Believe to See

What if we've misunderstood the Inklings? When most of us think of the Inklings, we picture C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: two brilliant minds meeting in an Oxford pub and changing literature forever. But that's only one part of a much bigger story. G. Connor Salter joins the Anselm Digital Pub table to discuss his new book, The Other Inklings. It explores the often-overlooked members of the Inklings, and how they shaped Lewis, Tolkien, and the Christian imagination. What emerges is a powerful idea--great stories don't come from isolated geniuses. They come from communities.

We love a good vampire yarn, or speculating about how we would react to a zombie apocalypse. Pop culture loves them too: vampires sexy, zombies scary. But what is the value in telling these kinds of stories? Is there more to it than just Hollywood trying to make more money? Dr. Amy Hughes, a theology professor, scholar, and author joins the pub table to discuss our favorite supernatural creatures and what they have to say about humanity and God. OnScript podcast, Dr. Hughes' two books: Christian Women in the Patristic World, and the just-released Gregory of Nyssa on the Resurrected Life.

It's human to want to fit in. And it's human to fail at fitting in. What if our peculiarities aren't necessarily weaknesses to be overcome, but gifts from God that He wants us to use? Join us at the virtual pub table as we discuss the pain of feeling like a weirdo, and the joy of finding our purpose (among our fellow weirdos).

Why do our greatest stories—Chaucer, Shakespeare, and even the Bible—include moments that feel . . . a little crude? In this episode, we make a surprising case: what we call "toilet humor" isn't just childish—it may actually serve a deeper purpose in storytelling. From the shocking story of Ehud in Judges, to Chaucer laughing at farts, to G. K. Chesterton reminding us to "take ourselves lightly," we explore how humor rooted in the body can humble our pride, reconnect us to reality, and remind us all that we're physical creatures with physical bodies. 

Stand-up comedy has become one of our culture's most important artistic forms. And that sounds strange. How can something as simple as a single person telling funny observations and anecdotes be one of our most important art forms? But look around. Stand-up is all over Netflix and other major streamers. Comedians dominate both the podcast arenas and the YouTube clip arenas. They also have an outsized importance in the national conversation on a broad range of culture issues. How did this all happen? Where did all these comedians come from? Is there a significance to stand-up comedians beyond a few laughs? More fundamentally, how should we, as Christians, view the (surprisingly ancient) tradition of the comedian? Joining us at the table to discuss this issue is Jason Crawford. He's a professor of English at Union University, where he specializes in early modern literature and culture. He has also written a fantastic new book called God's Fools: Saints, Prophets, Martyrs, and the Making of Modern Comedy.

Theoretical physicists are debating whether the multiverse is plausible or bonkers. But regardless of the math, the idea of multiple realities is endlessly compelling for storytellers—from classic literature and pulp science fiction to contemporary film and television. At the digital pub table, we're joined by filmmaker and culture critic Joseph Holmes to explore why the multiverse captivates us. His new film Jim vs. The Future explores the moral and theological implications of the multiverse. It asks what responsibility, choice, and hope look like when every possibility is open.

Video game music has come a long way. Simple electronic beeps have evolved into some of today's most ambitious musical scores. In this episode, we explore how music shapes storytelling across all sorts of visual media, and why video game scores deserve to be taken as seriously as their movie counterparts. Joining the Anselm Society Digital Pub table is Vinicius Barbosa Pippa, a composer and conductor whose work spans film, television, and video games. He delves into his process for creating music to tell stories across many different genres.

Throughout church history, having a Christian imagination meant telling stories about dragons. If that sounds a bit strong, then look at your Bible. From the opening verses of Genesis to the climactic battle at the end of Revelation, dragons play an important role in the story of Scripture. So how should we as Christians place dragon stories within the Great Story? Author and podcaster Laurie Christine joins the digital pub table to sort this out. She has written a series of middle grade books called the Dragon Slayer Bible Series. She discusses the ways that the Bible's understanding of dragons can shape our stories today.

Is it possible to stumble into the Upside Down and come back with a handful of transcendent truths? Join Mandy, Christina, and Matt at the pub table as they discuss the themes and characters of the series Stranger Things—beauty in weakness, strength in fragility, the power of story, and more. Please note: if you have not watched the series, this episode is spoiler-filled!

