Creativity and the Arts #2

Week Two :: Meet the Artists

• Can anyone justify why are the arts valuable? and why Christians should be artists and/or audiences?
• If yes or if no, what does the relationship between the Church and the Arts have?

Art is often seen to be superfluous and not efficient. It takes time, production is often done in isolation, it can be very expensive, demands hard work. Such energy could be better spent elsewhere, right? People need to hear the gospel to be saved, so why paint landscapes, write poetry, compose or play music?

I have heard numerous Christian artists and creatives share about the times they have resented and wished away their abilities and God given gifts. Reasons for such resentment often include: just wanting to fit in, the pragmatism of the gospel (importance of bible teaching), being told you cannot be a Christian and be an artist, its just too hard, you can't do gigs on Sunday's because your Minister thinks you are falling away...

We often, in subtle ways, place occupations into hierarchies... Minister and Word gifts are top of the list, followed by Christian teachers who can impact the youth who will be our tomorrow, Doctors and Nurses who can travel overseas to do tent-making gospel work and/or compassion work, then Lawyers who can provide the monetary support for the gospel and accountants are great on Parish Council. Artists and cultural produces are often far down our list of importance to the body of Christ, and often only are considered valuable for evangelistic efforts. We often only engage with the arts to 'reach' people 'creatively' with the gospel.

It would seem that Christian artists unfairly need to justify their occupation, and its effectiveness for it to be valid. However we need to resist boxing our artist and creative brethren in. The evangelistic ability or the ability to produce art that is a paraphrased sermon should not be the measuring stick for valued art by Christians.

Art is an amazing forum for the discussion and debate within our society. Although it is not the only concern for all artists or Christian artists to make bold statements and ideologies about humanity, art does provide an arena for where truth, identity, origins, beauty and behaviour is explored:"... debates are taking place in cinema, painting, dance, fiction, poetry, and theatre on issues where Christians have something to give and yet are not even being heard" (Steve Turner - Imagine) . Despite this, it does not mean that Christians should only be in the arts to dialogue faith, Christians are to be doing everything they do to the glory of God, whether that is making coffee, creating reports, presenting proposals or performing Brecht.

Producing and performing art that affects and awakens people to the world around them and thier own emotions is an amazing thing. To see a Christian content and satisfied in Christ as they enjoy the gifts God has given them and embrace the person God has made them is a joyous and God exalting thing in and of itself - ceramist, surgeon, violinist, plumber or graphic designer.

Tonight at Replenish, we heard from RCA a Christian, a daughter of an architect and ceramist, an artist herself, and an educator. She shared with us how she was told when she was 18 heading to Sydney College of the Arts that she would not be a Christian by the end of the four years study and even told as bluntly that she could not possibly be a Christian if she was to pursue such a career.

We also hear from TD a Christian, a husband to a design student, son of a doctor and lectuerer, and a musician. He shared how and why he entered into this arena, the frustrations of being a creative and the blurred lines between work and leisure, and the constant justification he feels to make use of his music in the church as means of validation for his work.

It is intersting to that Artists so strongly feel this need to validate their occupation. I don't hear it as often said, oh well as long as I am using my adminstration skills for the church am I allowed to be a personal assistant. I think this also has to do with our culture (church culture) fo getting our identity so wrapped up in our occupation. Our identity should be soley based upon our relationships. It would be lovely to hear 'oh I am a child of God, husband to Jane, Son of Bob and Beatrice, Friend to Joe, Luke and Will and Father to Thomas and Susan' rather than 'oh I am a banker'. We so quickly jump to defining ourselves by our occupation and then quickly judge people accordingly.

Artists and creatives have a unique place in our culture to shape and inform our society and tell the stories of people, reflect on the anxieties and record the questions of our day. It would be great to have our gifted Christian brethren to pursue careers in the mainstream arts and not the religious subculture.

A hurdle that does lie in the way of the relationship between the Church and the arts is the arts tendency to utilize its position and power within society to shock our world. The arts have moved a long way from its days of being the prerogative of the church. Today it is the world that dominates the arts, often with concepts that are offensive to Christians, which has seen the church in recent years take a step back as we often don't know how to debate the truth with our world.

More on that in Creativity and the Arts #4 - Art in Controversy.
Next post - Creativity on the Arts #3 will be a Benniale Review

AIM Prayer Points August 2008

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9

NORTHERN TERRITORY

1. Darwin Rhonda Coats Elizabeth Ham

Praise : Rhonda’s recent trip to many centres has enabled her to leave literature with the believers and encourage them to press on. She travelled in safety with no car trouble. Elizabeth has been able to continue her work at the Belyuen school and her pastoral care of many, Rejoice with us for the many, many years Elizabeth has worked in AIM and all the lives touched by her. She retires in December.

Pray for: Rhonda as she continues to encourage those she visited, prepares the AIM magazine; that she will know the Lord’s peace and assurance as currently some of her family in USA are undergoing serious health/personal issues and it is hard for her to be so far away. Elizabeth as she seeks God’s guidance as to how to use her retirement years, how to relinquish her current ministries, what new areas of ministry might open up.

2. Katherine : Greg and Debbie Piper and church leaders

Praise : the consistent leadership among the Indigenous people, especially Lisa, Noel and David; the church’s team work in the outreach ministry at the Gorge on some Sunday evenings; the faithful few at Barunga who keep walking straight, especially Anita.

Pray for: Greg and Debbie as they seek to train current and potential leaders; for the church members to be shining lights among their own families and community; more men to come into the church.

