What Are International Christian Leaders Discussing re the Arts?
July 2004
WHAT ARE INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN LEADERS DISCUSSING RE THE ARTS?
(Editor's Note) - The following paper was recently discussed
at a local meeting to prepare for an upcoming Arts weekend. I thought it would
be encouraging for you to know what is in the process of being discussed among
some major Christian leaders in the arts, and some of the issues which are
expected to be discussed in the upcoming international global missions forum
(http://www.gospelcom.net/lcwe/2004/issues/issue17.htm)
at Lausanne - "The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (LCWE)
is an international movement for the purpose of encouraging Christians and
churches everywhere to pray, study, plan and work together for the evangelization
of the world." - http://www.gospelcom.net/lcwe/
The following, written by John Franklin of the Imago Arts Network in Ontario
(http://www.imago-arts.on.ca), is
a response to a questionnaire for the Lausanne Arts Forum..
-----------------------
"Response to the Questionnaire for Lausanne Forum - 2004 - Thailand
Submitted March 8, 2004 - John Franklin, Phyllis Novak,
James Tughan, Toronto Canada
_________________________________________________________
Preamble
It has been argued that we have seen the end of Christendom. Christianity is no longer in the place of privilege it once knew. Globalization, the rhetoric of the 'clash of civilizations' and the specter of ongoing tensions across cultural and religious divides each call for urgent attention by the faith community. In this post-Christendom world the church appears to have a diminished influence but its presence is needed more than ever. The Euro-centric understanding of Christianity is being challenged by the rapidly increasing numbers of Christians in nations to the south. With this dramatic change comes some new ways of characterizing the faith. The western emphasis on (abstract) reason is being overtaken by an emphasis on (concrete) embodiment. The neat clean logic of propositions is being replaced by the more fuzzy-edged accounts of narrative and the communitarian nature of these other cultures challenges the individualism of the west. Moreover there is an upheaval right within western culture that calls for change. Postmodern discontent with western modes of thought has resulted in a new openness to "spirituality" and widespread attention to the aesthetic side of life. The receptiveness that is entailed in these changes will readily respond to artistry, whether music, dance, film, visual art or drama. Or put another way, symbol, narrative and the poetic have become common and accepted ways to communicate. The power of the arts to move both heart and mind is unquestionable and their presence is everywhere. Unlike the west the other parts of the world have not relegated the arts to galleries, theatres and concerts halls, but have allowed them to permeate ordinary life and nurture the human spirit in a more consistent way. We are in a transitional moment in history and these important changes must be considered as the faith community seeks to give shape to its agenda for global evangelization.
The church in the west and in North America particularly has had an uncomfortable relationship to the arts, especially in Protestantism. Clearly there are signs of change. At this time of transition to neglect the arts is not only to impoverish the faith community, but also to diminish its effectiveness in communicating to those outside the church. Art has a capacity to transcend social and cultural boundaries and to speak to those from different cultural contexts. Those within the evangelical tradition have for too long ignored or marginalized the arts. This posture is an explicit failure to properly affirm the creation mandate and to fully grasp the implications of the biblical themes of incarnation and redemption. The opportunity provided by the Lausanne Forum -2004 to take up the subject of the arts and its role in world evangelization is timely indeed. The issues are legion and it is difficult to narrow them down to three on which to focus our conversation at the Forum. We have done this realizing that there are many more key issues that need to be addressed. Whatever the results of the distillation process we will look forward to being participants in this important conversation.
The issues we have selected are as
follows:
Shifting the paradigm to a more theologically and biblically informed understanding
of the creative gift of artistry.
Calling the church to a fresh recognition of the importance of artistry as
a resource for faithful discipleship individually and communally.
Exploring the ways and means to engage the arts as a resource for carrying
out the transforming work of the gospel.
