Believe To See

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.