Trinity Forum Conversations

Latest Episodes:

Hope Beyond Tribalism with James Mumford Sep 17, 2024

Show notes

Hope Beyond Tribalism with James Mumford

Amidst a culture of political tribalism and personal loneliness, how can we more clearly, creatively, charitably, and faithfully think and engage with our neighbors? What kinds of practices of mind, body, and spirit, might help us to see and act with greater empathy and understanding?

In his book, Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes, author James Mumford considers these questions and how often our ethical convictions get politically bundled up with others in what he calls a kind of “package deal.”

It’s in examining our own convictions, and the exercise of the moral imagination that we can begin to move beyond tribalism into a greater freedom:

“The sort of engagement relationally that I'm talking about, it's very different from the sort of combative exchange that we see on social media. And so it is a counter cultural project, I think, to disengage, to question our own assumptions, and then also to engage with other people about their own assumptions and their own convictions and how those fit together.” - James Mumford

We hope this conversation helps you to think more clearly about your own convictions, and to view your neighbors, even those with whom you disagree, with greater empathy.

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in June 2020. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about James Mumford.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes, by James Mumford

The Righteous Mind, by Jonathan Haidt

T. S. Eliot

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

Four Quartets - T.S. Eliot

Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr

Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville

Babette’s Feast, by Isak Dinesen

Politics, Morality, and Civility, by Václav Havel

How to be a Patriotic Christian

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

The Fall, the Founding, and the Future of American Democracy

Fear and Conspiracy with David French

Words Against Despair with Christian Wiman

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

Words Against Despair with Christian Wiman Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

Words Against Despair with Christian Wiman

As poet Christian Wiman explains on our podcast, despair is part of the human condition: “I deal with despair because…I don't know how not to, and it would be an evasion not to. And I think if you don't feel it, then you're not paying attention.”

In his new book, Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair, the acclaimed poet chases meaning through words, including memoir and poetry. And in this conversation he explains how he has found relief from despair in poetry, even and especially when poets grapple honestly with despair, “they speak of [despair] as a thing that can be spoken of.”

Wiman returned to Christian faith in part through a terminal cancer diagnosis–one that he has, to his astonishment, now lived with for over 18 years. His work explores themes of illness, love, faith, and the “almost spiritual joy” of encountering a deadly coral snake. We trust you will find in his poetry, and in this conversation with Trinity Forum’s guest host, Tom Wash, a great tonic against despair.

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in April 2024. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Christian Wiman.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair, by Christian Wiman

Marilynne Robinson

Danielle Chapman

William Bronk

William Wordsworth

Every Riven Thing, by Christian Wiman

My Bright Abyss: Meditations of a Modern Believer, by Christian Wiman

Prayer, by Carol Ann Duffy

The Bible and Poetry, by Michael Edwards

Augustine of Hippo

Bittersweet, by George Herbert

Surprised by Joy, by C.S. Lewis

Richard Wilbur

Jürgen Moltmann

When the Time’s Toxins, by Christian Wiman

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

Augustine’s Confessions

Devotions by John Donne, paraphrased by Philip Yancey

God’s Grandeur: the Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins

Bulletins from Immortality, by Emily Dickinson

Wrestling with God, by Simone Weil

How to be a Patriotic Christian

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

The Fall, the Founding, and the Future of American Democracy

Fear and Conspiracy with David French

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

Faith, Fear & Conspiracy with David French Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

In his book, Divided We Fall, author David French explores not only the rise of conspiracy thinking, but also the tribalism and alienation that has divided the country. On our podcast, French considers why our unsettling times have proven fertile ground for the growth of conspiracy thinking, especially within the Christian community, and he offers his thoughts on what a Christian response to conspiracy theories might entail:

“Media consumption that is not thoughtfully curated can actually be quite harmful to our perceptions of reality and our fellow man.” - David French

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2021. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about David French.

