By Jeff Kenney
We have forgotten who we are.
Certainly, if not all of humanity, then the Western world. So the shortest answer to the question, ‘Why Golden Key Audio,’ starts with the premise of recovery…not, of course, some intent to relive the past, but to recover the best of what informed our ancestors in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Because, for all the effects of what C.S. Lewis called ‘chronological snobbery‘ — that is, our iron-clad trust in all the accumulated knowledge and information we of the 21st century possess — we know ourselves, in many ways, far less than our ancestors of centuries past.
Within the Christian and Catholic traditions, one common tendency is to bemoan the state of secular culture, and rightly so. But do we consider how a more authentic culture — ordered around that which is true, good, and beautiful — would actually look?
With that in mind, today the fruits of the New Evangelization in the Catholic world of the West have 
given us more access to information than ever, and that’s certainly a good thing. But overwhelmingly the wonderful work of those involved is largely limited to information. Wonderful, valuable, life-giving information, to be sure…but information.
So to some extent, Golden Key Audio hopes in some small way to contribute to a recovery of an authentically Christian / Catholic culture.
How might culture differ from information?
Consider Christmas. We know the facts of Jesus’ birth and (hopefully) the significance of the Incarnation heralded therein.
But why does Christmas, as the celebration of that event, resonate so deeply with people — even people of little or no faith — and orient them (us) towards a deeper sense of the holy, or at least the good?
Why do even the most jaded and secular folks enjoy Christmas-themed shows and films…songs…imagery?
Because our ancestors knew that a life of faith lived is a life lived on all levels. They contemplated the great Truths of their faith not merely by knowing them intellectually, but by immersing themselves in them…in song…in food…in gathered and shared celebrations…in art and theatre…in decor and dress.
Whole communities — not just church bodies, even — gathered collectively to celebrate or observe these important marks of the Christian faith: feast days…times of importance… at nearly every level.
Golden Key Audio, then, aims to embrace and immerse listeners not only in information, but in culture-building. Culture, of course, is rife with information…and should be. But it also involves art, song, architecture, celebrations and the marking of important days and times….and especially story.
It’s been said that story is a way of bringing truths under the radar of those of us who might struggle to embrace an idea if stated on a purely intellectual level. That’s one reason Jesus used stories (parables) so frequently, and why stories have so long marked the way we pass on our faith.
And so, Golden Key Audio embraces the format of story-telling as a means of immersing listeners, young and old (hopefully!) in an effort, however humble, at recovery.
Next up…why audio drama??