Darrow Miller and Friends

ART for the Community’s Sake: Christians Using the Arts to Shape the Culture

A number of years ago my wife, Marilyn, and I had the privilege of attending a Christian arts festival  in Estes Park, Colorado. One afternoon we decided to visit the dance venue where we witnessed Mona and Jeremiah Enna dance. I commented to Marilyn that something was different about the Ennas. Their artistry, beauty, and sense of excellence was of a higher caliber than that of other performers. I told Marilyn it reminded me of the quality and beauty we knew from our years at L’Abri.

The next day I had the opportunity to talk with Jeremiah. He told me about his love for the arts in general and classical dance in particular, how he had come to Christ, and how he met Mona. He also mentioned that they had been influenced by the teaching of Francis Schaeffer and L’Abri Fellowship! So my hunch proved correct.

After spending time studying and dancing in Europe, the Ennas moved to Olathe, Kansas, near Kansas City. There they created The Culture House and the affiliate Störling Dance Theater. Their dream was to bring the performing arts and the local community together through “excellence, education and engagement.” The Ennas seek to found their work in the performing arts on an integrated Biblical worldview. The video promoting their Artists’ Development Program affirms that

ballet dancer Every human being is uniquely created by God and given a treasury of untold potential to be discovered, cultivated, and used.

Artists shape our culture and the perceptions and values that we live by. This nine-month training program not only deals with the techniques of the performing arts, but the integration factors of Christian Apologetics and Biblical worldview.

At the Disciple Nations Alliance we believe the church needs to raise up balladeers to speak prophetically to the culture. This is part of the Ennas’ vision. One example: their narrative ballet, Underground, about the history of slavery in the United States and the role of the underground railway in its abolition. They portray how Christians and others worked to overcome evil in their own communities.

I had lost track of the Enna’s until Janie B. Cheaney’s recent article in World featured their work and contribution to the Kansas City community.

– Darrow Miller

Contact the Ennases at

The Culture House
14808 W. 117th Street
Olathe, KS 66062
913-393-3141 
jeremiah@culturehouse.com
www.culturehouse.com
www.storlingdance.com
 

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About 
Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 30 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO. In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies, and missions in the United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture (YWAM Publishing, 1998), Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures (InterVarsity Press, 2008), LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day (YWAM, 2009), Rethinking Social Justice: Restoring Biblical Compassion (YWAM, 2015), and more. These resources along with links to free e-books, podcasts, online training programs and more can be found at Disciple Nations Alliance (https://disciplenations.org).
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