Especially in these chaotic times, we hope this conversation will inspire you to grow in your faith and find the freedom that comes in the pursuit of truth and the ways of its Author.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

The Rise of Isis: A Threat We Can't Ignore, by David French

A Season for Justice: Defending the Rights of Christian Home School and Church, by David French

Home and Away: A Story of Family in Time of War, by David French

Divided We Fall, by David French

Rod Dreher

Cass Sunstein

Bill Bishop

Jonathan Haidt

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

Brave New World, by Alduos Huxley

The Federalist Papers

Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville

Politics, Morality, and Civility, by Vaclav Havel

Children of Light, Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr

How to be a Patriotic Christian

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

The Fall, the Founding, and the Future of American Democracy

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

The Fall, the Founding, and the Future of American Democracy Aug 06, 2024

Show notes

The Fall, the Founding, and the Future of American Democracy

What did America’s founders believe about human nature? How might a deeper understanding of their perspective shape the way we think about current and future challenges to our democracy?

On this podcast episode, historian and author Dr. Tracy McKenzie helps us take a closer look at the founder’s view of human nature, what the abandonment of this view implies, and the tension of fallen human beings entrusted with self-governance:

We are storytelling creatures and the stories that we tell one another, the stories that relentlessly we hear in the public square are stories that tell us that liberty and justice and human dignity can all be upheld by leaving our hearts untouched. That's not the message of the gospel. - Tracy McKenzie

This is podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2022. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Dr. Tracy McKenzie.

We hope this conversation on America’s history helps you see the present with fresh insight as together we consider how Christians and the Church can play a positive role in the public and political life of our country.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us About a Loving God and Learning from History, by Dr. Tracy McKenzie

A Little Book for New Historians: Why and How to Study History, by Dr. Tracy McKenzie

We the Fallen People: the Founders and the Future of American Democracy, by Dr. Tracy McKenzie

Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

The Federalist Papers

Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville

Politics, Morality, and Civility, by Vaclav Havel

Children of Light, Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr

How to be a Patriotic Christian

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey

Life has changed dramatically in the 400 years since John Donne wrote his Devotions. Yet despite the advances of the intervening centuries, we find that, like Donne, we are still subject to sickness and death. We still long for comfort. We still want to know what God is saying to us.

Author Philip Yancey has found surprisingly relevant answers to these perennial questions in the works of John Donne. Updating the great poet’s work for modern readers in his book UNDONE: A Modern Rendering of John Donne’s Devotions, Yancey has given us a devotional treasure, particularly for those in the midst of trial and suffering:

God is on the side of the sufferer. And that's so important. When I go to places like Virginia Tech or Columbine in my backyard here in Colorado or various places and talk about pain and suffering, it's just an important point to get across. And I know that's true because God gave us a face. God showed us what God is like in human form. - Philip Yancey

This is a conversation rich with insights into the problem of pain and the human condition, and full of comfort as we get a clearer picture of God in the face of Jesus. We hope that it encourages you deeply and that you’ll share it with others.

This is podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2024. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Philip Yancey.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

UNDONE: A Modern Rendering of John Donne’s Devotions, by Philip Yancey

Where Is God When It Hurts, by Philip Yancey

In His Image, by Philip Yancey and Paul Brand

Disappointment with God, by Philip Yancey

The Jesus I never Knew, by Philip Yancey

What's So Amazing About Grace, by Philip Yancey

Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, by John Donne

The Art of Dying, by Lydia Dugdale

Dr. Paul Brand

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

Sacred and Profane Love, the poetry of John Donne

Wrestling with God, by Simone Weil

Bulletins from Immortality: Poems by Emily Dickinson

Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

How to be a...

How to be a Patriotic Christian Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

How to be a Patriotic Christian

The topic of Christian nationalism takes us into deep questions of how we understand and live out our allegiances to both our country and the kingdom of God, how we ought to relate to our neighbors, and how we should pursue justice and flourishing within our nation.

