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    Stage & Story

    The Stage & Story podcast is a show about story, culture, and imagination from a Christian perspective. Content varies from interviews to dialogues to conference talks to movie discussions.
    en30 Episodes

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    Episodes (30)

    The Toll of Victory in the Hour of Great Success

    The Toll of Victory in the Hour of Great Success

    Downcast when things seem to be going great? In this second installment in our series, Dane Bundy returns to Charles Spurgeon's essay ("The Minister's Fainting Fits") exploring the occasions a pastor may face discouragement and depression. Dane focuses on Spurgeon's first occasion: in the Hour of Great Success. Dane then highlights principles that apply both to pastors, artists, or parents. 

    Stage & Story
    enNovember 21, 2023

    This is War

    This is War

    Sometimes the Christian journey feels like war. It's because we are in a cosmic war! In the first installment in a series, Dane Bundy turns to Charles Spurgeon's essay ("The Minister's Fainting Fits") exploring the occasions a pastor may face discouragement and depression. Dane then makes application for you--whether you're a pastor, artist, or parent! 

    Three Ways Art Engages with Christianity (Live)

    Three Ways Art Engages with Christianity (Live)

    How should we think about the religious images and symbols in the art around us? Recorded live at Calvary Chapel Twin Peaks, Dane Bundy shares three ways that art engages with the Christian story. With a focus on movies, Dane looks at ways that religious imagery and symbols in popular films interact in an inclusive, exclusive, or subversive way. Click here to view the Google Slides. 

    Lost at Sea

    Lost at Sea

    A story about Lincoln sent me on a pursuit to learn more about this great man. What did Lincoln believe about God? Did he believe in the God of the Bible or a god who was distant and disinterested, as some might attest? I hope the findings encourage you in your pursuit of faithful living. 

    This Trojan Horse | First Reformed (2017)

    This Trojan Horse | First Reformed (2017)

    'First Reformed' was ranked as #1 of the Top 10 films of 2018 by a well-known Christian movie reviewer. Is this a great film for a thinking Christian? Is the filmmaker upholding or subverting the Christian faith? Pastor Brandon and Dane dive into these questions and more. (Warning: Spoilers in the episode.) 

    REFERENCED ARTICLES 

    Director Paul Schrader Test His Faith In 'First Reformed' with Terry Gross

    Paul Schrader on First Reformed: "This is a troubling film about a troubled person" by Alissa Wilkinson 

    PODCAST HOSTS

    Dane Bundy is president of Stage & Story and secondary principal at Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN. Find out more about Dane and Stage & Story at www.stageandstory.org.

    Brandon McCulloch is associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Twin Peaks and head of the Bible department at Lake Arrowhead Christian School. Find out more about Pastor Brandon McCulloch and his podcast here.

    Rest and the Drive for Creativity

    Rest and the Drive for Creativity

    Dane Bundy explores the relationship between rest and creativity, mixing personal narrative and cues from Solomon. Some of this material was previously published in a newsletter for Regents School of Austin. 

    For further reflection read 1 Chronicles 22:6-19. 

    See the pictures referenced in the episode here

    PODCAST HOST 

    Dane Bundy is the President of Stage & Story and the Director of Fine Arts at Regents School of Austin in Austin, TX. 

    Hamlet and the Echoes of God

    Hamlet and the Echoes of God

    Dane Bundy dives into his favorite play of all time, "Hamlet," to find the ways that God and his Story echo throughout the work. 

    • Section 1 - What are the echoes of God? (see Echoes of Eden by Jerram Barrs)
    • Section 2 -  Hamlet's plot and story type
    • Section 3 - What defines each act of the play?
    • Section 4 - Following the echoes of God in Hamlet

    PODCAST HOST 

    Dane Bundy is the President of Stage & Story and the Director of Fine Arts at Regents School of Austin in Austin, TX. 

    When Constraint is a Path to Creativity [Recorded live at Winter Gathering]

    When Constraint is a Path to Creativity [Recorded live at Winter Gathering]

    "Don't waste the pandemic. . . but let it enhance your imaginations."

    Dr. Roger Duke shares about John Bunyan and how his time in jail led to his great work of imaginative fiction -- "Pilgrim's Progress." Eric Rutherford continues the discussion about ways that constraint actually promotes creativity and offers some thoughts on how to cultivate our imaginations. This talk was recorded live at our Stage & Story Winter Gathering over Zoom and edited for time.

    Dane Bundy mentioned an interview with Marian Jacobs called, "Writing in the Cracks and Chunks: An Interview with Writer Marian Jacobs." You can find Marian Jacobs' writing at www.majacobs.com

    HOST & GUESTS 

    Dane Bundy is president of Stage & Story and secondary principal at Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN. Find out more about Dane and Stage & Story at www.stageandstory.org.

