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 Imperative The 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...

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 di...

Repentance and St. Augustine We 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 philoso...

Generosity with Marilyn McEntyre We 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 ch...

Silence and Solitude We 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 "...

Formation and Habit with Tish Harrison Warren In 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 Love She...

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...

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,...

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...

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 intuiti...

In this podcast, edited from an Evening Conversation in 2018 titled "The Lonely American: Rootedness and Reconciliation in a Riven Land" with Senator Ben Sasse and Russell Moore in Washington, DC, we discuss the growing problem of loneliness in the country — the ways in which our alienation from each other is destroying individual lives and the fabric of society — and what can be done about it.  ...

On February 12th, 2021, we were delighted to welcome award-winning author and professor Diana Glyer. Glyer is intrigued by the creative process, particularly how creativity thrives within small groups and creative clusters. She has written extensively on the lives and work of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their beloved community known as the Inklings. We hope you enjoy this conversation on the i...

On Friday, November 6th, 2021, we were delighted to partner again with our friends at Coracle to present Speaking Peace and Seeking Reconciliation in a Fractured Culture , an Online Conversation with David Bailey and Marilyn McEntyre. Recorded at the end of the election week, we spoke with David and Marilyn, exemplars of peace and reconciliation both in word and action, and discussed what we can d...

On Friday, June 11th, we were pleased to welcome author and cultural analyst, Andy Crouch, and his daughter, Amy Crouch, to discuss their book entitled My Tech-Wise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of Devices . In it they explore how to navigate the possibilities and pitfalls of technology and its influence in one’s life. Andy and Amy believe there is a wise path we can walk with our...

On Friday, May 15th, 2020 we were delighted to welcome Trinity Forum founder, author, and social-critic, Os Guinness, and Dean of Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy, Pete Peterson, to discuss calling and community in the aftermath of this global crisis. Learn more about Os Guinness , and Pete Peterson . Watch the full Online Conversation and read the transcript from May 15, 2020. Mentioned autho...

On Friday, April 23rd, 2021 we were delighted to launch a new series on “Discovery and Doxology” in partnership with BioLogos and Church of the Advent . This series brings together leading scientists and theologians to discuss the relationship between science and faith. In this, our first event in the series, we hosted author and theologian, Philip Yancey, and Dr. Julia Wattacheril, discussing suf...

On March 19, 2021 we were delighted to host Christian author, leader, and teacher, Ruth Haley Barton. Barton is founding President/CEO of the Transforming Center , a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of Christian leaders and the congregations and organizations they serve. Ruth is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life, including Strengthening the Soul of Your...

This episode features a conversation that took place on May 28, 2019 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. with New York Times columnist and author David Brooks on “ The Second Mountain .” Brooks offers the fascinating argument that we are, paradoxically, most fulfilled, and even most ourselves, in the context of commitment to community, family, vocation, and faith. The Second Mountain is...

This episode features a conversation we hosted on Friday, May 21st with author and Trinity Forum Senior Fellow Karen Swallow prior on Jane Austen and her novel approach to virtue. Speaking of Austen’s Christian faith, Prior says, “Hers was the restrained, quiet, and personal faith of her Anglican tradition. Her novels are less altar calls than liturgies of ordinary life.” Austen’s world may feel q...

This episode features a conversation we hosted on Friday, May 14th with artist and author Sho Baraka for a conversation around his new book He Saw That It Was Good: Reimagining Your Creative Life To Repair A Broken World . Baraka says, “The command to love—in all the fullness and justice of that word—is laid on all, from politician to painter. With every policy pushed, every stroke of the brush, w...

This episode features a conversation  we originally hosted on Friday, January 29th with artist and author Makoto Fujimura on his recent book  Art + Faith: A Theology of Making . Mako says, “I now consider what I do in the studio to be theological work as much as aesthetic work. I experience God, my Maker, in the studio. I am immersed in the art of creating, and I have come to understand this dimen...

This conversation took place on February 24, 2016 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. We welcomed scholars and theologians N.T. Wright and Richard B. Hays to discuss The Good News and The Good Life . In this eastertide season we hope this conversation will encourage and inspire us to live as resurrection people. Learn more about Richard Hays and N.T. Wright . Watch the full Evening Conv...

On Friday, July 10th we welcomed distinguished professor, author, and scholar Alan Jacobs to discuss his ever-timely book The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis . In his book, Jacobs describes how after the second World War, five Christian intellectuals presented strikingly similar visions for the moral and spiritual renewal of their countries. Jacques Maritain, T. S. El...

On Friday, July 24th we were honored to host award-winning and much-beloved novelist and essayist, Marilynne Robinson for a wide-ranging conversation on the art of writing as a means of exploring truth and engaging the questions around learning to live well, to love others, and to create a home and community in an often fractious world. Robinson, known for her keen observations on humanity and rel...

On Friday, July 17, 2020 we welcomed writer, poet, and professor Marilyn McEntyre for an Online Conversation to discuss her provocative book, Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies . The book focuses on the morality, power, and importance of caring for language. She notes that caring for one another is not entirely separable from caring for words. Words are entrusted to us as equipment for our life...