Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Breakpoint – "Looking for God at Disney"

Host: John Stonestreet (Colson Center)
Date: May 19, 2026

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, John Stonestreet explores the cultural phenomenon of "Disney adults"—adults obsessed with Disney parks and experiences—as a lens through which our modern search for meaning and wonder is examined. Using insights from philosophers Nietzsche and Calvin, cultural criticism, and Christian writers like Augustine and C.S. Lewis, Stonestreet highlights how nostalgia and immersive entertainment become substitutes for spiritual fulfillment in a secular age. The episode ultimately challenges listeners to consider the God-shaped hole at the center of human longing and warns against seeking ultimate fulfillment in the wonders of this world, even as enchanting as Disney may be.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nietzsche’s “God is Dead” and the Human Search for Meaning

[00:01] Stonestreet opens by referencing Nietzsche's "parable of the Madman" and the famous declaration “God is dead.” He emphasizes how Nietzsche foresaw that removing God from society would drive humans to invent new “festivals of atonement” and “sacred games,” desperately seeking meaning through new idols.
Quote:

“As far seeing as Nietzsche was, it’s unlikely that he could have guessed all the various ways that his prediction would play out.” (Stonestreet, 01:02)

2. The Rise of Disney Adults as a Modern Idol

[01:30] Stonestreet discusses a recent New Yorker essay describing "Disney adults"—adults who visit Disney parks repeatedly, sometimes going into debt to fund the experience.
He notes the phenomenon has prompted both fascination and criticism online, framing it as a form of modern idolatry and escapism.
Quote:

“So-called Disney adults have become a subject of online fascination, with many people now questioning how much it costs to be one.” (John quoting Amelia Tate, 01:46)
He shares a specific anecdote:

“One young woman who was described in the article spent over $15,000 on just six park visits in two years.” (Stonestreet, 01:38)

3. The Nostalgic Allure of Disney and the Practices of Secular Worship

[02:15] Drawing on quotes from pop culture historians, Stonestreet explains the appeal:

“The parks are…very appealing to childless adults who are looking for a way to recapture or keep alive that feeling of delight and comfort.” (Pop culture historian quoted by Stonestreet, 02:25)
“It’s the nostalgic feeling of what brought you joy when you were little and you didn’t have the stressors of adult life.” (New Yorker interviewee quoted by Stonestreet, 02:32)
He acknowledges the meticulous and immersive design of Disney parks, recognizing their ability to create “an unmatched experience.” Despite its enjoyment, he maintains this is a form of creating meaning apart from God.

4. Idols, Religions, and the Human Tendency to Worship

[03:12] Stonestreet brings in John Calvin’s concept of the human heart as “a factory of idols,” pointing out that we turn myriad aspects of life—sports, cars, social media, even politics—into sources of meaning and functionally, objects of worship.
“When we live for these things, they become our gods. The practices we build to honor these things, that becomes our religion.” (Stonestreet, 03:20)
He references the Psalms and Ecclesiastes, stressing that meaning and identity based on anything less than ultimate truth are “vanity.”

5. The God-Shaped Hole and Human Longing

[03:58] Stonestreet applies C.S. Lewis’s argument about desires that nothing in this world can satisfy:

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” (C.S. Lewis quoted by Stonestreet, 04:09)
He concludes that Disney and similar pursuits can never wholly satisfy because they are not “the world for which we were made.”
He ends with Augustine’s famous reflection:

“You’ve made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” (Augustine via Stonestreet, 04:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Our creativity in inventing festivals of atonement and sacred games knows almost no limits.” (Stonestreet, 01:10)
“Like all human beings with eternity in their hearts, Disney adults are creatures of longing. They may not know it, but nostalgia will never fill the God-shaped hole that's in their hearts.” (Stonestreet, 03:50)
“Better instead to listen to St. Augustine, who, after many different attempts to fill his own longing…concluded, ‘You’ve made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.’” (Stonestreet, 04:34)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:01 — Opening & Nietzsche’s “God is dead”
01:30 — Introduction of “Disney adults” phenomenon
02:15 — Psychological appeal and nostalgia
03:12 — The theology of idolatry & modern substitutes for religion
03:58 — Quoting Lewis and the God-shaped hole
04:34 — St. Augustine’s confessions & the true source of fulfillment
04:57 — (Transition out of main episode content)

Tone & Language

John Stonestreet maintains a thoughtful, accessible, and gently critical tone throughout, appealing to both reason and faith. His language is direct yet empathetic, acknowledging the real allure of worldly delights like Disney while challenging listeners to examine the deeper longings these experiences reveal.

Conclusion

This episode of Breakpoint uses Disney adults as a case study in the modern search for identity, wonder, and transcendence in a secular world. Stonestreet ultimately calls listeners to look beyond nostalgia and cultural idols, grounding their hope and meaning in God alone—echoing the wisdom of Augustine, the insight of C.S. Lewis, and the warnings of Nietzsche.

