Redeemed Imagination

We are called to participate in creation through communion, not control.Join us as we consider living in a world with talking trees. Through C.S. Lewis’s disenchanted Narnia, Brian Brown, Amy Baik Lee, and Sarah Howell explore the relationship between humanity and creation from a Christian perspective. This conversation unpacks the importance of recognizing the goodness of creation, the role of beauty in understanding God, and the need for a re-enchanted view of the world. And that ultimately, human beings were made to not only be present to the created order, uncover the layers of meaning within it, but also to participate in creation as an act of worship. __⁠Get tickets now for "A Long Expected Feast"⁠ -- Sept 19-20 2025 in Colorado Springs!

A huge treat: Malcolm Guite joins the podcast!In our fast-paced, ever-connected world, we've largely forgotten the art of being still. But what if stillness isn't simply the absence of activity—what if it's actually a practice that requires intention, ritual, and presence?Join Brian Brown and Matthew Clark as they sit down with renowned poet and theologian Malcolm Guite for a contemplative conversation about pipe smoking as a case study in the spiritual discipline of stillness. Opening with Malcolm's own poem "Smoke Rings from My Pipe," this episode explores how a simple ritual can become a pathway to what T.S. Eliot called "the still point of the turning world."In this episode, we discuss:Why stillness is both desperately needed and increasingly difficult in our ageHow memory and presence intersect in moments of contemplationHow physical objects and rituals can anchor us in the present momentFar from escapism, this conversation reveals how true stillness prepares us for be

What would it mean–for us, our families, and our vocations–if we could learn to be fully present?Join us as we explore the story of Taran Wanderer—a young man eager to skip to mastery but forced to learn that true craft begins with getting your hands dirty in the raw materials. Through Lloyd Alexander's tale of smithing, weaving, and pottery-making, we dive into why our souls, like Taran's hands, need to be trained in stillness before they can create anything worth keeping. From the decision fatigue of modern life to the machine expectations we place on ourselves, this conversation unpacks why we struggle to be present and offers practical wisdom for reclaiming the art of attention. Because sometimes the path to finding yourself isn't found in charging toward the next thing—it's discovered in learning to be fully present to what's right in front of you.__Get tickets now for "A Long Expected Feast" -- Sept 19-20 2025 in Colorado Springs!

An exploration of human vocation through the lens of one of Tolkien's most strange and mysterious characters. Featuring special guest C.R. Wiley, author of "In the House of Tom Bombadil."

Do you ever feel like you're stuck in the mundane while waiting for your "real" purpose to begin?In Disney's Encanto, Mirabel spends years wondering when she'll get her magical gift and finally enter the family story—only to discover she was already part of it all along. Like Mirabel, many of us view ordinary moments as distractions from the "real" important work of our lives, constantly waiting for that someday calling or dramatic purpose.But what if Christianity isn't about escaping the ordinary—what if it's about discovering the Great Story right in your kitchen sink?Join us as we explore how our daily faithfulness in seemingly mundane tasks isn't preparation for the Great Story—it's precisely how we enter the Great Story. Discover why there are no ordinary things, and how Christians can learn to mobilize the world immediately around them for the glory of God.

What does it mean to “practice resurrection,” as Wendell Berry put it?It’s easy to look at the chaos and barrenness of the world and think we can’t make much of a difference. At least not without being some kind of superhero. What good is planting a tree in a wasteland? In this episode, the gang explores a different vision, provided by the story, “The Man Who Planted Trees,” by Jean Giono. Because maybe, just maybe, there’s a way forward.

Who is Tom Bombadil? Any Lord of the Rings/Tolkien fan knows that Bombadil is a very mysterious character.But what’s interesting is that as we unpack Tom Bombadil as a character, we end up unpacking things we’ve forgotten about how to do life. Tom Bombadil opens a window into what it means to pursue our vocations.Join Brian Brown, C.R. Wiley, and your fellow Imagination Redeemed listeners for a four-week study of vocation, calling, and mastery through a look at this enigmatic character.Sign up at https://anselmsociety.org/bombadil.

Where do books, movies, songs, etc. fit into how we face the hard realities of life? Should they be "positive and encouraging?" Should they relentlessly portray darkness just as it is?In this episode, we invite you into a recent Anselm Society lecture by Dr. Wesley Vander Lugt from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Meet Julian of Norwich! This medieval woman suffered more than most of us will in three lifetimes—and prayed for more. And the first part of her book, Revelations of Divine Love, unveils a deeply encouraging vision of God that’s worth meditating on.What makes Julian's hope so powerful is precisely that it doesn't deny or minimize suffering. Rather, her hope encompasses both the reality of present pain and the promise of ultimate restoration. In that space—between the 'already' of God's love and the 'not yet' of complete healing—we learn to hold both our joy and our weeping together.In this episode, the Imagination Redeemed podcast tackles the subject of this tricky mystic and goes on a search for hope.