    Dr. Roger D. Duke  is an advisory board member and the scholar-in-residence at Stage & Story. Dr. Duke is an ordained Baptist minister and has taught at the college and graduate school levels for over 20 years. Dr. Duke holds graduate degrees from The University of the South’s School of Theology at Sewanee, TN; The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Harding University’s Graduate School of Religion. He has written or contributed to more than ten volumes (including works on John Bunyan) with the latest volume scheduled to be released in 2018. Visit his website at www.InvertedChristian.com

    Eric Rutherford is president of Entrusting the Faith ministries (www.entrustingthefaith.com). He’s the author of Leading Well at Home: How Husbands and Fathers Can Biblically Lead Their Families and lives in Murfreesboro, TN. Eric earned his M.Div from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves on the S&S Board. 

     

    Cultivating the Imagination: Challenges and Solutions [Recorded Live at Winter Gathering]

    Cultivating the Imagination: Challenges and Solutions [Recorded Live at Winter Gathering]

    Pastor Brandon McCulloch shares challenges he sees the church faces in cultivating the Christian imagination, but he also offers some solutions. This talk was recorded live at a Stage & Story Winter Gathering held over Zoom. 

    HOST & GUESTS 

    Dane Bundy is president of Stage & Story and secondary principal at Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN. Find out more about Dane and Stage & Story at www.stageandstory.org.

    Brandon McCulloch is associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Twin Peaks and head of the Bible department at Lake Arrowhead Christian School. Find out more about Pastor Brandon McCulloch and his podcast here.

    What is the Christian Imagination? | A Dialogue with Pastor Brandon McCulloch, Chelsea Carrier, and Dane Bundy

    What is the Christian Imagination? | A Dialogue with Pastor Brandon McCulloch, Chelsea Carrier, and Dane Bundy

    What is the imagination? What is the Christian imagination? How do we cultivate our imaginations? Listen to a dialogue between Pastor Brandon McCulloch, Chelsea Carrier, and Dane Bundy. 

    EPISODE OVERVIEW 

    |00:45| What is the imagination? 

    |14:00| How does Scripture help us understand the imagination? 

    |24:30| What is the Christian imagination? 

    |34:15| How can we cultivate our imaginations? 

    HOST & GUESTS 

    Dane Bundy is president of Stage & Story and secondary principal at Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN. Find out more about Dane and Stage & Story at www.stageandstory.org.

    Brandon McCulloch is associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Twin Peaks and head of the Bible department at Lake Arrowhead Christian School. Find out more about Pastor Brandon McCulloch and his podcast here.

    Chelsea Lee Carrier teaches eighth and tenth grade English at Providence Academy. She earned a B.A. in English from Union University and is studying in Faulkner University's Great Books Honors Program. She has six younger siblings and a cat named Strider.

     

    Journaling for the Christian Imagination | Why? and How?

    Journaling for the Christian Imagination | Why? and How?

    Thinkers, both Christian and non-Christian alike, have kept journals to hold their reflections. But, in the 21st century, with technology so accessible, why would we still want to keep a journal that we can hold in our hands? Dane Bundy outlines both WHY and HOW we can journal. . .and how we can do it to cultivate the Christian imagination.  

    Though this podcast has updated insights, read the original articles with pictures (woohoo!) on the Stage & Story website: 

    PODCAST HOST

    Dane Bundy is president of Stage & Story and secondary principal at Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN. Find out more about Dane and Stage & Story at www.stageandstory.org.

    Stage & Story
    enSeptember 19, 2020

    Have You Seen? | Tenet (2020)

    Have You Seen? | Tenet (2020)

    Last Saturday, I (Dane Bundy) saw Christopher Nolan's new film Tenet (2020). Here are some reflections on returning to the theater in a global pandemic, the film's craft and worldview. Warning: Major Spoilers ahead!

    Read the written review at stageandstory.org.

    PODCAST HOST

    Dane Bundy is president of Stage & Story and secondary principal at Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN. Find out more about Dane and Stage & Story at www.stageandstory.org.

    This Trojan Horse | First Man (2018)

    This Trojan Horse | First Man (2018)

    Pastor Brandon and Dane discuss the movie First Man (2018). Is this film anti-American or, a better question, anti-Christian? (Warning: Spoilers in the episode.) You can currently stream  First Man (2018) on Hulu.

    PODCAST HOSTS

    Dane Bundy is president of Stage & Story and secondary principal at Providence Academy in Johnson City, TN. Find out more about Dane and Stage & Story at www.stageandstory.org.

    Brandon McCulloch is associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Twin Peaks and head of the Bible department at Lake Arrowhead Christian School. Find out more about Pastor Brandon McCulloch and his podcast here.

    The Image of God in the Drama of God | (Recorded Live at the 2017 S&S Conference)

    The Image of God in the Drama of God | (Recorded Live at the 2017 S&S Conference)

    Dane Bundy addresses a live audience at the 2017 Stage & Story Conference, speaking to the power of stories, the origin of creativity, and God's redemptive drama. Dane draws from thinkers such as C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton to weave an argument for Christian's to understand and embrace the Christian imagination.