Design and Religion
We envision a world where design and religion work together to spread love, empathy, and charity faster than divisiveness, selfishness, and hate. To achieve this, we aim to bring the stories of those driving this change—both big and small—into the spotlight, allowing ideas for positive transformation to spread quickly and reach those who need them most.
Episodes
50 episodes
Look for the Helpers 11: Food & Community
This episode of Design and Religion continues the “Look for the Helpers” series with Cathy Kanefsky, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware. The conversation opens with the larger theme of help itself: what it means to become a...
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Season 4
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Episode 50
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48:46
Look for the Helpers 10: Building Homes and Hope
This episode centers on Kevin L. Smith’s long vocation of service through Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County and the way his housing work and Christian calling have grown together over time. Kevin describes a formative sense of calling, ...
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Season 4
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Episode 49
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45:08
Look for the Helpers 9: Community & Mental Health
This episode of the Design and Religion Podcast explores the role of community helpers through a conversation with leaders from NAMI Delaware, the state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.Van Shea Sedita w...
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Season 4
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Episode 48
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48:26
Look for the Helpers 8: Food and Dignity
This episode centers on Dan Zauderer, founder and CEO of Grassroots Grocery, and his effort to address food insecurity through a model rooted in dignity, volunteerism, and neighborhood connection. Dan explains that Grassroots Grocery is ...
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Season 4
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Episode 47
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45:09
Look for the Helpers 7: Erasing Medical Debt
In this episode of Design and Religion – Look for the Helpers, Van Sedita and Pastor Nate Phillips speak with Michelle Santoro, Associate Director of Philanthropy at Undue Medical Debt, about a quiet but powerful movement working to el...
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Season 4
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Episode 46
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43:02
Look for the Helpers 6: Unlocke the Light
This episode of Design and Religion – Look for the Helpers features Chris Locke, founder of SL24: UnLocke the Light and Sean’s House in Newark, Delaware. Chris shares the story of losing his son Sean in 2018 to suicide just weeks befor...
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Season 4
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Episode 45
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48:16
Look for the Helpers 5: Hard or Soft?
In this episode, Nate and Van sit down with Alex Kocman to discuss his theological framework and his new book, Ordered to Love. The conversation explores the tension between "localism"—focusing on one's immediate family and commu...
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Season 4
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Episode 44
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53:40
Look for the Helpers 4: Children and the American Legal System
In this episode of Design and Religion – Look for the Helpers, Van and Pastor Nate welcome Dan McGarvey Esq., a criminal youth defense attorney in Colorado.Dan works daily with children charged in the juvenile system—and sometim...
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46:03
Look for the Helpers 3: Empathic Witness
In this Look for the Helpers episode, Van and Pastor Nate sit down with researcher and social scientist Julie Krohner, who defines her work simply: helping people cultivate self- and other-empathy. Julie’s p...
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Season 4
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Episode 42
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57:25
Look for the Helpers 2: Courage Without Applause
In this episode of Design and Religion: Helpers, we sit with Jason Baxley, a police lieutenant, tactical flight officer, and paramedic whose work exists at the intersection of authority and compassion.Baxley describes a n...
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Season 4
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Episode 41
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55:11
Look for the Helpers 1: Dignity and the Math of Poverty
In the first episode of Look for the Helpers, we talk with Jamie Moulthrop of Table of Plenty about what food insecurity actually looks like in suburban America. Jamie shares what he’s seeing on the ground, including how ...
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Season 4
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Episode 40
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1:00:55
Innovation
This episode examines religious innovation through three distinct lenses.Philip Jones, a retired Presbyterian pastor, brings institutional honesty. He names the anxiety beneath the language of innovation: declining membership, aging volu...
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Season 3
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Episode 39
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54:39
Islam & First Impressions
Van invites Drew Marshall to explore the world of Islam through the lens of architecture as a living expression of belief, migration, conflict, humility, community behavior, and identity. Drew, an Islamic Studies expert and community advocate, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 38
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1:09:58
Spiritual Maintenance
This episode brings together Rev. Dr. Pamela Adams, Van, and Pastor Nate for a deep, candid conversation about what actually happens at the intersection of mental health, spirituality, accountability, and human struggle. What emerges is a pictu...
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Season 3
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Episode 37
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50:18
Heart of Judaism
In this thought-provoking episode, Van Sedita and retired Presbyterian pastor Phil Jones speak with Mark Friedman, author of Come Now, Let Us Reason Together. The conversation explores what authentic Judaism means beyond stere...
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Season 3
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Episode 36
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59:44
Men's Health
In this candid conversation, Van Sedita, Nate Phillips, and John Molina-Moore take on men’s health through stories of stress, faith, and vulnerability. What starts with beard lotion jokes quickly opens into a serious and deeply honest exchange ...
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Season 3
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Episode 35
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54:13
Indelible Experiences
What makes an experience unforgettable—and how do we design for it?In our latest Design & Religion, Van and Pastor Nate sit down with UX legend Jared Spool to unpack “indelible experiences.”From Disney’s crisis...
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Season 3
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Episode 34
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45:14
Artificial Intelligence
In this lively episode, Van and Pastor Nate dive into the hype and hope of AI—asking what it means for creativity, conscience, and the Church. From Black Mirror-style “hollow people” to very real ways AI can prep you for doctor visits, job inte...
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Season 3
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Episode 33
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47:19
Endurance
Nate and Van are joined by design researcher Oxana Loseva to explore endurance—how we keep going without losing ourselves. They contrast resilience with endurance, and Nate shares how gratitude in pastoral work turns burden into privilege. Oxan...
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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50:55
Technology
Nate and Van are joined by Charlie Hannagan, Tech Support Specialist about the role of technology in modern church services, particularly regarding live streaming and digital content creation. They talk about the balance between maintaining tra...
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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49:47
Information
Nate and Van engage in a wide-ranging conversation covering misinformation, and political discourse, while expressing concerns about leadership and the spread of false information on social media. They discussed personal experiences and shared ...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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24:38
Memorials
Nate and Van interview Jeffrey Miller, a renowned church organist, about his career and experiences in church music and opera. They cover the planning and execution of memorial services, including the importance of music selection, personal pre...
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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53:00
Performance
Rachele Gilmore joins Nate and Van to discuss their personal experiences with performing and focus on the challenges and rewards of their respective careers. They also explored the psychological and therapeutic aspects of performing and leading...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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25:56
