The Case for Toilet Humor
Believe to See
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.
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The Saints As Stand-Up Comedians
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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...
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Jim vs. The Future
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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.
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Writing Music for Video Games (And Movies. And TV.)
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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.
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The Bible Is a Story About Dragons
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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...
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Truth Is Stranger . . .
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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!
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On Birds and Grief and Hope -- Courtney Ellis
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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: )
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When Bad People Make Good Art
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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...
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Our Stories Need "Undaunted Joy"
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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.
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Why Should We Care About Jane Austen's Bookshelf?
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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.
info_outlineIt 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.