Trinity Forum Conversations

The Trinity Forum

Trinity Forum Conversations is a podcast exploring the big questions in life by looking to the best of the Christian intellectual tradition and elevating the voices, both ancient and modern, who grapple with these questions and direct our hearts to the Author of the answers. We invite you to join us in one of the great joys of life: a conversation among friends on the things that matter most.

  1. 9 hr ago

    Baptizing Our Imaginations, with Mia Chung and Malcolm Guite

    The term “baptized imagination” has come to the fore of Christian discussion in recent years, and this recent episode considers what a baptized imagination can actually look like. In the Christian tradition, baptism represents a journey of death and resurrection. In order for there to be a rebirth of truth, goodness, and beauty in us, what other imaginations must we leave behind? And what can bring about this change?  Our guides in this episode, Mia Chung and Malcolm Guite, are extraordinary. Mia is a concert pianist, now based at MIT where she leads the Octet Collaborative, a Christian study center. Malcolm is an acclaimed poet and Anglican priest based at Cambridge, and has begun to publish a multi-volume epic poem on the Arthurian legends–-you can find our episode with Malcolm on the first book of this epic at the link in the show notes.  This is the kind of conversation that our community of Trinity Forum Senior Fellows foster: cross-discipline discussion rooted in the Christian tradition. This episode was recorded live at the 2025 gathering of the Trinity Forum Senior Fellows in Washington, DC, which was convened with the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation. Our moderator is Trinity Forum President Cherie Harder. Go deeper into the topics discussed with these Trinity Forum Readings: Spirit and Imagination by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (introduced by Malcolm Guite)Letters from Vincent van GoghFour Quartets by T.S. EliotInto the Wasteland by Malcolm GuitePainting as a Pastime by Winston Churchill Take Up the Tale: Bringing the Epic Tradition Into Our Time with Malcolm Guite

    Baptizing Our Imaginations, with Mia Chung and Malcolm Guite

  2. 21 Jul

    Practices of Hope: Antidotes to Confusion, Cynicism and Nihilism, with Curt Thompson and David French

    We are subjected to the temptations of confusion, cynicism, and nihilism like never before. So many pressures, including new ones, seemingly by the day, push us in these directions. What formative things can we do to help ourselves and our society be a part of a hopeful story instead? Two of our Trinity Forum Senior Fellows, psychiatrist Curt Thompson and columnist David French, come from different disciplines, but in this episode, they provide complementary insights into the hopeful practices of thought and action we're all looking for. This episode was recorded live at the 2025 gathering of the Trinity Forum Senior Fellows in Washington, DC, which was convened with the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation. The moderator is Trinity Forum President Cherie Harder. Go deeper into the topics discussed with these Trinity Forum Readings: The Federalist Papers (with an introduction by David French)The Purchase of a Soul by Victor HugoPolitics, Morality, & Civility by Václav HavelOn Friendship by Marcus Tullius Cicero

    Practices of Hope: Antidotes to Confusion, Cynicism and Nihilism, with Curt Thompson and David French

  3. 7 Jul

    Beauty + Justice: Why We Need Both, with Makoto and Haejin Fujimura

    Beauty is often dismissed as a luxury—something secondary to the urgent work of repair. But what if beauty is not peripheral, but essential to healing what is broken? Trinity Forum Senior Fellow Makoto Fujimura and Haejin Shim Fujimura will be our guides on this question, discussing their new book, Beauty and Justice: Creating a Life of Abundance and Courage. Drawing on their work in the arts and global advocacy, they will consider how cultivating beauty can help us to sustain courage, foster resilience, and contribute to the pursuit of justice. This episode is drawn from an Online Conversation in 2026. You can view the transcript and other resources here. Go deeper into the issues discussed in yesterday's Online Conversation with these Trinity Forum Readings: Babette's Feast; Isak Dinesen  (Introduction by Makoto Fujimura)Four Quartets; T.S. Eliot (Also introduced by Makoto Fujimura)Letters of Vincent Van GoghRevelations of Divine Love; Julian of NorwichPainting as a Pasttime; Winston Churchill

    Beauty + Justice: Why We Need Both, with Makoto and Haejin Fujimura

  4. 23 Jun

    Cultivating Christian Resilience

    How can we cultivate a faith that endures and flourishes? Author, Anglican priest, and Trinity Forum Senior Fellow Tish Harrison Warren shows us how lasting and beautiful things can take root and grow in our lives. By drawing on themes from her new book, What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience, we will explore how habits rooted in the historic church—prayer, liturgy, Sabbath, and community—can anchor us in a stormy age. This episode is drawn from an Online Conversation in 2026. You can view the transcript and other resources here. Go deeper into the issues discussed in this episode with these Trinity Forum Readings: Pilgrim of Tinker Creek; Annie Dillard (Introduction by Tish Harrison Warren)Confessions; Saint AugustineWrestling With God; Simone WeilRevelations of Divine Love; Julian of NorwichRevelation; Flannery O'Connor