We want to note that these issues express not only what we believe to be vital points for serious reflection and research for the church at this time, but each is also an area of interest and experience for one of the members of this three member group in Toronto. The time is ripe for the church to undertake thoughtful reflection and proactive engagement with respect to the arts. Artistry at its best is able to bring some order to our disordered worlds, some hope for wholeness to our experience of fragmented reality and some meaning to redress the balance in a world that has lost its centre. We have no doubt but that the church should be on the vanguard leading the way in providing fresh and innovative expressions of the story at the centre of its own life. The church needs to regain credibility in the culture at large, to restore its prophetic role and to offer a meaningful alternative to the current options provided by our media driven consumer society. It is our belief that the arts can provide a significant resource to accomplish these ends. Wherever they are found the arts serve well as a humanizing influence and signal that we are image bearers of God. Artistry is also a timely and powerful resource for the work of the Kingdom. Our hope is that the conversation that will take place in the weeks ahead and the paper(s) that comes out of that conversation will be fruitful for the church, for artistry and for the ongoing task of spreading the good news of the Kingdom.
Respectfully Submitted,
John Franklin, Phyllis Novak, James Tughan,
___________________________________________
Issue #1 The Arts within a Renewed Theologcial Vision
There is a need for a paradigm shift in how conservative theological traditions view the arts. That paradigm shift should entail a clearer articulation of how the biblical themes of creation, fall and redemption/incarnation bear on the role of the arts. It is only with solid theological support that the edifice of artistry can remain strong and prevail in kingdom work. Because creation is "good" and incarnation and redemption hold the promise that all things will be made new - we can say that nothing is profane if viewed through the lenses of grace. Our account of the great commission needs to be re-connected with the original creation mandate and subsequent covenants to clarify the nature of the kingdom and the ongoing activity of creative grace. A fresh vision is needed to see how the recovery of the imagination and the affirmation of the gift of artistic creativity will be valuable resources in carrying out the call "to go into all the world" bearing the good news.
It has been part of the history of 20th century conservative theology that it failed to affirm human artistry. The reasons are many but let two suffice for this submission. There has been a commitment to other-worldly spirituality that disengages us from this world and devalues earthly bodily reality. We must move beyond this neglect and beyond the effort to merely mimic "secular artistry" to a place where Christian artists stand side by side with those of other faiths or no faith and allow the arts to speak their spiritual, humanizing and prophetic themes. A second reason is that we have feared the ambiguity that is so often present in the arts. Influenced as we are by modern western thinking we have grasped for certainty and it has diminished our need for faith and we have insisted on clarity and control and in the process have lost any sense of mystery. Artistry reflects back to us important things about the limitations of our human condition and they are limitations that we are prone to resist.
Reasons for # 1
1. Ideas have consequences. What we think has the power to shape how we will
act and transformation issues from the renewal of the mind (Romans 1: 2).
And so there is wisdom in beginning with fresh consideration of our theological
understanding and how it bears on matters related to the arts. It is common
to find that facets of our personal and social life are insulated from any
biblical or theological influence. We drink from the wells of a secularized
culture and let the values found in that setting shape our understandings.
The needed paradigm shift would entail a move from a more functional (pragmatic)
understanding of the arts to an understanding that takes into account biblical
data on creation, fall and redemption/incarnation. Moreover we are created
in the image of God and that and are called to image forth Christ's presence
in the world. The fall is a real problem and calls us to caution and discernment
- but does not require that we either neglect or undermine the artistic gift
and what it offers.
2. In fact we could go further and say that if we do neglect or undermine the arts and what they offer, we could be stalling kingdom work that might be accomplished through the arts. Because the artistic creativity is a facet of the image of God within us, to ignore its role in human redemption is to be inconsistent with a holistic biblical anthropology. Moreover such neglect is not in keeping with the constant reality of creative energy present in the Trinity and the active presence of the Holy Spirit in the world and in us. Jesus' life was in part to provide for us the invitation to participate in a holistic and fully realized divine community. If we are to be the hands and feet of Him now in the world, preparation requires that we fully mine the extent to which he taught in story and metaphor and the beautiful symbolism and artistry everywhere present in the bible. For us not to shift our current limited thinking about the arts will keep us living in mediocrity and cause us to fall short of our full potential as faithful servants of the gospel.