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Transcript5 lines

[00:01]
A
Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet. In 1882, Friedrich Nietzsche famously proclaimed, God is dead in his parable of the Madman. In it, Nietzsche warned that the modern zeal to rid the world of the divine would not turn out the way that the skeptics and the utopianists predicted. In fact, the very deed of killing God, Nietzsche wrote, was far beyond what they could imagine. How did we do this? How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? And then Nietzsche asked this how shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we now have to invent? End quote. Now, as far seeing as Nietzsche was, it's unlikely that he could have guessed all the various ways that his prediction would play out. John Calvin called the human heart a factory of idols. And as it turns out, our creativity in inventing festivals of atonement and sacred games knows almost no limits. For example, a recent essay in the New Yorker described the rise of Disney adults who who take multiple trips to the various Disney parks every year, even taking on serious debt in order to do so. One young woman who was described in the article spent over $15,000 on just six park visits in two years. That's why author Amelia Tate wrote so Called Disney adults have become a subject of online fascination, with many people now questioning how much it costs to be one. It's a genre of content that's become more popular recently, with critics seizing on it as evidence that the Disney obsessed are not only culturally but financially bankrupt. End quote. Now, of course, Americans spend a lot of money on all kinds of vacations, with many of them wanting to visit the same places over and over each year. That's not what's driving Disney adults, according to a pop culture historian quoted in a New York Post article about Disney adults. The parks are, and I quote, very appealing to childless adults who are looking for a way to recapture or keep alive that feeling of delight and comfort, one woman told the New Yorker. It's the nostalgic feeling of what brought you joy when you were little and you didn't have the stressors of adult life. Now of course, anyone that's visited a Disney park can attest to the remarkable attention to detail that has been put into creating this alternative world. The safety, the cleanliness, the rides, even the smell, so perfectly calibrated to produce an unmatched experience. One can walk through the gates and step back into their childhood. And of course, that's often nice. And we should note, Disney's not even close to being the only way that people seek meaning and fulfillment. From youth sports to fast cars to carefully built social media platforms to politics, Disney humans can turn virtually anything into a focus of their attention and even worship. And when we live for these things, they become our gods. The practices we build to honor these things, that becomes our religion. And as the Psalmist said, we will see ourselves in the image of whatever it is that we worship. The yearning of Disney adults is just one example of all the new festivals, games and liturgies that we've invented to give life meaning without God. But in the end, even the good things of this world are only vanity, as the author of Ecclesiastes said, if not built on what's ultimately true and good. Like all human beings with eternity in their hearts, Disney adults are creatures of longing. They may not know it, but nostalgia will never fill the God shaped hole that's in their hearts. Neither will a scholarship, nor Alexis, nor a million new followers. C.S. lewis once wrote, if I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world. Indeed. But Disney parks, though fun places to visit, at least on days that are not that hot or crowded, is not the world for which we were made either. Even the most committed and indebted Disney adults aren't necessarily crazy, but they are looking for God in all the wrong places. Better instead to listen to St. Augustine, who, after many different attempts to fill his own longing for, concluded, you've made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co authored with Dr. Timothy Padgett. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast. And for a version of this commentary to share with others, go to breakpoint.org.
[04:57]
B
Across the country, Christians are asking how to respond to growing confusion about identity, truth, and what it means to be human. That's why the Colson center created Truth. The study, a resource designed to help believers engage these difficult conversations with clarity, confidence and courage. Recently, John Stonestreet sat down with detransitioner Chloe Cole to discuss why this message matters so deeply today.
[05:21]
A
What would you hope and pray for the Truth Rising Project to accomplish?
[05:27]
C
I want this to reach the hearts and minds and frankly souls of many people, as many as possible. Because the message of not just my story but of this project needs to go far and wide. People need to know how to engage on these issues and the personal stories of them and the importance of doing so. What happened to me is something that is in some way affecting almost almost everybody in this country. Not only have I and my family been through what we experienced, but over the last four years I have been to countless churches, communities, colleges, different legislatures and I've been to almost all 50 states. I've been to 49 states as part of my activism and even to I think it's been four countries now that I've been to abroad. Every single place I have gone to somebody has been affected by this in some way.
[06:26]
B
Stories like Chloe's remind us why this work is so urgent. The study is helping equip facilitators to lead conversations in homes, churches and small groups across the country. And just $200 trains and supports one Truth Rising facilitator to help reach even more people with truth and hope as we approach our fiscal year end on June 30th. Your support helps keep this work going and expanding to the next generation. Give today to help meet our June 30th fiscal year end goal of raising $1 million and be part of shaping decade of impact. Just go to colsoncenter.org may that's colsoncenter.org maybe.