The Habit

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers talks with Anne Snyder, editor-in-chief of Comment Magazine and host of the podcast, The Whole Person Revolution .  They discuss our culture's antipathy towards institutions, the role of theological reflection during a time of crisis, and her work with Comment Magazine to serve both readers and writers in uniting thought and action. Support the...

Jonathan Rogers talks with music industry legend Brown Bannister about the difference between “Here I am” and “There you are” personalities, the similarities between producing a record and teaching students, and how Brown has stayed away from cynicism over his long career. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers talks with Russell Moore, President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and author of The Courage to Stand: Facing Your Fear without Losing Your Soul. They talk about the various ways that fear presents itself to the writer, the self-sabotage of chasing relevance, the temptation to write our own life stories, and the timeless danger of t...

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers interviews Barnabas Piper, author of Hoping for Happiness . They talk about the unrealistic expectations that artists can sometimes project onto their craft, how much easier it is to write while sad than while happy, and the distinction between hope and optimism. Transcripts are available for The Habit Podcast. View them at RabbitRoom.com/podcast. Su...

This week on The Habit Podcast, Jonathan Rogers talks with Marilyn McEntyre, author of Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict . They discuss the rich etymological depth of the word "conversation" and its connection to "dwelling with," the lost art of visiting, the transactional nature of conversation in a capitalist world, poetry's abiding danger to the status quo, and the recovery of metaphor. S...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with Dr. Irwyn Ince, pastor and author of The Beautiful Community: Unity, Diversity, and the Church at Its Best . They discuss beauty's refusal to be possessed, the aesthetic impact of pursuing racial justice, and the joy to be found in responding to God's calling—even and especially when that call entails "divine dissatisfaction." Support the show: https://t...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with Nashville singer/songwriter Ross King about the instructive power of rejection, the complexities of writing for a living in today's world, and advice for dealing with artistic competitiveness. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with Vesper Stamper, illustrator and author of A Cloud of Outrageous Blue . They discuss how illustration became for Vesper a doorway into storytelling, what her research into the Middle Ages for her new book has taught her about plagues, and synesthesia as the beginning of metaphor. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/l...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with Gina Dalfonzo, author of Dorothy and Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C. S. Lewis . They discuss the often overlooked friendship between Dorothy Sayers and C. S. Lewis, Sayers' innovative depiction of Jesus in The Man Born to Be King , and her lifelong wrestling with Lewis on the issue of artistic conscience and calling. Support the s...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with bestselling author, pastor, and podcast host Daniel Darling about the complex mix of motivations that go into online interaction, the double-edged sword of content curation, and how to communicate well in an age that prioritizes communicating quickly above all else. Daniel Darling's new book is A Way with Words: Using our Online Conversations for Good . Suppor...

Jonathan Rogers talks with Christine Flanagan, English professor at the University of the Sciences in Pennsylvania and editor of The Letters of Flannery O'Connor and Caroline Gordon. They talk about the fascinatingly elusive influence of Caroline Gordon on Flannery O'Connor, the mystifying invisibility of some writers in our collective historical record, and the indispensability of thoughtful, eng...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with singer/songwriter and hymn writer Sandra McCracken. They talk about the formative power of hymns, the ancient balance established by the psalms between lament and a vision for what lies ahead, Sandra's first book, and the role of true confidence in human flourishing. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with Cindy Bunch, author of Be Kind to Yourself and associate publisher and director of editorial at InterVarsity Press. They talk about how to maintain a healthy relationship with the inner critic, the many misplaced wishes that writers often throw onto their writing, and the mystery of which readers resonate and which readers don't. Support the show: https://ther...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with music industry veteran and host of The Pivot podcast Andrew Osenga. They talk about what Andrew’s podcast has taught him about listening, the multilayered complexities of career, and how Andrew's own pivots have changed the way he approaches songwriting. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with singer-songwriter Claire Holley.  They discuss the role of fear in writing, object writing prompts, how to discern what music is “saying,” and what Claire has learned over time about her songwriting process. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with Emily P. Freeman , author of The Next Right Thing , creator of the Next Right Thing Podcast , and co-founder of the online writing community Hope Writers. They discuss writer’s block as a form of decision fatigue, the demand on our attention created by unmade decisions, the problematic desire “to be great,” how her training as a sign language...

Jonathan Rogers loved Matt Conner's interview with Jericho Brown so much that he wants you to hear it, too. Jericho Brown won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection The Tradition  and is one of America's great literary geniuses. Originally aired on The Resistance Podcast , Matt and Jericho discuss the necessarily conflictive posture of the poet as one who speaks truth to a cult...

Jonathan Rogers talks with Amy Alznauer , author of The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity and The Strange Birds of Flannery O'Connor .. They discuss Flannery O’Connor’s early-onset fascination with birds and the ways O'Connor's birds taught her how people react to strangeness; how Amy’s father taught her to love mathematics; and the ways in which both math and writing invite the discov...

This week, Jonathan Rogers talks with Michael Ward , C. S. Lewis scholar and author of Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis.   They discuss Michael’s surprising thesis about the Narnia books, the medieval notion of the “music of the spheres,” and the necessity of allusivity in communicating theological reality. Find out more about Michael Ward's...

In this episode, Jonathan and Scott discuss the difference between being for and being against, why we've recently seen such a renewed interest in Fred Rogers, writing as an instrument of peace, and how gentleness can survive in a world that has made hostility into an asset. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan Rogers talks with Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well and Booked .  They discuss common mistakes in how we read classic literature, the vaster meaning of the word “comedy,” the excellent new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma , and the difference between portrayal and endorsement in art. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See...

Jonathan Rogers talks with Leif Enger, author of Virgil Wander and Peace Like A River . They discuss Leif’s love of beautiful places in his favorite novels, the ability of readers to feel the delight of the author, and the magic of discovering the way a story goes as you’re writing it. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Jonathan and Diana discuss how the Inklings got started and the factors that contributed to their health, the sharpening power of writing groups, and the “curse of knowledge”—knowing so well what you’re trying to say that you’re unable to say it well. Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/member See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poet-priest Malcolm Guite has become one of the most important Christian poets of our time. In this episode, Jonathan and Malcolm discuss the “salvaging of the mistakenly abased gift of imagination,” the vital distinction between what things are and what they are made of, how Malcolm inherited the gift of poetry from his mother, and the invention of writing as the gateway both to remem...

Scott James is a pediatric physician and author of Where Is Wisdom? A Treasure Hunt Through God's Wondrous World, Inspired by Job 28. In this episode, Jonathan and Scott discuss the practical complexity of applying wisdom, the role of empathy in good reading, the instructive power of story for life's moral questions, and grace as God’s surprise ending. Support the show: https://therabbitroom...