It's also a topic rife with confusion and uncertainty. But what is Christian nationalism, and how is it different from a robust patriotism? On our podcast we explore these questions with scholars and authors Richard Mouw and Paul D. Miller who help us distinguish between living out one's faith in the public square and instrumentalizing faith for political ends:

"Because I think America is in fact, so great, it means it is so tempting to idolize America because it's just one of the greatest things. Anything we idolize becomes destructive, and it can be destructive individually of our spiritual lives. But when you idolize a nation, that nation can be unbelievably destructive." - Paul D. Miller

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2023. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Richard Mouw and Paul D. Miller

We hope that this conversation has been helpful in articulating what it means to be a patriotic Christian, and in offering better language and frameworks for wrestling with questions of how to live out our faith in the public square.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, by Richard Mouw

Pluralisms and Horizons, by Richard Mouw

Praying at Burger King, by Richard Mouw

How to Be a Patriotic Christian: Love of Country as Love of Neighbor, by Richard Mouw

The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism, by Paul D. Miller

This America: The Case for the Nation, by Jill Lepore

Aristotle

Plato

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Augustine

C.S. Lewis

Richard John Neuhaus

Simone Weil

John Calvin

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

George Orwell

Curt Thompson

Frederick Douglass

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

City of God, by Augustine

The Children of Light and The Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr

Wrestling with God, by Simone Weil

Letter from Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr's

Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

Scripture and the Public Square Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

The language of the Bible has often been invoked in American political discourse through the centuries. Quoted by suffragists and secessionists, invoked in arguments for (and against) American independence, the Civil War, and cited by virtually every President across parties.

So how should we discern a faithful application of scripture in public life from instrumentalizing the Bible for political purposes? What can we learn from America’s history of using the Bible in politics?

Theologian, speaker and author Kaitlyn Schiess helps us think more carefully and clearly about our history and these challenging questions on our latest podcast:

"When I look throughout history and when I look at other communities of Christians throughout even our own history in our own country, I see instances, especially of people that are not the main focus of most of the church history textbooks that I read in seminary, who were faithful, who interpreted scripture well, who acted well in history. And that's been really surprisingly hopeful to me, I know now to go to other Christians in other times and places around the world too, and see instances of faithfulness." - Kaitlyn Schiess

As our election cycle continues to twist and turn toward the ballot box in November, we hope this conversation will provoke new ways of thinking about scripture and its faithful application for the common good.

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2023. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Kaitlyn Schiess here.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

The Ballot and the Bible, Kaitlyn Schiess

Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor, by Kaitlyn Schiess

John Winthrop

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

City of God, by Augustine

The Federalist Papers

Who Stands Fast, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Children of Light and The Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society.

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

What Really Matters with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth Jun 11, 2024

Show notes

What Really Matters with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth

Ours is an age that values and valorizes productivity, speed, and scale, and emphasizes precise and perpetual measurement and management of those markers. A whole range of organizations, including nonprofits, and even churches, as well as individuals believe that what is valuable is empirical and measurable, and that those measurements show us what's real and what really matters.

Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth today offer a radically different way of seeing the world. They assert that it is not the empirical but love that is, in their words, the highest way of knowing and the trustworthy basis of the imaginative and creative good. They argue that the small aspects of life, whether it's cooking or gardening, music making, hospitality, or family matters–those things that often seem not to matter so much are actually what matters most. It's an invitation toward fruitfulness, and a new way of understanding and living:

“Fruitfulness is what God talks so much about what Jesus talks so much about and it is really something that he is doing in us and with us as we turn towards him. We can't really measure it. We can't really see it. We don't tally it up for ourselves. It's more of a trust that if we walk in the faithful path that God has for us, we can trust that there is a fruitfulness and that it's God's to measure. And I think there's a real freedom in that.” - Andi Ashworth

We hope this conversation sparks your creativity and encourages you to look differently at the small matters of life that matter a lot.

