PODCAST · religion
Imagination Redeemed
by Anselm Society
It’s easy to see this world as disenchanted, and to give up hope that there’s more. But you were made to see the world with the eyes of heaven. And to live a bountiful life that participates in the life of God. Delve with Brian Brown and Sarah Howell into the great stories and their meaning for real life.
Episodes
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More Are With Us: When You Feel Outnumbered
How do you live like a saint on an ordinary Thursday morning? A paralyzed bishop and a monk in a tomb show us what we might be missing. You know the Thursday-morning version of your life. The back hurts, the brain is foggy, the people you love are driving you crazy, and that's before the real...
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Revisiting On Halloween, Death, and “Traditions of Men”
Originally aired on October 23, 2025 Should we be afraid of Halloween? What about death? What about just…the past? Whether it's our own trauma, fears of the occult, family history, or that big scary word tradition, many of us feel caught between two extremes: either cutting ourselves off from it...
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Beautifully Strange Courage
Sarah Howell is joined by Brian Brown and Caroline Williams to explore the story of Sister Constance, who stayed in Memphis during the devastating 1878 yellow fever epidemic while much of the city fled. What could make someone walk toward danger when everyone else is running the other way? And…
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Man of the House
What is a man actually for at home — past "protect and provide"? Brian Brown is joined by Sarah Howell, Jeremiah England, and Matthew Clark to build a theology of domestic masculinity anchored in St. Joseph, the only man in Scripture who never speaks and whose entire vocation is guardianship of…
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Is Every Moment Really Holy?
"What If Your Tuesday Is Already Holy?" Most of us have quietly absorbed the idea that real spiritual life is happening somewhere else — the dramatic calling, the mountaintop moment, someone else's story. In this episode, Brian Brown, Sarah Howell, Matthew Clark, and Jeremiah England use Julie...
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Telling a Beautiful Story (Without Pretending the Dark Isn't There)
Why does great art so often come from broken people? And what does that mean for Christians who want to make something true—something that actually holds hope without being sentimental? This episode opens the Summer 2026 season on subcreation with a story from Camelot. Not the glory of it—the...
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Telling a Bigger Story
Your life probably doesn't feel like a great story. It feels like a series of days — some meaningful, most just busy — without a clear arc or destination. That's what happens when the frame is too small. The Venerable Bede spent his entire life in a single monastery in Northumbria. He almost…
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The Long Defeat
Have you ever looked around and felt like the last person on earth who still believes this stuff? Athanasius did. The young deacon at Nicaea spent the next forty-five years in exile, fighting a battle he couldn't win against a church that had largely caved. He wrote from the desert. He outlived...
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The Gravity of Earthly Love
How do we love earthly things in a way that honors God? Where do our longings fit in that equation? And...should we hug a tree after all? Andrew Roycroft and Lancia Smith rejoin the podcast for a discussion of themes from George MacDonald's "The Light Princess."
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More Spiritual Than God
What if the resurrection isn’t about escaping the physical world, but redeeming it? Join Brian, Sarah, and special Guests Andrew Roycroft and Lancia Smith as they consider the resurrected Christ as fully embodied -- and what that means for us, and all of creation!
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Cinderella Stories
Why does every culture have a Cinderella story? Because eucatastrophe — the sudden joyous turn from ashes to glory — is the fundamental pattern of reality itself, and every culture recognizes it. In our last episode, we spent an episode with the dark fairy tales — the ones that don't end well…
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Dark Fairy Tales
Join Matthew, Brian, Sarah, and Jeremiah as we explore the dark and often unsettling fairy tales that have shaped human storytelling for centuries. We discuss their purpose, impact on children, and how they prepare us for the realities of life, and that courage, faithfulness, and hope matter...
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Spring Preview!
Sarah and Caroline share what’s ahead for the podcast over the next three months, reflect on the meaning of eucatastrophe, and explore how fairy tales help us see this pattern of reality more clearly, and what the material world has to do with it all! Access the show notes through our Substack...
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A Gentleman in Moscow: Discipline and Limits
In this conversation, Brian Brown, Sarah Howell, Jeremiah England, and Christina Brown delve into the themes presented in 'A Gentleman in Moscow' by Amor Towles, focusing on the character Count Rostov and his experiences within the confines of a hotel. Such a story helps us engage our confines --...
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Great-Souled Living
What if the reason you feel too small, too broke, or too ordinary to be generous is actually a spiritual problem masquerading as humility? In this episode, we explore an ancient vice called pusillanimity—"smallness of soul"—that convinces us our limitations define us. Through Leo Tolstoy's story…
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A Christmas Oratorio (Not the Messiah)
A pre-New Year's bit of gorgeousness for you--Brian and Sarah read and discuss W.H. Auden's poem "For The Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio," and share a couple things to look forward to next year!
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Luci Shaw: "Mary's Song"
A little end-of-Advent treat for you!
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St. Nicholas and the Art of Joy
"Joy and suffering are interconnected." What if joviality isn't just a personality trait—but a virtue we're called to cultivate? In our newest Imagination Redeemed episode, Joffre Swait takes us on a journey through the story of St. Nicholas to explore how generosity, celebration, and community…
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Winter (and Season 5) Preview!