Courtney Ellis—author, pastor, and podcaster—joins Mandy at the pub table to discuss all things feathered (including hope) and how God speaks to our hearts through the wonder and beauty of His creation. (Find Courtney's books and podcast: courtneybellis.com)

We've all been there at some point. There's an artist who does great work. We admire their talent, and we use their art as a model for our own. And then we learn the artist did something terrible in their personal life. How should we respond as Christian artists? Can we enjoy the art on its own terms and sift out the artist's mistakes? Or are the artist and the art so intertwined that we can't separate them? It turns out—shocker!—that this is a complicated issue with a lot of moving parts. But Matt, Mandy, and Christina do their best to walk through the different considerations and to give a framework for approaching the issue with care and intentionality.

Our world has more material prosperity than ever. So why does everybody seem so dour? And why are so many of our culture's stories devoid of hope? Author Shemaiah Gonzales's latest book is Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight. This collection of essays makes the case that, as Christians, our stories need more joy. But not the naïve or fake kind of joy. The real, brave kind. She joins the pub table to discuss the implications of telling stories that cultivate authentic joy.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of our greatest novelists. Her place in the literary canon is secure. Her influence on later generations is profound. But what about the novelists who influenced Jane Austen? Hardly anybody reads them nowadays, and they are not in the canon. Using Rebecca Romney's book Jane Austen's Bookshelf as a guide, Sarah, Matt, and Mandy discuss how strange this situation is. If Jane Austen thought a novel was great, shouldn't we want to read it? The co-hosts make the case for adding these forgotten authors into the literary canon.

Even people who don't follow sports know about the Dallas Cowboys. They're "America's Team." Giant stadiums and superstar players and Super Bowl victories. The team that's always in the news because of drama with their owner. But here's the thing: the Cowboys haven't been to a Super Bowl in 30 years. The images we have about the Cowboys' greatness come from a four-year run between 1992 and 1995. How could such a powerful story emerge from such a short span of winning? Matt invites Luke Moja—his friend and resident 90s sports expert—to the digital pub table to discuss the enduring myth-making and real-life Shakespearean drama that is the Dallas Cowboys.

For many people, audiobooks are the primary way they engage with novels. Other people view audiobooks as something lesser that doesn't really "count" as reading. What are the benefits (and drawbacks) of audiobooks? Of e-readers? Of old-fashioned paper books? The cohosts debate all this and more during this roundtable.

Ashlee Cowles returns to the digital pub table. She's both an Arts Guild member and one half of the AD Rhine writing duo. Their latest novel, Daughters of Bronze, concludes their retelling of the Trojan War from the viewpoint of four Trojan women. Cowles discusses the ways she grounded the novel in history, and how she was able to find hope—even in the doom of Troy.

To celebrate the holidays, Believe to See is re-airing episodes from past Christmases. Or should we say from Christmas Past? "Is It a Christmas Movie?" first aired on December 3, 2022.

To Celebrate the week of Christmas, Believe to See is re-airing episodes from past Christmases . . . Should we say from Christmas Past? "12 Days of Christmas Carol" first aired on December 29, 2020.

The clear majority of literary novels are read by women. The clear majority are written by women, too. Women also dominate the publishing industry around these books. As a result, more and more men are feeling alienated by this new literary landscape. What's led to this shift in the literary world? Is the development good, bad, or neutral? Matt, Mandy, and Christina delve into this multi-faceted issue.

Ali Gilkeson is a founding member of Rend Collective. She's also a best-selling children's author. Her latest book, "Keeping the Light," is newly-published from WaterBrook Multnomah. Gilkeson joins the digital pub table to discuss how her background with Rend Collective has influenced her writing. She also explores the enduring symbolic power of the lighthouse. https://www.aligilkeson.com/

How will people in the future, say 500 years from now, view today's art? What are the novels, movies, and songs that will still be relevant and important to people in the year 2525? Each of the co-hosts offers their best guess.

When most of us hear " dulcimer," we think of Irish peasants in the Middle Ages. Or maybe that "damsel with a dulcimer" in the poem "Kubla Khan." The actual hammered dulcimer, however, is something else entirely. It's a unique blend of percussion and stringed instruments with ancient roots across the world. And it's capable of creating gorgeous music. Musician and composer Joshua Messick joins the table to discuss all things hammered dulcimer. He's composed ten albums of hammered dulcimer music, and played for the soundtracks of major movies and video games. He explains the hammered dulcimer's unique ability to tell a story through its music.

Author Neve Foster joins the table to discuss her new novel, Of Ink and Spirit. Along the way, she makes a shocking revelation. Neve Foster is, in fact, the pen name for Anselm's own Evangeline Denmark! Evangeline—err, Neve—discusses her novel's long journey to print and its grounding in Japanese folklore. She also talks about co-founding a new publishing co-op: Unity Inkworks.

