” an Evening Conversation with Dana Gioia, October 18, 2012“Art + Faith: A Theology of Making” an Online Conversation with Makoto Fujimura, January 29, 2021“Culture Care: Mending to Make New” an Online Conversation with Makoto Fujimura, August 7, 2020“Culture Care” an Evening Conversation in with Makoto Fujimura, September 19, 2017“Culture Care in a Fragmented Modern World” an Evening Conversation with Makoto Fujimura, November 4, 2016“Beauty in a Broken World” an Evening Conversation with Makoto Fujimura, March 31, 2016 Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

On November 19th, 2019 the Trinity Forum, Regent College, and Reformed Theological Seminary hosted an Evening Conversation with modern hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty. They discussed “Beauty, Music, and Spiritual Formation” as the second in our series on Art, Faith, and Formation in which we aim to discuss the ways in which the literary, musical, and visual arts speak to spiritual hunger and shape our sense of beauty, truth, and purpose.Learn more about the Gettys. Watch our Evening Conversation. Authors, artists, and books mentioned in the conversation:Peter KreeftThe Republic, by PlatoDamon of AthensSing: How Worship Transforms your Life, Family, and Church, by Keith and Kristyn GettyUnwearied Praises: Exploring Christian Faith Through Classic Hymns, by Dr. Jeff GreenmanThe Pedagogy of Praise, by Dr. Jeff GreenmanJohn LennoxLucy ShawEugene PetersJ.I. PackerMartin LutherLeonard BernsteinAmy CarmichaelCecil Frances AlexanderOs GuinnessCharles SpurgeonLloyd JonesD.L. Moody Related Trinity Forum Readings:Handel’s Messiah Related Conversations:Waiting on the Word with Malcolm GuitePoetry & Beauty in Solitude with Dana Gioia Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.

On February 19th, 2021, we were delighted to welcome social psychologist and bestselling author, Jonathan Haidt, along with widely published speechwriter and author, Peter Wehner. Wehner is a New York Times columnist, a contributing editor for The Atlantic, and a Trinity Forum Senior Fellow with a deep interest in healing our divided nation. Haidt has done extensive research examining the intuitive foundations of morality and how morality varies across cultures. His books address these topics and provide insights into how to cultivate meaningful, moral conversations across cultural divides.We hope you enjoy this conversation on the impact of hyper-politicization and polarization, the temptations of illiberalism, the natural tendency towards bias and blind spots in our thinking, and the role of faith in bringing healing and hope to a hurting culture. Especially in our ongoing season of isolation and social restrictions, we hope this will inspire you to reach out and connect with those around you and think about how you can grow culture-shaping friendships and communities. Learn more about Jonathan Haidt and Pete Wehner. Watch the full Online Conversation and read the transcript from February 19, 2021. Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, by Jonathan HaidtThe Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, by Jonathan Haidt and Greg LukainoffThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan HaidtCity of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era, by Peter Wehner and Michael GersonThe Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump, by Peter WehnerA Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream, by Yuval LevinWhy We’re Polarized, by Ezra KleinBlaise PascalJohn McWhorterFrancis CollinsC.S. LewisOwen BarfieldDavid BrooksOn Liberty, by John Stuart MillIbram X. KendiRichard Reeves, Brookings InstitutionHow To Think: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Alan JacobsThe Enigma of Reason, by Hugo Mercier and Dan SperberMy Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer, by Christian Wiman Related Trinity Forum Readings:Politics in the English Language, by George OrwellPolitics, Morality, and Civility, by Václav HavelDemocracy in America, by Alexis de TocquevilleBrave New World, by Aldous Huxley Related Conversations:Rebuilding our Common Life, with Yuval Levin Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.