From Iran to Christ: Shohreh Polley's Incredible Journey | Gardens in Babylon Podcast

📖 Episode Description

What does it cost to follow Christ when you've spent your entire life devoted to Islam?

In this unforgettable episode of Gardens in Babylon, Kevin Minnett sits down with Shohreh Polley, whose remarkable testimony spans continents, revolutions, and the sovereign providence of God.

Raised in a deeply devout Shi'a Muslim family in Iran, Shohreh faithfully prayed, fasted during Ramadan, and believed that acceptance before God depended on good works. She witnessed firsthand the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, the rise of the Islamic Republic, political persecution, and the growing oppression that transformed her homeland.

Yet God was quietly orchestrating another story.

What began as an educational journey from Iran to Cyprus unexpectedly became a spiritual journey unlike anything she could have imagined. After years of searching, conversations with Christians, and countless "coincidences" that were anything but accidental, Shohreh found herself in one of the most unlikely places on earth—a tiny town in northern Ontario, Canada.

There, through the ordinary kindness of faithful Christians, God opened the Scriptures and revealed the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is a story about:

* God's providence over nations and individual lives
* Life inside revolutionary Iran
* Growing up in Shi'a Islam
* The search for truth
* The beauty of Christian hospitality
* Leaving works-based religion for grace
* Finding Christ when you least expect it

Whether you're curious about Islam, interested in apologetics, or simply need encouragement that God is still drawing people to Himself from every nation, Shohreh's testimony is one you won't forget.

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⏱️ In This Episode

* Growing up in revolutionary Iran after the Islamic Revolution
* What everyday life was really like inside a devout Muslim family
* Shi'a Islam, prayer, Ramadan, and earning God's favor
* Political upheaval, persecution, and the cost of dissent
* Why Shohreh left Iran for Cyprus
* Encounters with Christians that challenged everything she believed
* How an unexpected move to rural Canada changed her life forever
* The Christians whose quiet faith pointed her to Christ
* Wrestling with the identity of Jesus
* From Islam to Christianity: finding salvation by grace through faith
* Lessons for Christians about evangelism, hospitality, and trusting God's providence

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Featured Quote

"God was leading me long before I knew He was leading me."

Who Should Watch?

This episode is for anyone interested in:

* Testimonies of God's grace
* Islam and Christianity
* Christian apologetics
* Missions and evangelism
* The Iranian Revolution and modern Iran
* Religious conversion stories
* Reformed Christian theology
* God's providence in everyday life

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#ChristianPodcast #GardensInBabylon #Gospel #Apologetics #Evangelism #Faith #Islam
#Christianity #Testimony #ConversionStory #ReligiousFreedom #Bible #ChristianLiving #Grace #Salvation #Mission #JesusSaves #GodsProvidence
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✅ Like the video
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Every subscription helps us continue producing conversations that help Christians build faithful households and stand firm in an increasingly hostile culture.

Every Christian father wants to leave a legacy—but what if the greatest legacy isn't simply providing for your family, but building a productive household that bears fruit for generations?

In this episode of Gardens in Babylon, Kevin Minnett sits down with Adam Madden, author of The Productive Household, church planter, entrepreneur, and father of nine, to explore why recovering the biblical household may be one of the most important tasks facing Christians today.

Adam argues that modern families have become fragmented by culture, separating work, education, discipleship, and family life into disconnected pieces. Scripture presents a radically different vision—a household where fathers lead, mothers disciple, children participate, and the family works together to build an enduring legacy under the lordship of Christ.

Rather than offering quick business hacks or productivity tips, this conversation challenges Christians to rethink the purpose of work itself. Productivity is not ultimately about making more money—it's about faithfully stewarding God's gifts, strengthening the family, serving the local church, and extending Christ's Kingdom across generations.

Whether you're a father, pastor, church planter, entrepreneur, or simply longing to build a stronger Christian family, this conversation offers practical wisdom and a compelling biblical vision for reclaiming the household as God's primary engine for discipleship.

