At a Glance
The so-called Respect for Marriage Act threatens the perfectly designed beauty of marriage by putting into law a radically harmful definition that misleads people about the transcendent nature of marriage. In contrast to the harmful consequences that become manifest when something as essential and foundational to society as marriage is redefined, strong marriages recognize and value the way God has created us and our children and create a safe and beautiful family space for the development of children, culture, communities, and nations. Let us boldly stand for marriage and love our neighbors by helping them understand what is lost when they miss out on their Creator’s perfect design.
What You'll Hear
Chapter 1: Introducing Jeremiah Enna (2:45)
- Jeremiah Enna was born into a Christian family in the US.
- He decided he wanted to be a dancer.
- After a short stint in the entertainment industry, he joined Eternia Dance Theater, a European Christian dance group.
Chapter 2: Introducing Mona Enna (7:44)
- Mona grew up in a non-Christian family in Finland.
- Used dancing as a way to get away from family drama.
- Joined a Lutheran Church and became a Christian at a Youth Camp.
- The Pastor invited her to join a Christian dance group.
Chapter 3: The Church’s Failure to use Balladeers (15:23)
- Mona’s pastor supported her and her goals of being part of a Christian dance group.
- Jeremiah went to his church and asked for support for his Christian dance outreach program and was rejected because it’s not something people are used to.
- The Church doesn’t really understand how to properly use Balladeers to spread its message.
- It is important that the Church bridge the Sacred-Secular gap and embrace things like Christian art.
Chapter 4: Good Art and Christian Art (27:22)
- Christians should not just strive to make “Christian” art, but good art
- Mona shared a story about how people were drawn to her dance classes because they were good classes, but that while in the classes they would learn about Jesus through the dances they were doing
- Mona and Jeremiah created an “Artist Training Program”, where they can teach kids skills in art and about Christianity
- They now offer an accredited bachelors degree in dance, and have a very high reputation where a lot of non-Christians respect and watch them because of the quality of art they create
- You can check it out at storlingconservatory.org and culturehouse.com
Chapter 6: Underground (45:11)
- Underground was a ballet Mona wrote about the Underground Railroad
- Mona was hesitant to work on it as a white person from Finland, but with help she and Jeremiah put it together
- The Underground ballet was a huge hit, and has been performed every year for the last 17 years
- It provided a way to help heal from racial tensions, and opened up avenues for Churches to get together and build relationships.
Using the link above, you can read the transcript, listen along, and adjust the speed of the podcast while you listen.
There's just one space, there's no secular world and sacred world, there's just one world, so everyone dive in.
Jeremiah Enna (20:17)
Go Deeper
The Grand Design
Similarities and differences between Christianity and modern feminism are not always obvious. Christianity views women with incredible worth and considers them to be like God in their ability to give life. Rediscover what it means to be human, male and female made in the image of God, to capture a vision of what God has imagined for the human family, a beautiful standard to be aimed for.
As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation: Principles and Practices for Building Healthy Families
Healthy families produce healthy nations. Healthy families are those united by a solid spiritual foundation in Christ. Today, the prevailing culture has redefined marriage and family, and its habits of thought and practice dominate, even in the Church. Christian parents need a biblical vision of wholeness and joy in marriage and family life and a practical plan for applying the wisdom and power of God’s Word to their lives. As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation is a primer of principles and practices that illuminates God’s pathway for righteous marriages, parenting, and family life. God’s way is the way of beauty, truth, and goodness, the way of celebration, blessing, and healing love in our homes and in our nations. God established the family as the bedrock of society to reveal the kingdom of Christ here on earth. Discover HIS way and and walk in it!
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
Rosaria, by the standards of many, was living a very good life. She had a tenured position at a large university in a field for which she cared deeply. She owned two homes with her partner, in which they provided hospitality to students and activists that were looking to make a difference in the world. There, her partner rehabilitated abandoned and abused dogs. In the community, Rosaria was involved in volunteer work. At the university, she was a respected advisor of students and her department’s curriculum.
And then, in her late 30s, Rosaria encountered something that turned her world upside down—the idea that Christianity, a religion that she had regarded as problematic and sometimes downright damaging, might be right about who God was, an idea that flew in the face of the people and causes that she most loved. What follows is a story of what she describes as a “train wreck” at the hand of the supernatural. These are her secret thoughts about those events, written as only a reflective English professor could.
Quotes
If we’re really going to see change, biblical change and transformation in a culture, it involves in a very fundamental and significant way–the arts. Scott Allen (2:04)
So if somebody puts a gun to your head, would you still confess Christ? Mona Enna (10:22)
There’s just one space, there’s no secular world and sacred world, there’s just one world, so everyone dive in. Jeremiah Enna (20:17)
Now what you find is that a church has a band, and so they say, “Oh, we love the arts!” Because they have a band, or because they put paintings on the wall or something. And so what’s happened is not pursuing and understanding the arts fully, but kind of a decorative concept of, we use the arts, and therefore we understand the arts, we promote the arts, we love the arts, etc. But really, it’s just kind of a top layer of participation in the arts and using it for services. It’s like an ornament on the spiritual ministry. Jeremiah Enna and Scott Allen (20:34)
And the reality is that for even the Christian person who goes to church on Sunday, they listen to a sermon for 30 minutes or whatever, but they’re being discipled 24/7 by the arts and media world. 24/7. Jeremiah Enna (24:04)
If the churches are full in America and all the people sitting in church are being discipled in a proper and healthy, true Christian way, wouldn’t the culture look different? Jeremiah Enna (25:04)
