This was done in church. That’s what we’re talking about…New Renaissance stuff. Creative, original, dynamic. From Fellowship Church in Texas. One person who posted this on Tumblr. commented, “glow in the dark glitter confetti drums, yes please”. Enjoy.
I recently got an email from a young art instructor friend who asked some interesting questions about being “in the world but not of it” as artist. Thought I’d share it and my reply.
Scott,
Recently I have really been trying to dig deeper into pursuing my career as an artist while still seeking the Lord. I got all psyched up after finishing Steve Turner’ Imagine book and even more so now that I am on the tail end of Finding Divine Inspiration. But it sure is hard work. I’ve been finding myself constantly feeling behind and playing catch up. This past year, with getting married and several other phases going on in my life, I was virtually making no art and not really doing any of the things my grad school teachers preached to me: Going to shows, reading the magazines, discovering new artists, trying new things, being engaged in current culture. Just today one of my students was telling me about a movie he saw and he asked if I had heard of it. I said no, and felt quite dumb because it seemed to be a relevant part of what could have been a good discussion between teacher and student about art. I guess that brings me to my question, or more like my vent: It’s hard to be a Christian Artist and still be “in the world but not of it.” I feel like I am furiously trying to catch up on my knowledge and stay relevant with what is going on in the art world. As Steve Turner says- Most Christians walk up to the art scene and just enter the conversation without first listening to what is already being said, and looking for the opportune moment to enter (my paraphrase). I don’t want to do that. I want to make art that is worshipful to God and yet can still knock the socks off of unbelievers. Art that isn’t completely out of left field, but acknowledges the current conversation of what is going on today.
I don’t know…what do you think?
David
My reply:
David,
Really good questions! Here are some thoughts. I’ve found that as I listen to the Spirit and keep an open ear through my day that He has often brought things (trends, books, music, stories, etc) in the culture to my attention or across my path that I need to know about. In fact, I am often amazed at how consistent He has been about that. If you pray for this, He will be faithful to make it happen in your life.
You might create a channel for this by asking God to show you a couple of website you could check each day. For me its CNN.com daily and Relevantmagazine.com every few days. Crosswalk.com and Opentheword.com are two good ones that have news from a Christian perspective. Just go to ‘em and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you so you can maximize your time. Put a limit on how much time you spend on them and God will meet you in it.
Another thought about relevance: I know you deal every day with college students who surf the waves of culture, and you want to speak–or at least understand–their language. But know that your spiritual development and the authenticity that comes out of it will give you an essence of relevance that transcends current trends. Really. I’m sure you know this, but it’s always good to be reminded. Of course, this connection with God is the source of the creative “power flow” flow in your work, as well. Seeking the Holy Spirit as you work (and teach) will give a deeper relevance to your work than responding to current trends will, because God will touch people at the core of who they are. You may feel like you are out of step with the culture sometimes, but you will have more impact over time because of your centeredness and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
God sees your desire to be relevant and serve Him. Keep your eyes and ears open and He’ll fulfill it in ways you can’t imagine.
Also, as for your busy year of neglecting “artistic progress”…life is part of your progress as an artist. You’ll have seasons where you are making and seasons where you are collecting and growing. You may have unfulfilled longings and feel unbalanced sometimes, and that’s ok. God will make clear to you what you need to do as you ask Him.
Blessings!
Scott
By J. Scott McElroy
A New Renaissance is rising. A movement to reintegrate the arts (music, visual art, dance, film, etc) into churches and reengage the culture with spiritual art is growing in many areas of Christendom. Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Charismatics, Catholics and others are seeking to rekindle the relationship between faith and art. The Vatican is meeting with world renowned artists, Charismatics have released prophetic statements about the arts, and protestants are integrating media and the arts into services.
The Church was once the major patron of the arts, and many Christian leaders believe that it can and should be once again. But this renewed interest in the arts is far more than just church’s attempts to stay relevant or to create propaganda to win converts. In fact, it may be an essential ingredient to the foretold preparation of the Bride of Christ, as well as a shift in the way the church impacts the world as a force for good.
The worldwide Church stands at a unique time in history, in a position that no other institution can fill. Her decision to embrace, encourage and disciple artists and the arts will benefit individuals, communities and the Body of Christ in profound ways, and enable her to better fulfill her mission of offering God’s love to the world.
It starts on a local level. As local churches take the initiative to embrace artists and their gifts they will see a richness and depth to their services and community life. Just as God brings specific messages to congregations through their individual pastors and leaders, so He has specific insights to bring to local churches through the artists sovereignly planted in them.