• Why productive households are central to biblical manhood
• The connection between the Dominion Mandate and the Great Commission
• How entrepreneurship can strengthen family discipleship
• Why many Christian families unknowingly adopt a fragmented lifestyle
• The importance of family worship and intentional fatherhood
• How businesses can become platforms for gospel ministry
• Practical first steps toward building a family economy
• Why churches should cultivate productive households—not just productive individuals
• The role of multi-generational vision in Christian leadership
• How pastors can help families recover biblical patterns of discipleship

If this conversation encouraged you, please like this video, subscribe to Gardens in Babylon, and share it with someone seeking to build a faithful household for generations to come.

Resources Mentioned

• The Productive Household — Adam Madden
• New Christendom Press

About Gardens in Babylon

Gardens in Babylon exists to equip Christians to pursue faithfulness and fruitfulness in a hostile culture. Through conversations on theology, family, church, culture, economics, entrepreneurship, and Christian living, we seek to help believers build households and communities that flourish for the glory of God.

#BiblicalManhood #ChristianFamily #FamilyEconomy #ProductiveHousehold #AdamMadden #FamilyWorship #Entrepreneurship #ChurchPlanting #ChristianLeadership #Discipleship #DominionMandate #GreatCommission #Reformed #BiblicalFatherhood #GardensInBabylon

THE WAR ON BEAUTY: HOW GOD'S DESIGN BECAME OUR CULTURE'S ENEMY | LUKE GRIFFO

What if the crisis over gender isn't fundamentally about politics or identity—but about beauty?

In this thought-provoking episode of Gardens in Babylon, Kevin Minnett sits down with pastor and author Luke Griffo to explore one of the deepest questions behind today's cultural upheaval:

Why has our culture gone to war against the beauty of God's created order?

Drawing from his books The Beauty of the Binary and Made to Be Glorious, Luke argues that the confusion surrounding masculinity, femininity, marriage, and even the LGBTQ movement cannot be understood apart from a broader rejection of objective beauty. If God created the world and declared it "very good," then beauty isn't merely a matter of personal preference—it's woven into creation itself.

Rather than simply critiquing modern culture, this conversation presents a compelling biblical vision of what it means to flourish as men and women made in God's image. Kevin and Luke discuss why boundaries create beauty rather than diminish it, why Christians must recover a joyful appreciation for God's design, and how the Church can engage those struggling with gender identity in both truth and compassion.

Whether you're wrestling with today's debates over gender, raising children in an increasingly confused culture, or looking for a deeper Christian understanding of beauty, creation, and identity, this episode offers a refreshing perspective rooted in Scripture.

IN THIS EPISODE

* Why beauty is objective—not merely "in the eye of the beholder"
* What Genesis teaches about God's design for men and women
* The connection between transgender ideology and the modern rejection of beauty
* Why our culture increasingly celebrates what previous generations considered ugly
* The importance of boundaries, order, and distinction in God's creation
* Biblical masculinity beyond stereotypes and caricatures
* How fathers can raise sons to become strong, meek, Christlike men
* The irreplaceable dignity and glory of biblical womanhood
* Why churches must recover beauty in worship, culture, and community
* How to lovingly engage friends and family caught in LGBTQ ideology
* Why the gospel offers genuine hope and restoration to everyone seeking identity in Christ

RESOURCES MENTIONED

📖 The Beauty of the Binary — Founders Press

📖 Made to Be Glorious — Founders Press

📝 Luke Griffo's Substack (marriage, sexual ethics, and cultural engagement)

ABOUT GARDENS IN BABYLON

_Gardens in Babylon_ explores how Christians can cultivate faithfulness in hard places. Through conversations on theology, apologetics, church history, culture, and Christian living, we seek to equip believers to stand firmly on God's Word while engaging today's world with conviction, wisdom, and hope.

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode. It helps us reach more people with thoughtful, Christ-centered conversations.

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*Hashtags:*
#LukeGriffo #BiblicalManhood #BiblicalWomanhood #GenderIdentity #LGBTQ #Transgender #BiblicalWorldview #Genesis #ChristianPodcast #Apologetics #ReformedTheology #Beauty #GardensInBabylon