Hey! Thanks for stopping by! Welcome to my edge of the ‘net – Eternitainment – where entertainment and belief go heart to heart.
My name is Matthew. I am a Christian, a husband, an engineer and an occasional musician. A quadruple threat you might say. I am married to my gorgeous wife Brooke and I enjoy watching movies, listening to music, growing food, eating food, reading and pondering life.
What is Eternitainment?
Entertainment is constantly communicating to us about how life is or how life ought to be. Entertainment works because we resonate at some level with a character’s experience, the drive of a story, or a singer’s lyric. Of course, I don’t resonate with everything they say and do. The conflict and the resonance are evidence that, far from being ‘mindless’, these art forms serve as windows into the hearts and minds of the writers and performers. I want to figure out what they’re saying and why.
As a Christian, I believe our existence is part of a great story revealed in the Bible – a narrative of the history and destination of the universe. It’s a story of evil, tragedy, suffering, but also a story of love, hope, grace and peace because of the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth.
Eternitainment explores the themes of entertainment against the backdrop of the Christian worldview.
Is this another one of those ‘entertainment is evil’ sites?
No. Rather than highlight potentially offensive content such as violence or coarse language, the goal of Eternitainment is to reach for the content behind the content. I won’t have complete answers – that’s where you come in! I will, however, offer my analysis of the ‘content behind the content’ from within my Christian worldview because I believe it best explains what we’re all here for.
What forms of entertainment will Eternitainment explore?
Movies, popular music and some TV shows. Reviews will consider individual pieces, an album or series, thematic trends across multiple artists, or collections of works by a particular artist.
How often will Eternitainment post?
I would like to post once per week, however I’m sure life will play a huge part in the posting frequency.
What am I hoping to achieve with Eternitainment?
If I can persuade visitors that entertainment is not ‘just entertainment’ I will consider the site a success. Beyond that, I would like visitors to discuss and engage with the messages presented by the entertainment they consume, and assess which messages are worth believing.
Stay tuned.
eternitainment 
February 28, 2013 at 3:07 AM
I like that you feel you can have a Christian discussion of film without condemning every film based on its content (as most Christian movie sites do). It’s refreshing.
February 28, 2013 at 10:29 PM
I love the way film can stir our hearts and minds, and I think that can be a positive thing if we’re open to it (and discussing it!). Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
May 20, 2013 at 11:28 PM
Thanks for following Lessons by Heart – it led me here. 🙂
The Grand Story is everywhere. I find it in many movies…not necessarily intended by the writers, producers, or directors, but there nonetheless.
Matrix: red/blue pills Christianity: all in or I want to pretend the spirit realm doesn’t exist. The woman in red is a perfect picture of sin…enticing, alluring. Turn your back on it though, and when you turn back around it’s there with a gun, ready to kill you.
Pride & Prejudice: Someone (godlike) messing up Elizabeth and her sister’s life. Suddenly he announces his undying love (are you nuts? That’s love?), then continues to seemingly mess things up. At the end, you see it all come together for the good of those involved, and the final scene is Elizabeth being given a new name by her husband.
His story is being told everywhere. It’s amazing.
\o/
Praise Jesus
May 21, 2013 at 1:59 PM
Hey, thanks for stopping by! I’m often surprised where and how some of these touchpoints to the Grand Story pop up! I’ve heard of these elements of Pride&Prejudice, perhaps in a sermon illustration, but I’ve never read or seen the story itself – might have to check it out some time 🙂 Thanks again!
May 21, 2013 at 2:10 PM
The one with Keira Knightly shows these elements most clearly. The earlier version is good, but the script is enough different that it skips over the “good” stuff. 😉