Despair tempts most of us at times–and it’s easy to listen to. You don’t have a problem, you are the problem; everything bad that’s happened is the trajectory for the future. In the face of this voice in our heads, how can we remember the hope of our place in God’s story?In this episode of the Imagination Redeemed podcast, the hosts (and guest Elizabeth Bam) discuss stories from the Faerie Queen and the Shawshank Redemption in an exploration of how to battle despair.

Seasons of winter tend to paralyze us. We think we can’t move on until something changes. How can we learn to live well in those seasons, and participate in God’s work? Drawing from O. Henry’s short story “The Last Leaf,” Brian, Sarah, Amy, and Christina tackle this question in the newest episode of the Imagination Redeemed podcast.

In this episode, Brian, Sarah, and Christina explore the profound impact of stories on our lives and faith. They discuss how narratives—through books, movies, music, and art—profoundly influence our worldviews, emotional health, and even brain development. Dive with us into the magic of storytelling, the healing power of positive narratives, and the importance of integrating personal stories into a larger divine narrative.

Support the show: https://www.anselmsociety.org/podcast25. In our last episode, Chase Whitney talked about the role of tears in relation to joy, and how that is laid out in Scripture. But the night before Chase gave that talk, he was in the audience at an Anselm Society pub night listening to Michael Ward give the following one—and he joked with me afterward that Michael must have been reading his notes. A day later, after I'd heard the sermon, I understood why. Michael's talk, in this episode, deals with much the same topic—but this time, using various writings of C.S. Lewis as literary illumination to help us understand joy and tears even more deeply. In case you're unfamiliar with Michael, I'll tell you he is a literary scholar and theologian, renowned for his work on C.S. Lewis. Ward is best known for his book Planet Narnia, where he argues that C.S. Lewis structured The Chronicles of Narnia to reflect the imagery of the seven heavens. I highly commend that book to your attention if you think Narnia is

Support the podcast! https://anselmsociety.org/podcast25 We're still on hiatus as we work to plan a re-launch in a few months, and we look forward to telling you more about that soon. But in the meantime, we have two bonus episodes to share with you. These are two talks that happened within 24 hours of each other at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Colorado Springs—and in fact, the teacher for this one was sitting in the audience for the other one, which we'll share next week. Both talks deal with the relationship of tears and grief to joy and our relationship with God. In this first talk, a Sunday sermon on September 15 2024, church planter Chase Whitney emphasizes the significance of tears as a uniquely human experience, and discusses how joy and tears can make room for each other as we seek God in our lives. It's a beautiful exploration of how grief can bring us closer to Him. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imaginationredeemed/support

Support the podcast: https://www.anselmsociety.org/podcast25 Months of planning and prep are almost finished, and in January, with your help, the first episodes of the NEW Imagination Redeemed podcast will drop.  It will be a feast: retellings of the great stories, and warm conversations on how to enter into the life of the Christian imagination. But to do it right, we need two things from you! Listen for more details on the new (and old) hosts, the updates to the format, and how you can help. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imaginationredeemed/support

Brian joins Michael Minkoff of Renew the Arts for a conversation about how imagination and art empower us to live like people of heaven. They also talk about Taylor Swift. Yes, you read that correctly. Learn more about Renew the Arts at https://renewthearts.org/. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imaginationredeemed/support

Listen to Brian Brown's talk from the 2024 Square Halo "Return to Narnia" conference. Maybe you've absorbed the fake C.S. Lewis quote that you ARE a soul and you HAVE a body. Or maybe you grew up in an environment that only valued time if it was spent getting people into the elevator going up. If so, you probably struggle to live in the world as you ought, because you have no theological or mental category for most things between idolatry and indifference. So you can’t find a place for many of the things you love most in the kingdom of God. We have to fix our relationship with material reality. In the Chronicles, Lewis gives us a fictional world that very clearly has meaning and magic woven into every layer of it. The reason that appeals to us is that it is a reflection of our world as we’re supposed to see it, even if we’ve forgotten. In this talk, Brian offers a threefold way of relating to material reality--and our vocations in it--that explains why you love the things you do, and what to

A friendly podcast interviews Brian about our new book, "Why We Create." More about Upstream.

Why did God tell Adam to name the animals? When you think about it, it’s an odd time to quit creating. He left it to humankind to look for the significance of the things He made, to derive meaning from it, and to join with Him to put the finishing touches on things for which He obviously had a clear vision. Understanding the dignity and responsibility inherent in the role of naming not only allows us to better understand our relationship with the created order, but also our relationship with God, the first Creator and Namer.

The Bible is filled with time because God’s revelation is always historical—a story of moments both old and new. God reveals who He is and what He’s doing within our ongoing story, our ongoing time. In this episode, Glenn Paauw shows us how the movement of the biblical narrative is always toward God entering into our time more and more deeply. It is a story of restoration, in which only through time is time conquered.