Outcomes for # 1
1) Laying out a clear account of the shape of a theologically informed understanding
of the arts that will serve to liberate the imagination and affirm the creative
gift.
2) Developing internet accessible resources of image, sound and word that
articulate the nature of the shift required and ways in which it can be achieved.
3) Creating education resources for faith communities that will provide an
informed biblical and theological understanding of the arts and will show
how the arts can be both a resource for and an expression of the great commission.
4) (Seek funding for) Establishing biblically based course offerings in the
fine arts at Christian colleges, seminaries and universities leading to a
revision of how church leaders will understand the arts.
Issue # 2 The Arts in Building Spiritual Community
How can faith communities (and the artists within them)
affirm artistic gifting and the callings of artists as indispensable to healthy
community? The Church is called to model to the world both unity and diversity
in interpersonal relationships. The Apostle Paul's metaphor of the "Body"
speaks powerfully to Christ's model for inclusion, reconciliation and empowerment
of both the strong and the weak. The world has no such dynamic model that
can claim a sovereign investment of God's power and blessing. As previously
stated, artists in the west often by their own choice have migrated to the
periphery of community while third world communities often have let them and
their work still be integral elements of community life. In the west we need
to rebuild a place for artists in spiritual community, while we learn from
other cultures and from biblical history itself. By affirming the calling
of the artist the Church:
a) Enriches its own understanding of biblical revelation and how God communicates
historically in artistic language.
b) Reclaims a leadership in our understanding and cultivation of "creativity",
as a vital redeemable aspect of God's image in humanity.
c) Engages a restorative reconciliation agenda of healing for artists as a
gifted part of the body, and an affirmation of the special prophetic, linguistic
and therapeutic role artists can play in community, especially given their
capacity for empathy with the experience of suffering which they understand
well.
d) Provides a fresh exploration of how the arts are to be utilized in the
church, discerning between blind cultural importation, creative re-acquisition
and new invention of forms that can illuminate discipleship, worship and outreach
at a community and global level.
Reasons for # 2
1. We are called to value diversity and our common understanding of mission
and service. Artists have some unique abilities as guardians of visual, literary,
musical and performing language to be of enormous influence on the communication
process, essential for the Kingdom of God and for the work of the Spirit in
the world. Artists are uniquely gifted to celebrate the story in which we
are all called to live. We are especially called to flesh out the world of
ideas, the sensuality of the creation and unfathomable riches of the "spirit"
in the world of relationships. Artists reframe and focus our attention on
beauty, give voice to protest against evil, and occasionally grant us sweeping
vistas into the larger span of history that Christ rules. Artists provoke
us to taste, to touch, to feel and yet to learn to search into the mystery
and wonder that is front of us in His world. In a digital world that is so
results oriented, so performance, speed and factoid oriented, artists can
ask us to re-examine our values and ideas, often presenting us with an alternative
perspective. Artists can call us to patience, to contemplation, to anger and
to mobilized action.
2. But artists, particularly in the westernized world, are struggling to balance
creative freedom with responsible participation in community, not to mention
to financially survive at a level that permits them to develop their work
at the height of their powers. Artists are being forced all too often to choose
between artistic empowerment in the world under corrupted values and disavowal
and marginalization in the Church, under "sacred" values. A monumental
percentage of us are choosing to accept the divorce rather than brave the
conflict we face to find a home at home.
3. Artists need help in supporting the risk of moving out of isolation into
community empowerment and accountability. We must not be facile and unskilled
in asking artists to take the time to re-examine their own languages and commitments.
On the other hand artists need to risk moving out of non-accountable places
in society, and into a more articulate role in helping others understand our
work. We must reaffirm the communication process on our home turf or we are
doomed to remain a distant oddity to the rest of the Church.
Outcomes # 2
1. Denominational and Business leadership as those in power, in reaching out
to artists who usually are without it, to orchestrate responsible change.
