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What does it mean to truly see? In a world that rewards speed, certainty, and quick judgment, the patient work of attention can feel almost countercultural. Yet learning to see clearly—to notice beauty, to attend to the people before us, and to look beyond our assumptions—may be essential to learning how to love well. The Victorian artist and missionary Lilias Trotter devoted her life to just this kind of attention. Though a gifted painter said she could become one of the greatest artists of her generation, Trotter instead chose a quieter and more hidden path. Author and artist Jennifer Trafton’s latest book, “If We Could Only See,” traces the remarkable life and legacy of Lillias Trotter. She joined Cherie for a conversation about what Lillias can teach us about seeing the world—and one another—with greater patience, humility, imagination, and love. This episode was also recorded in-person and the video will be available on our Youtube here!

How do we live a life of meaning, in a time when so many competing voices tell us who to be, what to want, and how to live? Told to construct meaning for ourselves, we find anxiety instead of wisdom, and exhaustion instead of clarity. For the decisions we face each day, we need insight. In this episode we’re joined by Alan Noble. “Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times” is the subtitle of his new book, To Live Well. Alan will help us locate answers for our lives today – and for those we love – by exploring seven virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, faith, hope, and love. This episode was recorded as a Trinity Forum Online Conversation in 2026. You can view the transcript and other resources here Go deeper into the issues discussed in this Podcast with these Trinity Forum Readings:Why Work Dorothy L. Sayers How Much Land Does a Man Need? Leo TolstoyBrave New World Aldous HuxleyTwo Old Men Leo Tolstoy

The relationship of Christian believers to government has long been fraught, from Jesus’ time to today. The command to love God, our neighbor, even our enemies can flatly contradict the world’s exaltation of power and domination, and the obligations that attend citizenship in the kingdom of God are often in tension with those of the kingdom of man. Reconciling Paul’s reminder to the Philippians that our citizenship is in heaven with his admonition in Romans 13 to respect governing authorities is often less than clear cut. What are our obligations as citizens in a fallen world? Trinity Forum Senior Fellow Russell Moore joins us to delve into these hard questions. You may find his timely piece in Christianity Today, “Christians, Let’s Stop Abusing Romans 13,” a helpful read to accompany this conversation. This podcast episode is drawn from an Online Conversation in 2026. You can view the transcript and other resources here. Also! Renovaré is hosting its annual Book Club — four books read in community from October to May, guided by scholars and authors, with weekly podcast conversations and discussion groups. This season's lineup and registration: https://renovare.org/bookclub Go deeper into the issues discussed in this episode with these Trinity Forum Readings: • Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.• Who Stands Fast? by Dietrich Bonhoeffer• City of God by St. Augustine• Politics, Morality, & Civility by Václav Havel

We want the thousands of hours we work over our lifetime to matter. But how do we make them truly significant? What can infuse our lives, our offices, and our world with meaning? Today’s guest is the business leader and author Barry Rowan. He contends, “We don’t derive meaning from our work; we bring meaning to our work.” With stories from his life in high-ranking roles, he helps us go from being defined by what we do, to having our work become an expression of who we are. 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: Why Work Dorothy L. Sayers How Much Land Does a Man Need? Leo TolstoyBrave New World Aldous HuxleyTwo Old Men Leo Tolstoy

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

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

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

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

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:

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

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

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

In a culture shaped by speed, outrage, and constant distraction, many find it difficult to cultivate a resilient Christian faith. Is slowing down a key to renewing our love of God and neighbor, and sustaining a more durable, authentic faith in a restless age? And how, in practical terms, can we tune out the noise and hear the “still, small voice”? Drawing on the themes of his book Slow Theology, its co-author, theologian Nijay Gupta, joined us for an online conversation in 2026, where we explored these questions for a live audience:  "There's a journey that we have to take of striving after God, not because God is a cosmic killjoy, but because we have growth that needs to take place. And that happens slowly."This episode is from a conversation from March 2026. You can view the transcript and other resources here. We hope you’ll consider becoming a member of our community, the Trinity Forum Society. Join us in exploring timeless Christian wisdom together, so you gain clarity and courage for your own life, and help cultivate a renewed culture of hope. Related Trinity Forum Readings: Confessions; AugustineWrestling With God; Simone WeilMan's Search for Meaning; Viktor FranklWho Stands Fast? Dietrich BonhoefferWhy God Became Man; Anselm of Canterbury

What makes a good life? In the fragmented and harried age we inhabit, what habits of attention, reflection, and action orient us toward what is good, true, and beautiful?  The season of Lent is a good time for us to tackle such “big questions.” Drawing on his popular course at Yale, theologian and author Miroslav Volf joined us for an online conversation in 2024, where we explored these questions for a live audience. "What is the treasure for which you would be willing to sell everything that you have? And if you know what the treasure is, are you willing ... to risk everything to have that treasure?"Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture in New Haven, Connecticut. He has written or edited more than two dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller Life Worth Living, A Public Faith, Public Faith in Action, and Exclusion and Embrace (winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion and selected as among the 100 best religious books of the twentieth century by Christianity Today). Educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, Volf regularly lectures around the world. Related Trinity Forum Readings:Man's Search for Meaning; Viktor FranklOn Happiness; Thomas Aquinas Brave New World; Aldous HuxleyHow Much Land Does a Man Need? Leo TolstoyWrestling with God; Simone Weil

As we continue our journey through the season of Lent, we’re offering a series to help each of us prepare the way of the Lord. As we go deeper in our spiritual practices during these days, our guide today is the author and psychiatrist Dr. Curt Thompson.  In this conversation, Curt talks about the virtue, and discipline, of pursuing hope, even amid the darkness of a broken world: "While I am working to move toward Jesus, while I'm moving to be further in the dance of the Trinity, I continue to suffer because evil is not about to go quietly into the night ... [we must] posture ourselves with our suffering in the same way that the Holy Trinity does when it comes to the suffering that Jesus experienced, such that we can join him in that."This episode is drawn from an online conversation recorded in 2023. View the transcript and other resources there. Related Trinity Forum Readings:Confessions; St AugustineGod's Grandeur; Gerard Manley HopkinsBulletins from Immortality; Emily DickinsonOn Friendship; CiceroOn Happiness; AquinasMan's Search for Meaning; Viktor Frankl