Why this is happening
There are several reasons why this movement to re-integrate faith and art is happening at this point in history. First, as it affects the church, this New Renaissance provides an important catalyst to the maturity of the Body and Bride of Christ. Romans 12:4-6 says, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and those members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us…”
God has designed Christian community as a place where every believer’s gifting, large or small, can be discovered, nurtured, and developed for the benefit of the believers themselves, the Body of Christ, and the wider world. How can the Body properly function without the gifts that the arts and artists bring to it? Gifts of seeing and sight, intuition and knowing with the heart, creating and crafting with the hands, and more? Congregations and the Church universal will continue to miss a large facet of the personality of God if artists and the arts are not allowed to bring their gifts, observations, personalities, and visions into the Body of Christ to be nutrured and become part of community life.
Another reason for the New Renaissance is the fact that we live in an arts-saturated world. The arts– music, film, graphics, performance, public and visual art and more– are the language of the culture. We saw an amazing shift in worship music over the last 25 years. Where once 100 to 500 year-old hymns were commonly sung in the majority of churches, now most have at least one contemporary service where new rock-oriented worship music is sung, often with a full band. This change in music enabled new generations to find relevance in their church experience. A full integration of the other arts into the church is the next logical step. The arts meet people where they are by using language that is familiar and meaningful to the person encountering it. The arts provide connecting points for people who are unchurched and they enable us to express Christ’s essence by showing, not always speaking. The arts create a work that has a life of its own and can be carried into the culture to make an impact far into the future.
A third reason for the timing of this arts/faith movement is for the beautification of the Bride. How long have churches—especially Protestant churches– lived with an absence of beauty in our worship spaces? (Actually, the answer might be “about 500 years”, since the Reformation.) And Catholic churches have struggled with this, as well. In making the announcement for the Vatican’s Nov 21st Arts Summit the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture said that the art and architecture of many modern churches, “…do not offer beauty, but rather ugliness.”
Beauty is an inherent aspect of the personality of God; He loves and creates beauty just because it is part of who He is. That was driven home with the discovery of bizarrely beautiful galaxies caught by the Hubble telescope over the last two decades. Wild, mind-boggling beauty that we didn’t even know existed until the Hubble, challenges us to think about a God who creates and values beauty that serves no utilitarian purpose. It’s time that the Church started tapping into and portraying the full personality of this awesome God. We can and should lead the world in all areas of creativity because we are beloved children of the Creator God, made in His image and living in intimate relationship with Him.
And a forth reason for the rise of the New Renaissance is for the reconciliation of a whole tribe of people…the artists of the world. Millions of these people have been disconnected from their true source, wandering for centuries in search of elusive creative fulfillment. Most have known that there is a spiritual aspect to the creative process, but God is calling them to the joy of learning to truly collaborate with Him in creativity. They have a place in the church and the world to be a conduit of His joy, insights and messages on the earth, and as they take their place in the community of the Body of Christ, it will flourish and grow in maturity, and the artists themselves will know joy.
What can be done?
So what can Artists, Pastors and leaders, Churches and supporters do to usher in this new renaissance? Practically speaking, artists can get training, grow in their craft and become part of a Christian community. Pastors and leaders can look for ways to integrate the arts into services, churches can pursue artists and start a small arts gallery. Supporters can be advocates for the arts in their church and help educate congregations. On our website, thenewr.org you’ll find articles and resources on these subjects and more.
But in the end, all this activity will not be enough to see this movement to renew the arts reach critical mass.
Bono , from U2 , said in a USA Today interview that his band tries, “…to write songs that raise the temperature of the room and find words for feelings you can’t express. And then, as Quincy Jones says, you wait for God to walk through the door. Because in the end, craft isn’t enough.” Impressive works of art, ingenious education and brilliant proposals–though all those things and more are needed—aren’t enough for a New Spiritual Renaissance in the arts.
We must have divine inspiration.
We must seek ideas from God; connecting and collaborating with Him in our creativity on the projects he planned for us before we were born. This starts with learning to hear God’s voice in prayer and in our everyday lives. You’ll experience your greatest growth as a believer when you develop that aptitude. For more resources at developing this skill, see the “Hearing God in Your Creativity” section at our website, http://thenewR.org .
A New Renaissance IS rising, and it starts in the hearts of artists, leaders, and the Body of Christ as we learn to listen for His voice and collaborate with Him.
J. Scott McElroy is the founder of The New Renaissance Rising and author of Finding Divine Inspiration: Working With the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity (2008, Destiny Image). He is a writer, voiceover artist, visual artist, and award-winning radio producer who is passionate about redeeming the arts through collaborating with the Holy Spirit. As a voiceover artist, he hosted the Animal Planet TV series “Wildlife Journal” from 2004-2007. His voice is heard on national TV commercials, video games, websites and more. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife Danielle daughter Hailee and son Kaia.