Brian and Sarah break down our plans for the next three months of the podcast, reflect on divine abundance and the scandal of the incarnation, and more.
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Hope That Holds Your Grief
Life often feels like discord—a song gone wrong. Whether you're walking through grief, loss, or the quiet melancholy of longing for something more, it's easy to get stuck in wistfulness or despair. Through Tolkien's Ainulindalë, this episode explores how to hold both sorrow and hope together....
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Feasting in Troubled Times
Many of the conditions of Middle-earth in its Third Age mirror those of our own day: grapples for power, technological advances used for good and ill, and a high opinion in many circles of efficiency and maximized production. What does a feast signify and entail in such times? Earlier this fall…
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On Halloween, Death, and “Traditions of Men”
Should we be afraid of Halloween? What about death? What about just…the past? Whether it's our own trauma, fears of the occult, family history, or that big scary word tradition, many of us feel caught between two extremes: either cutting ourselves off from it all, or feeling so surrounded by it...
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The Lost Tools of Singing - Part 2
Brian Brown, Matthew Clark, and Terri Moon continue their conversation, exploring the concept of 'we songs' in worship, songs that connect congregants to God and each other. In this episode, we discuss the importance of melody, accessibility, and the role of instruments in creating a hospitable...
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The Lost Tools of Singing
In 386 AD, an Italian bishop taught his congregation to sing—and their voices held off an imperial army. Why do some songs have the power to unite us, remind us who we are, and give us courage in dark times? And how can we get more of them? Join Brian Brown, Matthew Clark, and Terri Moon as they...
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John Williams and Passing Down the Faith
In this episode (part 2 of 2), Brian Brown, Gustav Hoyer, and Benjamin Harding talk about the intergenerational nature of Christian creativity, and explore how film scores and children's stories show us how that works. The discussion includes: Why every generation in the church must leave a...
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How the Anselm Society Got Started
A bonus episode cross-posted from the Beauty Through Faith podcast! In this episode, part 1 of 2, Brian joins Benjamin Harding and Gustav Hower to say as many provocative things as possible, as quickly as possible. Things we talked about: Beauty as pursuit of God through the material world - How…
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Josh Tiessen: Wisdom in Creation
Join renowned Canadian artist Josh Tiessen for an inspiring evening at the Anselm Society as he shares his artistic journey and explores the intersection of Christian faith, wildlife art, and environmental stewardship.
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Why We Feast
Special edition in partnership with the Rabbit Room: how a healed relationship with food forms us to renew the world. Want to participate in Housemoot? Learn more. We were meant for life together. But the fallen world seeks to drive apart things that were meant to be together. People from God....
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Fall Preview (with Caroline Williams)
The world around us is quick to dismiss the past. And we Christians have sometimes been too quick to join our neighbors in writing things off that 'don't last.' But autumn is an opportunity to do something different: to recognize that our timeless God works in things that appear to be fleeting…
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The Language of Creation
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...
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Interview: Malcolm Guite on Pipe Smoking and Stillness
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...
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Distraction and Mastery
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...
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Tolkien's Enigma (with C.R. Wiley)
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."
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Finding the Great Story in the Kitchen Sink
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...
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Planting Trees
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...
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Who is Tom Bombadil?
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...
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Gritty Hope
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…
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Julian's Hazelnut
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…
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The Battle with Despair
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...
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Always Winter
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...
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The Great Stories (For Real Life)
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...
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Bonus Episode: C.S. Lewis, God, and Tears (feat. Michael Ward)
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...
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Bonus Episode: Meeting God in Tears (feat. Chase Whitney)
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...
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A big announcement...and a call for help
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...
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Living the Life of the World to Come
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/.
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How to Live Like a Narnian
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...
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Why Everyone is Creative
A friendly podcast interviews Brian about our new book, "Why We Create." More about Upstream.
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S3 E22 - The Art of Naming (with Marilyn McEntyre)
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...
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S3 E21 - A Story Full of Time (with Glenn Paauw)
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...
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S3 E20 - The Art of Christian Memory (with Heidi White)
These days we tend to take a dim view of the past. We struggle to overcome things (personal or corporate) we wish we could go back and undo. But Christianity teaches a different way of viewing the past: one in which “remember” is one of the most frequent commands in Scripture, in which gratitude…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
It’s easy to see this world as disenchanted, and to give up hope that there’s more. But you were made to see the world with the eyes of heaven. And to live a bountiful life that participates in the life of God. Delve with Brian Brown and Sarah Howell into the great stories and their meaning for real life.
HOSTED BY
Anselm Society
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Imagination Redeemed have?
Imagination Redeemed currently has 87 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Imagination Redeemed about?
It’s easy to see this world as disenchanted, and to give up hope that there’s more. But you were made to see the world with the eyes of heaven. And to live a bountiful life that participates in the life of God. Delve with Brian Brown and Sarah Howell into the great stories and their meaning for...
How often does Imagination Redeemed release new episodes?
Imagination Redeemed has 87 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Imagination Redeemed?
You can listen to Imagination Redeemed on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Imagination Redeemed?
Imagination Redeemed is created and hosted by Anselm Society.
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