Breakpoint Podcast Summary

Episode: Art and Storytelling in a Time of 'Desecration'

Host: John Stonestreet
Date: December 17, 2025

Overview

In this episode, John Stonestreet examines the cultural phenomenon of "desecration"—the deliberate violation or distortion of what is considered sacred—through recent examples in art and storytelling. He discusses how contemporary culture not only rejects transcendent truth, beauty, and goodness but actively seeks to subvert and redefine them, and contrasts this with the enduring Christian vision of reality, meaning, and creativity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Exhibit of Desecration in Austria (00:01–02:12)

• Stonestreet references Rod Dreher's reporting on a provocative art exhibit in Austria titled "You Shall Make for Yourself an Image."

• Examples from the Exhibit:

  • "I Am the Mother Two": A man dressed as Mary, holding baby Jesus; described as addressing the struggles of the LGBTQI+ community in Bangladesh.
  • Crucifixion with Maggots: Latex nubs arranged to resemble maggots on a crucified figure; the description says the artist transforms a Western cultural symbol into a "tactile, erotically charged object."
  • Scandalous Pietà: Depicts Mary cradling Jesus, but as a naked woman in a suggestive pose, with Jesus appearing to have died of a heroin overdose, not crucifixion.

• Stonestreet’s Reaction:

  • He dismisses the exhibit as "a childish, boorish attempt to break taboos," and a "particularly crass example of desecration" (01:52).
  • He defines desecration as "the growing tendency in Western society to not merely deny but also violate transcendent truth, objective beauty and goodness."

2. Desecration in Popular Storytelling (02:12–03:05)

• Stonestreet connects the art exhibit to broader trends in entertainment—where classic stories are frequently retold, heroes are revealed as deeply flawed, and villains are portrayed as misunderstood.
• Examples:
  • Wicked (retelling Oz from the villain’s perspective, making Dorothy minor and the Wicked Witch the heroine).
  • Maleficent (2014, telling Sleeping Beauty from the antagonist’s perspective).
  • Steps (upcoming Netflix film reimagining Cinderella’s stepsisters as kind and misunderstood).
• He notes the frequency of such retellings reflects a "whole crisis of creativity," echoing Jonathan Pigeau: "It's just tedious and boring. Not to mention like a Broadway lineup that features theater versions of mediocre 90s movies" (03:05).

3. Loss of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness (03:05–03:35)

• Stonestreet claims, “Art mostly reflects the worldview and values of a culture. Having rejected a Creator, it’s no wonder we’ve lost creativity. But we’ve also lost truth, beauty, and goodness. Nothing is admirable anymore to be aspired to.”
• He warns that when the sacred is reduced to "someone's random moral imposition," desecration will begin to seem sensible to many.

4. The Christian Vision of Reality as Contrast (03:36–04:35)

• Stonestreet offers a Christian counter-perspective:

  • "The Christian vision of life begins with God—the God is the source of all meaning and all goodness because the Christ that the Vienna exhibit so profanes actually invaded human history at the Incarnation."
  • Christianity holds that "creation is still good, though fallen. Beauty, truth and morality are not illusions. And to recognize all these things is simply to acknowledge reality."
  • Desecration, then, is understood as a "rejection of reality."

• He quotes Chuck Colson:

  • “What does it take to create the good life? A firm sense of right and wrong and a determination to order one's life accordingly. When men and women act in accord with their true nature, they feel a sense of harmony, contentment, and joy. This is happiness, the fruit of virtue.” (03:55)
  • Emphasizes that, despite human sin and struggle, "God is sovereign" and these values remain real.

5. Role of Christian Art and Storytelling (04:35–04:46)

• Stonestreet emphasizes the special importance and calling of Christian artists and storytellers:
  • They do not just provide alternatives to "the death works of a desecrating culture" but also, in the words of Dr. Gary Phillips, "the artist's task is to paraphrase reality."
  • Artists who grasp reality "are able to remind the world of the Creator and all that is true and good and beautiful."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It is a particularly crass example of desecration—the growing tendency in Western society to not merely deny but also violate transcendent truth, objective beauty and goodness."
  — John Stonestreet (01:52)

• "Having rejected a Creator, it’s no wonder we’ve lost creativity. But we’ve also lost truth, beauty, and goodness. Nothing is admirable anymore to be aspired to."
  — John Stonestreet (03:05)

• Chuck Colson on the Good Life:
  “What does it take to create the good life? A firm sense of right and wrong and a determination to order one's life accordingly. When men and women act in accord with their true nature, they feel a sense of harmony, contentment, and joy. This is happiness, the fruit of virtue.”
  — Quoted by John Stonestreet (03:55)

• "Desecration is a rejection of reality."
  — John Stonestreet (04:22)

• "Christian art and storytelling...are important and effective callings—not merely to provide alternatives to the death works of a desecrating culture, but rather...to paraphrase reality."
  — John Stonestreet, referencing Dr. Gary Phillips (04:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01–02:12: Austrian art exhibit described and critiqued
• 02:12–03:05: Trends in contemporary storytelling (Wicked, Maleficent, Steps)
• 03:05–03:35: Analysis of the crisis of creativity and its cultural roots
• 03:36–04:35: Christian worldview as contrast; Colson quoted on the good life
• 04:35–04:46: The unique task of Christian artists and storytellers

Conclusion

Stonestreet concludes that in light of a culture bent on desecration, Christian creators have an urgent and hopeful calling: to reveal truth, beauty, and goodness—and ultimately reality—through their art and stories, reminding the world of its Creator.