2. Reconciliation studies and leadership roles in think tanks and program
development so that the process of dialogue, healing and reintegration can
be carried out gradually and responsibly. Trust is fragile and requires courage
and patience from both sides over a period of time. Artists have as much or
more change to consider in their lives. Leadership development, conferencing
of learned experience and joint petitioning of God in prayer for guidance,
resources and healing are essential to creating change.
3. Funding patronage from the faith community coupled with strategic planning
for restoration of:
a) Pastoral arts training
b) Apprenticeship programming in various art forms
c) Artistic commissions so that artists can better risk development of their
art forms on projects that better integrate their doctrinal foundations and
world view with contemporary artistic language.
d) Art therapy roles in Christian counseling and education.
e) Inter-cultural exchange programs
f) Integration of seasoned and responsible arts leaders in existing denominational,
academic and local church Leadership structures.
Issue # 3 The Arts as a Transforming Influence in Cultural Community
It is time to recognize the power of the arts to mobilize communities, transform individuals, and be a catalyst for social change. The overall aim of the Issue Groups - (including the one on the arts) is to "consider how to enhance world evangelization". This can be achieved by exploring the ways in which "the arts can be a powerful expression of the Kingdom of God" both in the culture and in our faith communities. That the arts can be engaged to revitalize the mission of the church is something the church and mission organizations must come to see more clearly. Moreover there is a need for different cultural communities especially in the west to learn from the larger global community, the many new skills and perspectives concerning community and artistic health.
Reasons for # 3
1. Everywhere in the world community members and creation itself are restless
and in need of innovation and alternatives that will bring healing and redemption.
There is a longing for deeper self-understanding, new openness to transcendence
and a sense of belonging that can only come in community. The arts can be
a significant resource for healing and renewal as well as bringing people
together through a language commonly understood. Jesus is exemplary in his
use of story, metaphor, miracle and lovely food creation to bring people together,
to make truth accessible, and to ignite desire in people that would move them
toward Love. The power of narrative has been neglected for too long. It could
be argued that artistry of whatever sort is essentially the telling of a story.
And it is stories that help us to make sense of our lives. We live out of
our stories and are moved by symbol and metaphor elements always present in
creative artistry.
2. Arts practice allows us to enter communities as learners and facilitators. The mission of the church is large and each community is at a different place in the spectrum of realizing that mission. So artists need to enter into a community with the goal of learning from that community and allowing the arts practice to reveal the strengths of that community and inform our response as people of faith. If others can see that we are not "out to get them" but that we want to be amongst them then we are less threatening. The arts provide a good way to bridge cultural gaps. We must become more comfortable with mystery in a way. "Go into all the corners of the world and make disciples" is about entering into those corners and residing their for awhile, gathering a sense of that community and creatively reflecting back what we have discovered as a resource to invigorate careful thought and collaborative problem-solving.
3. As communities and neighbourhoods are built up and members are mobilized to engage in personal and social change, the bonds will grow between communities with similar experiences and values. The presence of such common ground increases the potential for cross-cultural unity and cooperation and the possibility for peace becomes more realistic. It is especially true in at-risk and impoverished communities or groups of displaced and broken persons that the arts re-invigorate a sense of personal and social responsibility. Care and hope for each other is a natural consequence. Examples of slaves using song to deliver messages; refugee camps creating functional craft, cookware and clothing to rebuild what they have lost in war; children in the third world making toys for income to help feed their siblings; and dance and ceremony being perhaps all that is left to connect people who have lost families and their livelihoods. If we as Christians hold true that we are all broken, then we are all in need of the healing that can come through safe, accepted and celebrated personal and community expression. A meaningful place for that expression is through artistic creativity.
Outcomes # 3
1) Strong affirmation of the arts in the faith communities.
2) A deepened appreciation of the importance of the creative gift in providing
a meaningful account of "the old old story" in fresh and engaging
ways.
3) An intentional harnessing of the arts as a key resource for accomplishing
the mission of the church while recognizing that accomplishing that mission
will look different for each community.
4) Agreement that the art-making process in communities has significant value
by just being present whether other agendas are being met or not."
Great Commission Worship & Arts Center