You know the saying, but is it accurate? Perhaps if we said shouldn't instead of can't, it would ring true. The fact is, we do judge books by their covers, all the time. Join our cohosts in a discussion of what makes a book cover good, bad, memorable, or even misleading. 

Middle grade fantasy author Carolyn Leiloglou returns to the pub table to chat about the conclusion of her award-winning Restorationists trilogy, Beyond the Far Horizon (available 09/09/2025). Carolyn grew up surrounded by the paintings of her art collector grandparents and took that love into her stories. But her characters are not only surrounded by art--they climb into the paintings themselves and travel between them. Join us for a conversation about the God-given impulse to create, what stops young people (and old) from pursuing that impulse, famous paintings, infamous art heists, and more.

Did you know that your everyday experience with color has a deep effect on your brain? And why have you always hated yellow, anyway? Popular psychology argues that our favorite colors say a lot about us, often claiming that our favorite colors are linked to our personality profiles. Is there any truth to that? Can our favorite colors tell us something about ourselves? Join our roundtable as we discuss this question and more, turning to painter Mark Rothko's masterful approach, using the relationship between color and the human brain to engage his audience.

JL Gerhardt is an author and partner at Hazefire Studios, where she and her husband, Justin Gerhardt, collaborate on the podcast Holy Ghost Stories. Gerhardt joins the table to talk about one of Hazefire's recent podcast projects: "The Happiest Saddest People." JL Gerhardt writes and narrates these episodes, which are a memoir of her own life, with reflections of faith, memory, and loss. It's also really excellent. Just the first episode alone is emotionally gutting and profound. And this memoir—which is also a theological reflection—takes place in the context of a beautifully produced podcast.

Chapter books are important. Their target audience is kids between about ages 6 and 10, and they play a major role in developing young readers. Author Leilani Mueller knows all about writing for this age group. She's the author of a brand-new chapter book called All Aboard the Grandparents Express. The book explores grief, loss, and imagination from the perspective of its 8-year-old narrator. Leilani describes the process of writing a good and beautiful book for the youngest readers.

Summer may be over, but Beach Reads are always relevant. We all have a favorite Beach Read: a story that is fun and immersive, but not necessarily deep or literary. But how do we feel about Beach Reads as a concept? After all, Believe to See's goal is to help connect the Great Story, the great stories, and our own stories. How do Beach Reads fit into these great stories? Do they fit at all? Is it possible to be the sort of person who cares deeply about the great stories, and who also enjoys a fun beach read?

  Kreg Yingst is a printmaker, painter, and writer whose work can be found in both private and corporate collections--or in one of his several books. His medium of choice is printmaking, using an antique Showcard proof press to print his hand-carved wood blocks or linoleum sheets onto paper or wood. Join Mandy and guest co-host Isaac Hans as they talk with Kreg about his art, his books, and how the very act of making art can be a prayer. (Find him on Instagram here where he posts his original art as psalmprayers.)

Meredith Davis is the author of the Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor series. These middle grade superhero stories draw inspiration from classic comic books and the science of imagination. Davis joins the pub table to discuss how her stories use superheroes to explore themes of friendship, integrity, and self-control. 

Will Parker Anderson is a senior editor at Waterbrook and Multnomah (an imprint of Penguin Random House). He's also an important resource as a writing coach and book industry expert.   Will discusses how to navigate the often fraught waters of the Christian nonfiction market, and how we can all help support work that is excellent and edifying.

Join the hosts at the roundtable as they talk about their favorite obsessions: the art and artists they love so much, they want the world to love them too. Mandy asks Matt and Christina to discuss where this impulse comes from—this desire for others to love what we love—and why it hurts when our enthusiasm is met with a shrug or a shake of the head. What does this impulse say about the impact of art on our hearts? How can shared (or not shared) affinities shape community?

Whether you're a new novelist, an experienced novelist, or not a novelist at all, there's something to learn from the intricacies of story structure. Author Elisa Lambert joins the table to discuss. She's one of the Anselm Society Arts' Guild's member artists. She's also writing a novel using something called the Book Architecture method.

We recently talked with SD Smith about the heart and motivation behind the upcoming Green Ember video game. But how do you make a video game in the first place? Bryan Engram is here to help. He's the co-founder of Brazen Animation: the studio that's creating the Green Ember video game. He explains the building blocks of effective gameplay and how to use those blocks to create a compelling story.

Join us as Matt and Mandy battle it out to determine which book is better -- The Great Gatsby, or To Kill a Mockingbird. It's a doozy, folks. Come cast your vote!

