WHAT WE BELIEVE 

Philosophy Statement

Since 1971, The Academy of Arts has been dedicated to impacting our culture by “making the Bible come alive in minds and hearts” through gripping storytelling for stage and film. As we boldly and excellently craft stories that challenge the mind and engage the heart, lasting lessons of truth are planted into the soul.

Many people ignorantly believe that media, films, and stage productions are “only entertainment” and so they believe that these mediums do not impact the culture’s thinking. But as we look around us, we see a tsunami of evidence that points to the overwhelming power of storytelling in our world as our culture soaks up anywhere from eight to twelve hours of media per day on average! The messages, thoughts, philosophies, and belief systems that are being thrust into the minds and hearts of our children is staggering. And what is more troubling is that the messages being given are couched in humorous or intriguing storytelling that is structured to purposely usher in selfish and wicked belief systems.

The Academy of Arts has stood against the tidal wave of error, not by cursing the darkness, but by being a light! We continue to boldly and kindly share the power of God’s Word in creative and engaging ways through stage and film. As we create and craft compelling stories, we have seen thousands of lives changed as we bring young people into the process to disciple them and see them grow into powerful communicators for truth.

Doctrinal Statement

  1. We believe that the Old and New Testament scriptures are verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writing, and that they are the supreme and final authority in faith and life. (II Tim. 3:16-17; Prov. 30:5-6; Matt. 5:17; John 17:17)

  1. We believe in one God, an eternal Spirit existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – one in essence and equal in every divine perfection. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:13-17; II Corinthians 13:14)

  1. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the unique and only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and we believe that He is very God of very God and very man of very man, one Person with two natures, divine and human. (Matthew 1:18-20; John 1:1-2, 14)

  1. We believe in the creation of man by the direct act of God, that man was made after God’s image and in a state of innocency, but that man willfully transgressed God’s law and lost communion with God, becoming dead in sin, corrupt in nature, and incapable of pleasing God in the strength of his (man’s) flesh. (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-6)

  1. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation. Scripture teaches a recent origin of man and the whole creation, with history spanning approximately 4,000 years from creation to Christ. The days in Genesis do not correspond to geologic ages but are six consecutive, 24-hour days of creation; the first day began in Genesis 1:1, and the seventh day, which was also a normal 24-hour day, ended in Genesis 2:3(Genesis 1:1–2:3; Exodus 20:8–11, 31:17; Hebrews 4:3–4).

  1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, accomplishing a vicarious, substitutionary atonement for all of Mankind; and that He was buried according to the Scriptures; and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures; and that all who believe on Him are justified freely on the ground of His shed blood and are saved by grace through faith wholly apart from human merit or works. (I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:21-28)

  1. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His bodily ascension into heaven, and in His present life there as High Priest and Advocate. (Matthew 28:1-10; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 7:25-28)

  1. We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ born again by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God become the children of God, possessing eternal life. (John 1:12; 3:5-7)

  1. We believe in the personal, visible, imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ to reign upon the earth. (I Thess. 4:16-17; Revelation 22:12; Matthew 24:42)

  1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead: the saved to a life of eternal glory and bliss in Heaven with God; the unsaved to eternal judgment of conscious suffering and woe in the Lake of Fire. (I Thessalonians 4:15-17; John 5:21-29, Revelation 21:1-27)

  1. We believe in the biblical separation of the believer from worldliness, recognizing that it hinders his growth toward the Christ-ideal and detracts from his Christian influence; and we believe in the biblical separation of the believer unto Christ. (II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2 I Corinthians 6:17-20; II Corinthians 6:16-18; I John 2:1-l7)

  1. We believe that the term ‘marriage’ has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with scripture nor the doctrines of the church. (Prov. 18:22; Matt. 19:4-6; Hebrews 13:4; Matt. 5:27-28: I Cor. 6:9-10; Rom. 1:26)

  1. We believe in aggressively contending for the faith against atheism, agnosticism, liberalism, the so-called scientific adulterations of Scripture and compromise with unbelief. (Psalm 14:1; Romans 1:20-22; John 14:6; Psalm 119:89; Matthew 24:35; I Timothy 6:20-21; II Corinthians 6:14-18)

  1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned believers to take the Gospel to the world, and that the evangelization and edification of the believer is the primary purpose of every Christian and every Christian institution. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; I Timothy 4:11; Acts 5:42; II Timothy 2:2)