A Renaissance of the Christian Imagination
A Renaissance of the Christian Imagination
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The Anselm Society exists to help Christians remember who they are; to cultivate a deep awareness of their relationship to the Great Story, and to bring that awareness home to their families and churches. Explore below to find what you’re looking for. Or just start here.
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Seasonal Content
spring 2025
Seasonal Content
spring 2025
Hope and Despair
mARCH - May 2025
Spring is undoubtedly a season of rebirth. Just when we despair that we might never see green again, the earth gently rallies from the silence of winter.
But in springtime, we also discover a tension between hope and the human tendency to despair. Before we arrive at the crashing joy of Easter, we must first pass through the Lenten season and a keen awareness of our mortality. Before Christ rose from the tomb, He had to be stricken, smitten, and afflicted. Before gardens rise from the dirt, seeds must first die in burial. As God makes all things new, we must still journey homeward, often through pain and suffering. This tension will teach and shape us if we let it. In this season, we will focus on what hope truly is (and what it isn’t) and lean into ways that we can “practice resurrection” as Wendell Berry put it.
FOR THIS SEASON
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Contemplative Evening of Worship and Prayer
Sunday, April 6, 2025
7:00pm – 9:00pmA Dinner Discussion: Enger's Peace Like a River
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
6:00pm – 8:30pmSunday, April 27, 2025
2:00pm – 4:00pmPhilosophy by the Fireside (with Dr. Vander Lugt)
Saturday, March 15, 2025
6:30pm – 9:30pmGuest Lecture: Dr. Wesley Vander Lugt
Friday, March 14, 2025
7:00pm – 9:00pmSaturday, March 1, 2025
12:00pm – 5:00pm
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Imagination Redeemed
Julian’s Hazelnut
(coming April 5th)Practicing Resurrection
(Coming May 9th)
Believe to See (Featured)
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Visual Artist Feature
April 2025
hope and despair
April 2025
hope and despair
Lent: A Time to Be Present
dive into the gift of presence with God, with the world, and with ourselves — with Christ as our example.
Featured (Free) Course: Wrestling with God
A three-part class by Michelle Drake on how poetry by Christian poets can help us face our fears, doubts, and hope, with the help of world-class English teacher Michelle Drake.
Featured Content
Imagination Redeemed Podcast (April Episode)
In every episode, we retell one of the great stories, then follow its illumination to delve deeper into conversation about how to enter into the life of the Christian imagination.
“JULIAN’S HAZELNUT”
In 1373, Julian of Norwich experienced the grace and goodness of God through a vision of a hazelnut. How can this tiny thing give her such a glimpse into the Creator of the Universe? Step back in time and find out how with Sarah, Brian, and Christina!
Want to dive in?
Subscribe to Anselm’s Substack to receive the full show notes, which includes: a detailed list of topics covered, resources mentioned in the episode, further recommended reading and listening, and discussion questions to utilize for further thinking and conversation with friends!
Anselm Voices
Dr. Vander Lugt’S “Gritty Hope and the Gift of Art”
Guest lecturer from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, Dr. Vander Lugt explores how art can give us visions of the new heavens and earth and do justice to the way things currently are. These visions can activate our individual imaginations and collective will to stay with the trouble as we are sustained by hope.
Featured April Books
Dive into the Hope found in the Lenten Season. | View more books in“The Library”
“If you want to renew your capacity to recognize and encounter God's beauty in your life, this hope-filled book will show you the way.”
Learn More
In Imagination Redeemed’s latest episode, we step into the medieval world of 1373. Learn more about this time with C.S. Lewis (and why it matters!) in this illuminating book!
Learn more
”This book is not solely concerned with overtly religious poetry, but attends to the paradoxical ways in which the poetry of doubt and despair also enriches theology.”
Learn More
Gatherings
Contemplative Evening of Worship and Prayer
Sunday, April 6, 2025
7:00pm – 9:00pm
A Dinner Discussion: Enger's Peace Like a River
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
6:00pm – 8:30pm
Time for Tea
Sunday, April 27, 2025
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Artist Feature
Suffering Made Sacred: Glitter, Hope, and the Art of Dylan Mortimer
This is the little corner where we’ll be highlighting a visual artist that is making work that interacts with what Anselm is discussing at large.
Get Started
Get Started
How do I join the Anselm Society?
So glad you asked. We’re a community, not a clique. You join by participating.
If you live nearby, come to our next gathering and tell the nearest person that you’re new…we’ll take it from there! Not local? Get hooked on one of our podcasts or shoot us an email. Already done those things and want to get more deeply involved? Get in touch.
1. Gather
Our gatherings are the best way to meet people, and get a feel for who we are! See our full calendar here.
Next gathering:
2. Learn
Our website is home to our podcasts, reading recommendations, courses, and more. Browse the full treasure trove!
Subscribe to our podcasts:
Imagination Redeemed (faith and imagination!)
Believe to See (creativity and community!)
Subscribe to our
substack:
3. Plug in
Already done 1 and/or 2 and want to go deeper? No problem.
Exploring how Lent is
“the spring of hope,” just
like the season itself.