We know there's "nothing new under the sun," but must there be so many TV shows with a first responder, life-or-death, emergency services premise? Join Mandy, Matt, and Christina as they discuss the plethora of shows like these. Why are writers and viewers drawn to these stories--and what differentiates those worth saving from those that ought to be DOA?

Author Jennifer Layte is a firm believer in the power of story to draw us closer to Jesus and closer to an understanding of who we are. Join Mandy and Jenn at the pub table as they discuss story, nicknames, and Jenn's latest book, Follower: How Getting Close to Jesus Brings You to Yourself -- a narrative study of Simon Peter's journey with Jesus.

Good art moves us and makes us (or helps us) feel things. Mandy asks her cohosts to consider: why do some of us gravitate toward sad art when we're already sad? What is the purpose and value of art that's a little bit (or very much) heartbreaking?

John Hendrix creates graphic novels that beautifully blend prose and illustrations to tell complex stories. His latest work, The Mythmakers, delves into a subject near and dear to the heart of the Anselm Society: the friendship of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. Hendrix joins the table to discuss how he conveyed the lives and impact of these two authors in his own unique style.   John Hendrix's website: https://www.johnhendrix.com/ Buy The Mythmakers: https://www.amazon.com/Mythmakers-Remarkable-Fellowship-Tolkien-Graphic/dp/1419746340

Sarah Hendricks is the author of a new YA fantasy novel called Ella. A few years ago, Matthew accidentally became something of a YA fantasy expert (long story). Now, he's checking in on the state of the genre. What's encompassed by the term "YA Fantasy"? What are its different niches and sub-genres? And why does it have such enduring popularity with so many readers? Sarah Hendricks has the answers.   Buy Ella: https://pegasuspublishers.com/books/sarah-hendricks/ella

SD Smith has recently announced a Green Ember video game. He joins the digital pub table to discuss this exciting new project. So strap in for a deep dive into the Green Ember video game: its origin, its design, and how families can play video games in an enriching way.

Jacob Herold is a multi-instrumental musician whose music interweaves folk and jazz. He also happens to be a member artist of the Anselm Society Arts Guild. He joins the table to discuss his new album, The Train & The River. What's it like to fuse two styles like jazz and folk? Why should we worry about fusing different styles in the first place? And how did Jacob find the time to learn to play all of those instruments?   Buy The Train & The River: https://www.jacobherold.com/

Isaac Hans joins Mandy and Christina at the pub table to talk about his journey with photography--literally. What is "road trip photography," and what drew Isaac to it in the first place? How does his faith inform his work? Who are some of his biggest influences? He also sheds light on some of the equipment and techniques that photographers use, and why.

Author Sarah Arthur has previously joined the digital pub table to talk about her YA fantasy novel Once a Queen. But it turns out this was only the first book in her Carrick Hall series. She returns to the pub table to discuss the brand new second book: Once a Castle. Matt and Mandy ask Sarah about her process for creating a second book in a series, and where she plans to take Carrick Hall from here. Buy Once a Castle: https://www.amazon.com/Once-Castle-Carrick-Novel-Novels/dp/0593194489 Believe to See audience survey:  https://formurl.com/to/b2s-survey

It all comes down to this. In the final installment of our three-part series, Matt, Mandy, and Christina determine once and for all which artist is most representative of the Anselm Society artists' guild. Did you call it, or will you be surprised?

Matt continues forcing Mandy and Christina, championship bracket-style, to decide which famous artists most represent the values of the artists' guild. Part 2 of a three-part series.

In Part 1 of a three-part series, Matt forces Mandy and Christina, championship bracket-style, to decide which famous artists most represent the values of the artists' guild. They also coin a new word: "Anselm-y."

Fostering a healthy imagination in kids is a worthy goal--but what are the obstacles in today's society actively making that difficult, and what do we do about them? In this episode, we discuss several arguments in Anthony Esolen's satirical book "10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child" and ask the question, "How can we give kids a world where creatively engaging their environment is the norm--not the exception?"

It's Valentine's Day, so of course we want to talk about the best and worst love stories of all time! Join the hosts as we delve into what qualities make for a good love story annnnnd what qualities produce a bad one. Pulling from sources such as Shakespeare's famous sonnets and modern cinematic rom-coms, we explore it all. And there might be something about a little Scarlet Pimpernel flower mentioned . . . Listen to find out! (Due to technical difficulties, this episode slated for Valentine's Day is appearing after the fact. Our apologies for the diminished sound quality.)