Renew the Arts Podcast
Liberate Christian Creativity
Renew the Arts
Show overview
Renew the Arts Podcast has been publishing since 2018, and across the 8 years since has built a catalogue of 75 episodes. That works out to roughly 65 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a roughly quarterly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 42 min and 56 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language Religion & Spirituality show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 weeks ago, with 2 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2018, with 20 episodes published. Published by Renew the Arts.
From the publisher
Cultivating conversations about the intersection of the arts and faith in order to liberate Christian creativity.
Latest Episodes
View all 75 episodesHow Art Bots and AI Slop Will Rehumanize the Arts
Ep 74Rich Kid Syndrome and the Decadent Empire of AI
Michael explores the benefits and costs of technology and what that means for the coming crisis of adopting AI.
Ep 732025 Mailbag Full of Explicit Content, What Makes Art Good, and Unstrange Fire
Michael answers an international mailbag full of great questions to close out 2025 on the Renew the Arts podcast.
Ep 72Top 5 Things Churches Should Communicate to Their Artists
Michael collects together the top five things he thinks churches should communicate to their artists.
Ep 71The Use and Abuse of Fiction
Michael explains the popular dismissal of fiction and the imagination, and explores the edifying uses of fiction.
Ep 70The Little Things are the Great Things
Michael compares and contrasts the great way that seeks first worldly prominence with the little way of the cross that seeks God’s kingdom.
Ep 69Exploited Art: Propaganda, Pornography, Pomp, and Product
Michael explores the way the true purpose of art is undermined when we make exploited art—art made subject to an agenda.
Ep 68Porchlight at Audiofeed 2025: Mini-Conference on Hospitality
A generous sampling of the “Porchlight Mini-Conference on Hospitality” we held at Audiofeed Music Festival 2025 in Urbana, Illinois.
Ep 67Connecting Science and Art (with Ciara Reyes-Ton)
Michael is joined by biologist and worship songwriter Ciara Reyes-Ton to discuss the intersection of art, science, and faith.
Ep 66On “A Kingdom of Tea and Strangers” (with Houston Coley)
Michael is joined by film-maker and YouTuber Houston Coley to discuss Coley’s feature documentary, A Kingdom of Tea and Strangers.
Ep 65One Anothering in An Othering Age (with Chase Tremaine)
Chase Tremaine joins Michael to discuss how the advancements in technology over the last 100 years have impacted the arts, for good and ill.
Ep 64Three Word-Pictures for Patrons and Artists
Michael offers three word-pictures to help clarify an understanding of the arts in terms of flourishing and the blessed life.
Ep 63Mailbag: 1,000 True Fans, Earned Gifts, Magic, and Christmas!
In this mailbag episode for 2024, Michael answers questions ranging from magic in Harry Potter to Nativity scenes in your yard.
Ep 62Narcissism and the Gifted Artist
Michael discusses narcissism, why it seems so prevalent among artists, and how to address it in both individuals and communities.
Ep 61Missions and the Power of Storytelling (with Roy Sneed)
An interview with Roy Sneed, a specialist who trains cross-cultural workers in the four uses of storytelling for missions and evangelism.
Ep 60Patrons and the Problem of Fame
Michael discusses how the problem of fame affects patrons. He then explores some ways artists and patrons can address this problem of fame.
Ep 59The Artist and the Problem of Fame
Michael explores the problem of fame, how the inequality of exposure among artists damages both popular and unknown artists.
Ep 58Art and the Evangelical Imagination (with Karen Swallow Prior)
Karen Swallow Prior joins Michael for a wide-ranging discussion on her book The Evangelical Imagination, and how it applies to the arts.
Ep 57What is Poetry Good For? (with Paul J. Pastor)
Michael is joined by Paul J. Pastor—poet, writer, editor—to discuss the value of poetry both in general and specific terms.
Ep 56Looking for the Life of the World to Come (with Brian Brown)
Michael is joined by Brian Brown, founder and executive director of the Anselm Society, to talk about the arts and communal meaning-making.