Visually Sacred: Conversations on the Power of Images

Chris is an Assistant Professor of Religion in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Mississippi State University. He has served as Director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America and has worked at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, the University of Michigan, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and Wesleyan University. 
Chris’s published work explores the role of liturgy and law in the lives of religious minorities, migration and emplacement, and the question of secularism in relation to religious minority rights. His first monograph is "Liturgical Rights: Armenian Minority Presence in Turkey."​​
In this conversation, I spoke with Chris about the Armenian liturgy and its theological significance. We discussed the distinctions between liturgy and worship and the sensory fullness of Armenian practice. Our conversation also touched on how cultural and historical forces have shaped Armenian visual forms.

Hillary is Associate Professor of anthropology and religion at McGill University, where she holds a William Dawson Chair. She has edited "Everyday Sacred: Religion in Contemporary Quebec" and authored "Walking Where Jesus Walked: American Christians and Holy Land Pilgrimage." Her monograph, "Christian Globalism at Home: Child Sponsorship in the United States," won the 2021 Schaff Prize from the American Society of Church History. She also directs TERA (Technology, Ecology, Religion, Art), a collective of scholars and artists and co-authored the book, "The Artful Naturalist."
In this episode, Hillary and I discuss her research on the devotional power of ordinary objects, the intersections of faith and commerce, and the complex dynamics of child sponsorship networks. We also look at the challenges heritage churches in Quebec face as they adapt to contemporary needs within a secular society, as well as the broader role churches play in urban environments—from zoning and preservation issues to their architectural and historical presence. Our conversation extends to Hillary’s work with the Tera Collective, where art, ecology, and religion meet.

Andrew is a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at Duke University. He is the managing editor of "Material Religion: the Journal of Objects, Art, and Belief" and the author of "What is Protestant Art?", a short survey of Protestant images and visual cultures from the Reformation to the present. Andrew has published articles on Bible charts, comic book Bibles, and Protestant fundamentalism in America. He is currently working on a project about maps of the "Holy Land" in the Scofield Bible. He also teaches undergraduate classes about the history of religion in the United States, atheism and secularism, and religion and film.
In this episode, I sit down with Andrew to establish the foundations of material religion—what it is, why it matters, and how it’s transforming the study of faith today. He helps map the key debates and methodological commitments shaping the field, emphasizing its inherently interdisciplinary nature and the global perspectives pushing its boundaries. This conversation lays the groundwork for understanding how material forms, ancient and emerging, shape belief, devotion, and religious imagination.

This season, I’m joined by a group of guests carefully chosen for their expertise and for the diverse perspectives they bring. Together, they reflect many facets of material religion—from ancient Christianity to contemporary art, from philosophy and phenomenology to global devotional practices, from museumcuration to heritage studies. Their work illuminates how the sacred is expressed, negotiated, contested, and experienced through the material life of faith.

Aaron Rosen is a writer, curator, and non-profit leader, respected internationally for his work in the public humanities, interfaith dialogue, and the arts.  He is Executive Director of The Clemente Course in the Humanities, and founded and directs the not-for-profit Parsonage Gallery in Maine, exploring issues of ecology and spirituality through contemporary art.  He is the author or editor of a dozen books, including "What Would Jesus See?", and "Art and Religion in the 21st Century" and has provided commentary for the BBC, PBS, CNN.com and The Guardian. He is also the visual arts editor for Image Journal.
​In this conversation, Aaron shared his views on the unique dynamics found in the intersection of art and religion. We explored the importance of religious imagery, visual thinking in understanding Jesus, and the historical influence of Christian art on Jewish artists. Our dialogue also touched on art's role in fostering interfaith dialogue and the Parsonage Gallery's unique contribution to experimental art and community engagement.