3. Borroloola Max and Doris Field and church leaders

Praise : Strong leadership of Vincent Charlie and his gifts in personal evangelism; Warren Timothy as he also leads; Miriam as she takes the Sunday School, Max and Doris as they quietly and wisely encourage the church folk.

Pray : Warren’s wife Joelene has asked for prayer that she will not be disruptive to Warren on Sunday mornings as he prepares to lead church. She recognises that satan is attacking her in this area and she wants to overcome it; opportunities to reach the young people.

4.Elliott /Marlinja Harold and Kaye Dalywaters Raymond and Thelma Dixon

Praise : these two families press on in spite of loneliness. They give a godly witness in their communities. They run Sunday School faithfully each week.

Pray for : their children to walk with the Lord and make wise choices about their futures; Harold and Raymond have many dreams for their communities and for their own ministries in them. They need God’s direction as to the best way to use their gifts in this work. They need to be encouraged to keep pressing on when they meet opposition from wider family.

5.Canteen Creek Richard and Sue Davies

Praise : The faithful Christians in the community; the opportunities to relate to the children who have a warm relationship with Richard and Sue; the blessing of Christian teachers leading the school programme. Pray for : good health for Richard and Sue; more men to join the church; those who have wandered away to come back in repentance, contact with families through children; the after school programme ;Ben and Suse Hollands as they lead the team of teachers at Canteen Creek.( While in Epenarra, we met an Education Dept Rep. who had just been to assess the Year 11 and 12 students at Canteen Creek School and met Ben and Suse for the first time. She was amazed at their commitment and achievements! We praise God for their testimony.)

6. Epenarra Andrew and Cindy Hadfield, Wesley Ruth William Haydon

Praise : Rodney is leading the church services and teaching from the Word; Andrew and Cindy are quietly relating to the church folk and within the community, seeking to encourage the Christians to grow strong; the children are settled and happy

Pray for : Rodney and Derek to be strong for the Lord and grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus; for the Christians in the town not to be tempted by the gambling, drinking and fighting which is prevalent at the moment; the ladies teaching Sunday School to see children impacted; a godly witness in the community be all the Christians; for Cindy as she juggles the enormous pressure of schooling the two eldest and doing all the other tasks which fall to wife and mother, thus having little time for herself; Andrew as he seeks to help meet the family needs as well as ministry.

7. Tennant Creek Ruth and Eugen, church leaders

Praise: the government grant to buy a new bus has come through and the generosity of the church in passing the old bus on cheaply to Alice Springs; Ruth and Eugen are safely home from their trip to Canada to meet their first grandchild; the enthusiasm of the Men’s and Ladies’ Bible study groups as they share and interact each week.

Pray for :spiritual strength for the leaders. The men are growing older and the ranks are being depleted. New men need to be trained to lead. Many are suffering poor health due to cold weather, especially Phyllis Driver who has gone to Alice Springs to commence a kidney dialysis programme. She will be lonely; for Ruth as she grieves the loss of her father.

8. Alice Springs Margaret and Greg Duke Sharon Jude

Praise : Some local folk are helping with a simple Sunday morning service for a few folk; the imminent provision of a bus as the current one has died.

Pray for : the team of workers needed. Hospital visiting and pastoral care alone is a full time ministry with many coming from AIM centres elsewhere. Wisdom regarding possible workers for 2009; the family (especially his wife Mary) of Wally Long, one of the regular attenders, who died last week after a long period of poor health. Many folk in Alice Springs will miss him.

Creativity and the Arts #1

Tonight was the first night of my Replenish course "Creativity and the Arts" at church.

Week One: God - the Creative Genius.

God is creative, ingenious and awe-inspiring. He is the only one who can create out of nothing, no external resource is required. He needs no materials to create from, he needs no tools or materials to create with. He creates out of the invisible (Hebrews 11:3) His powerful word (Hebrews 11:3, Gen 1) and his will (Rev 4:11) are abundantly sufficient to create the heavens, the earth and humanity.

His creation tells me his is a God of goodness and perfection. Each day testifies that his purposeful creation is good (1:10; 12; 18; 21; 25; 31). God himself is perfect and he has fashioned everything accordingly. He didn't make a mistake and he didn't produce any waste or byproduct. He designed and made all things from the intricate root systems in rain-forests to the stars in the sky, to the hair, skin and eye colour of humans to the "plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit..."(1:11)

We have so many colours to enjoy on this earth and one of the good questions my dear friend Lizzie and I wonder about is whether there will be any new colours in heaven? Or do we get to enjoy all the colours of God's spectrum now?

This all tells me that God has no limit on his creativity. No one can match his imagination. Unlike us, God's ability to create is unstoppable and infinite - there are no limits for him. He creates species, types, varieties of trees, plants (strelizia, roses, agapanthus) and animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians...). And now think of the different kinds of roses and the different fragrance each one has. He is profuse. There is no one like our God.

God is truely worthy of our praise! Can you deny his magnificance, oppulence and existence? His eternal power and divine nature has been reveled to us in the abundance, beauty and handiwork of his creation. (Romans 1, Psalm 19). Please don't ignore him, for the world around us makes us without an excuse to acknowlege him as Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of all.

So what do you think it means for humanity, if God is this creative genius?
If we are made in his likeness what might this infer about us?
What is man that God is so mindful of him (Psalm 8)?

New church website...

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Praise Jesus for Steve and the team who put it together! I like it!