RIVEN.
A Fellowship of Theology, Imagination, and Creative Formation
Restoring enchantment. Shaping imagination. Cultivating disciples through creative craft.
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Split Open.
To be riven is to be split open. It is not an easy word. It comes from tearing, from fracture, from rupture. And yet—throughout the great stories, in Brontë, in Tolkien, in Lewis, and supremely in Christ—it is precisely the rift that becomes the place of revelation.
The chestnut tree in Jane Eyre, struck and riven, still stands as a living sign of love both wounded and enduring. Tolkien names Rivendell from the “riven dell”—a cleft in the earth that shelters wisdom and healing. Lewis writes of worlds torn open so that the truer world might shine through. And at the center of our faith, the veil of the temple was riven, Christ’s own body was riven, that we might enter into God’s presence.
Riven is the kenotic way of Christ. It speaks of a love that does not cling to power but empties itself, opens itself, even unto fracture, so that life might pour through.
This is the truth of beauty: that in the tearing, in the breaking, in the riven places of our lives and our world, light can enter, love can be revealed, and hope can be born.
Riven is not about ruin. It is about what happens when the world splits, and instead of ending, something greater is unveiled.
Spiritual formation for the Twenty-first Century.
Riven exists to recover enchantment as a theological act, to form disciples through creative craft, and to build a community of makers, thinkers, and pilgrims who bear faithful witness to the Beautiful, the Good, and the True.
We do this through a way of life shaped by imagination, honesty, and the kenotic pattern of Christ—a way opened through the riven places of our world and our hearts.
Through publishing, scholarship, mentorship, and gathering, we work not only to inform minds but to shape imaginations.
We invite people to turn aside, to look again, and to rediscover the nearness and seriousness of God.
{Riven is seeking 501(c)(3) status.}
How Riven Carries Out Its Work
Publishing
We produce books, essays, and written resources that clarify, deepen, and re-enchant theological imagination.
Scholarship & Teaching
We offer courses, lectures, and a podcast that bring theological aesthetics, formation, and cultural understanding into public life.
Residencies
We create space for writers, artists, and thinkers to work in quiet, deepen their craft, and pursue serious theological and creative inquiry.
Mentorship
We walk with individuals and cohorts who want to grow in vocation, creativity, discipleship, and clarity of purpose.
Gatherings
We host retreats, salons, and small communal spaces that foster conversation, prayer, craft, and shared pursuit of the real.
Why Your Support Matters
Riven is building something slow, deep, and durable—work that can’t survive on algorithms or trends.
It depends on a community that believes the Christian imagination is worth forming and that cultural renewal begins with people shaped by beauty, truth, and sacrificial love.
Your giving directly sustains the work:
It funds the creation of new books, courses, and teaching,
It supports the growth of our podcast and media footprint,
It seeds future residencies and retreat spaces,
And it helps build the long-term vision of a dedicated Riven Studio.
We are building for longevity. And we invite you to help carry this work forward.