    Cultivating Christian Resilience

  5. 9 Jun

    A Conversation With Ben Sasse

    In a culture shaped by distraction, anxiety, and constant noise, how do we focus on what matters most? In this special episode, we're sharing a conversation from a recent Trinity Forum event featuring Ben Sasse—former U.S. Senator, university president, husband, and father. Following a terminal cancer diagnosis, Ben has embraced a new vocation: helping us think more clearly about the questions that matter most, and the things that endure. In this conversation with Cherie Harder, our Trinity Forum president who’s known him since their undergrad days at Harvard, Ben joins a room full of family, friends, and colleagues to reflect on mortality, friendship, family, faith, and the kind of attention required for a flourishing life. What follows is a lightly edited version of that conversation. If you'd like to watch the full video of the interview, you can find a link to the YouTube livestream here. Recommended Trinity Forum Readings Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (with an introduction by Ben Sasse)Brave New World by Aldous Huxley The Federalist PapersThe Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt Here are Cherie and Ben from the live recording at National Community Church in Washington, DC:

    A Conversation With Ben Sasse

  6. 26 May

    From Wasteland to Grail: Stories that Shape Our Lives, with Malcolm Guite

    In March, we welcomed Malcolm Guite for an in-person event to celebrate his new book, Galahad and the Grail, which is the first in his Merlin’s Isle trilogy published through Rabbit Room Press.  While he was with us, Malcolm sat for this podcast interview in which he described his vision in creating this epic ballad, along with offering a deep exploration of what brought him to poetry in the first place.  Since the book’s release, Galahad and the Grail has topped bestselling charts and received numerous accolades, demonstrating that its ancient stories find renewal in our modern era.  You can watch the video of the full conversation on our Youtube Channel here Recommended Trinity Forum Readings:  God’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley HopkinsFour Quartets, by T.S. Eliot with an introduction by Makoto FujimuraThe Pardoner’s Tale, by Geoffrey Chaucer

    From Wasteland to Grail: Stories that Shape Our Lives, with Malcolm Guite

  7. 12 May

    Forgiveness in an Outraged World, with Amy Orr-Ewing

    We live in an unforgiving age. Even as we know that Jesus commanded forgiveness, extending it can seem impossible, impractical, self-harming, even unjust.  In these times of outrage and fear, what can help us become forgiving people? Author Amy Orr-Ewing joined us for a recent online conversation, where we explored these questions for a live audience: "The church needs to recapture the vision of forgiveness as an actuality. This is something real rooted in the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross. And it's that that has actually been the animating force of the Christian faith throughout history."This episode is drawn from an Online Conversation in 2026. You can view the transcript and other resources here. Recommended Trinity Forum Readings:  Confessions; AugustineWrestling With God; Simone WeilPurchase of a Soul; Victor HugoRevelations of Divine Love; Julian of Norwich

    Forgiveness in an Outraged World, with Amy Orr-Ewing

  8. 28 Apr

    Living a Non-Anxious Life, with Alan Fadling

    We are a culture well acquainted with anxiety. Recent years have shown it rising dramatically, particularly among Generation Z and Millennials, but affecting all of us. In the Sermon on the Mount, however, Jesus urges us not to be anxious. We wonder: is that actually possible today? Author Alan Fadling joined us for a recent online conversation, where we explored these questions for a live audience: "Maybe Peace, and its friends like Hope and Joy, maybe that's a better engine, maybe that's a better source of energy and motivation than my anxiety ever has been. And if my anxiety is fuel, then it's fuel that burns dirty."This episode is from a conversation from February 2026. You can view the transcript and other resources here. Recommended Trinity Forum Readings:  Confessions; AugustineBrave New World; Aldous HuxleyThe Long Loneliness; Dorothy DayWrestling With God; Simone Weil

    Living a Non-Anxious Life, with Alan Fadling
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About

Trinity Forum Conversations is a podcast exploring the big questions in life by looking to the best of the Christian intellectual tradition and elevating the voices, both ancient and modern, who grapple with these questions and direct our hearts to the Author of the answers. We invite you to join us in one of the great joys of life: a conversation among friends on the things that matter most.

Information

  • Creator
    The Trinity Forum
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    147
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Trinity Forum
  • Show Website
    Trinity Forum Conversations

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