The Beauty of Authenticity with songwriter John Van Deusen

Songwriter John Van Deusen joins Makers & Mystics to explore the beauty of authenticity in art, faith, and vocation. In a creative landscape that often rewards certainty and success, John reflects on the cost—and freedom—of making honesty the point.

At the center of the conversation is his latest album, As Long As I Am In The Tent of This Body I Will Make A Joyful Noise, a shape-shifting, faith-inflected collection that resists tidy resolutions and embraces vulnerability, doubt, joy, and embodied life.

Together, host Stephen Roach and John Van Deusen talk about creative calling, audience expectation, near-successes, family life, and why authenticity remains a risky—but faithful—posture for artists.

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Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Stephen RoachJanuary 27, 2026john van deusen, authenticity, beauty

The Pace of Beauty (New Podcast Series)

Moving at the Pace of Beauty

Season Introduction — Makers & Mystics Podcast

Elaine Scarry writes that “beauty quickens. It adrenalizes. It makes the heart beat faster.” Beauty is immediate in this way. It strikes us unaware and de-centers us, throwing us off balance and ushering us into a moment of euphoria.

Beauty comes to us in a flash, a sudden recognition, or a moment of beholding; however, its effects call for a much slower pace, one of deliberation and contemplation.

The pace of beauty runs counter to the breakneck speed of modern society. When we are hurrying along from one task to the next, we don’t take time to notice the tiny flowers along the roadside. We don’t see the grains within the hardwood or the elaborate stitching within a hand-woven rug. Beauty, then, is sometimes hidden and only reveals itself to those willing to slow down and surrender their gaze.

In this new series of Makers and Mystics, we’re going to explore the pace of beauty and how it serves as a conduit of grace and creative unction. We’re going to hear from a collection of artists, theologians, and creative instigators on how beauty impacts them spiritually and creatively.

BeautyStephen RoachJanuary 16, 2026beauty

How Beauty Will Save The World with Winfield Bevins

What role does beauty play in a fractured and hurried world—and what might happen if we allowed it to slow us down?

This episode marks the beginning of a new Makers and Mystics series, The Pace of Beauty, exploring how beauty invites us into a more attentive and spiritually grounded way of living.

In this opening conversation, Stephen Roach is joined by Winfield Bevins, author, artist, and founder of Creo Arts, a missional arts community awakening the world to the beauty of the Christian story. Together, they explore the themes of Winfield's book How Beauty Will Save the World and reflect on the intersection of art, faith, and community.

Winfield shares personal stories of how art became a lifeline during a formative season of his life, and how creative practices can function as spiritual disciplines. He emphasizes the transformative power of beauty and the arts in a broken world, advocating for a deeper integration of creativity within the church.

Book Offer for Listeners

Oaks Press is offering listeners of Makers and Mystics a free copy of Winfield Bevins’s book How Beauty Will Save the World. Simply cover the cost of shipping and use the code MAKERS at checkout.

Get your copy here:
How Beauty Will Save the World — Oaks Press

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Support the show

Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

BeautyStephen RoachJanuary 13, 2026winfield bevins, beauty

S14 E20: Beauty Is Oxygen with Wesley Vander Lugt

Wesley Vander Lugt is a pastor, theologian, writer, and arts advocate. He teaches theology and directs the Leighton Ford Center for Theology, the Arts and Gospel Witness at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte North Carolina. Wes holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination and the Arts from the University of St Andrews, and his latest books are Beauty is Oxygen: Finding a Faith that Breathes and the forthcoming A Prophet in the Darkness: Exploring Theology in the Art of Georges Rouault.

In my conversation with Wes, we discuss his latest book Beauty Is Oxygen and the role beauty plays in our experiences of wonder.

This episode is sponsored by The Breath and The Clay Creative Arts Organization, exploring the intersections of art, faith and culture. Our next gathering is March 21-23 in Winston Salem, NC. and features a diverse roster of presenters and performers, including Sho Baraka, Amanda Cook, John Mark McMillan, and many others. Tickets are on sale now at thebreathandtheclay.com

Author, authors, Beauty, Faith and Art, Reclaiming WonderStephen RoachDecember 31, 2024wes vander lugt, gordon conwell, theologian, beauty

Season 2 E 5: Beauty Will Save The World Part 2

In everything from our worship, to the art we make to the way we live our lives amidst a secularized culture, beauty is the often overlooked, yet powerful component of sharing the reality of the gospel.

Faith and Art, Beauty, authors, contemplation, Philosophy, theologyStephen RoachMarch 22, 2017Brian Zahnd, Stephen Roach, beauty, faith, art

Season 2 E4: Beauty Will Save The World Part 1 - An Interview with Brian Zahnd

The loss of beauty as a principal value has been disastrous for Western culture and especially for the church. In this episode, author Brian Zahnd discusses the importance of returning to a Christian aesthetic and presenting the gospel as a beautiful alternative to the commercialism of society.