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2024. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth here.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Martin Luther King Jr.

Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring, by Andi Ashworth

Wild Things in Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children, by Andi Ashworth

Why Everything That Doesn't Matter Matters So Much, by Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth

The Call, by Os Guinness

Steven Garber

Francis Schaeffer

Frederick Buechner

Eugene Peterson

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

Babette's Feast, by Isak Denison

Hannah and Nathan, by Wendell Berry

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard

Bright Evening Star, by Madeline L'engle

Letters from Vincent Van Gogh

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

Christian Pluralism: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference May 28, 2024

Show notes

Christian Pluralism: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference

The term ‘pluralism’ has been subject to misunderstanding – even misuse – over the past several years. Some read or hear the word and think simply of a multiplicity of opinions. Others think of a sort of moral relativism that affirms your truth and my truth, no matter how contradictory they may be. Others still may think of this as some sort of squishy interfaith unity that denies matters of ultimate importance.

In a conversation with John Inazu, Trillia Newbell, and Michael Wear we dive into the meaning of pluralism and how it is that Christians in particular can live faithfully amidst a world of difference. These careful writers and thinkers help us begin to grasp a more robust vision for Christian pluralism:

“We are all actually called to be reconcilers. Any one of us who have professed faith in Jesus Christ, we are called to a ministry of reconciliation. That means a proclamation of the gospel. So sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to the world around me, to my neighbors, to my friends...I believe that the greatest love that we can extend to others is Jesus.” - Trillia Newbell

We hope you’re inspired by this conversation about hope, justice, faithfulness, and love, even in the midst of change, challenge, and conflict.

This podcast is an edited version of an evening conversation recorded in 2020. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about John Inazu, Trillia Newbell, and Michael Wear.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Liberty’s Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly, by John Inazu

Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference, by John Inazu

Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference, by John Inazu

Sacred Endurance, by Trilia Newbell

If God Is For Us, by Trilia Newbell

Fear and Faith, by Trilia Newbell

God’s Very Good Idea, by Trilia Newbell

Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America, by Michael Wear

Christianity, Pluralism, and Public Life in the United States: Insights from Christian Leaders, by Michael Wear and Amy Black

Tim Keller

Russell Moore

Toni Morrison

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

The Federalist Papers

City of God, by Augustine of Hippo

The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr

Politics, Morality, and Civility, by Václav Havel

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.

Towards a Better Christian Politics May 14, 2024

Show notes

The relentless pull and pressure of partisan antagonisms and tribalism have fractured friendships, families, communities — and churches. In a time of conflict over what is good and confusion over what is true, what can church leaders do to cultivate a more faithful form of civic engagement? How can we learn to discern the call to love and justice amidst the clamor of political wars?

On our latest podcast, three wise men, as Cherie affectionately calls them, address these pressing questions. Curtis Chang, David French, and Russell Moore are each writers, scholars, and thinkers who have made courageous and insightful contributions towards a better Christian politics and we’re delighted to share their comments from an evening conversation in 2023 with you:

“Be of great hope. Because the after party is coming…It's the wedding feast of the lamb when Jesus returns to cleanse his church, made spotless. And in that moment, the restoration not of the church, but of the world at war where the swords are beaten into plowshares, the spears into pruning hooks. That's the after party that's coming. So if you know how the story ends, how can we not have great hope? - Curtis Chang

This podcast is an edited version of an evening conversation recorded in early 2023. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about Curtis Chang, David French, and Russell Moore.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Divided We Fall, by David French

The Courage to Stand, Facing Your Fear Without Losing Your Soul, by Russell Moore

Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel, by Russell Moore

The Storm Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home, by Russell Moore

Losing our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical Christians, by Russell Moore

The Anxiety Opportunity, by Curtis Chang

Ernest Hemmingway

The Big Sort, by Bill Bishop

Cass Sunstein

Constitution of Knowledge, by Jonathan Rauch

The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy