Good Stuff and Good Stuff

Last night was Eugene Peterson, telling three stories of artists who have impacted his life, and how they intersect with artists and crafts-persons in the Bible. Yesterday afternoon I met John Wilson, editor-in-chief for Books and Culture Magazine. This afternoon I sat in Luci Shaw's seminar, and had a lovely chat with her both before and after.

Dinner tonight was Texas BBQ. And later we're meeting up with old Upland friend David Clucas.

I'm beginning to wish a lot of people I knew were here. Too much to digest and process and ponder and be challenged by. . .

As far as I know, we're the only Covenanters here, and I'm wishing we had stronger representation. I think a lot of good could come out of the discussions being had in this symposium. I also wish I had 10 more Lakebay people here, so they could get some of the same message. Good, powerful, mind-changing. A vision for re-awakening a heart for art as an expression of God's creativity and our worship; a multitude of sights and sounds and textures and tastes and smells, all for the glory of God. Wondering how to have a place in bringing it to reality in our world. So much to think about, so much to do.

Luci Shaw

I'm a travelin' Man

I am going to Austin, Texas in a couple weeks to attend a conference:

Transforming Culture: A Vision for the Church and the Arts

Speakers include Andy Crouch, Eugene Peterson, Luci Shaw, Sarah Masen, and John Wilson. Some of the seminars include "Visual Homiletics - How do we Preach to the Eye as Well as to the Ear?"; "The Spiritual Formation of Artists: Nurturing Heart and Mind"; "Leading Artists and the Beautiful Mess of their Mind"; "Beyond B-Movies and Church Bulletins: 10 New Ways the Church can Patron the Arts and Practice Common Grace."

I particularly like this piece from their website:

Does it matter how we treat the artists in our communities?
Most artists, whether in NYC or LA, in Seattle or Austin, want very little if anything to do with the Church. It strikes them more like a rationalist’s university classroom or a pragmatist’s business meeting than like anything resembling the rich world of God’s creation filled with all its supersensory wonder. They look at the Protestant Evangelical church and they see an aesthetically arbitrary arrangement. They see a fickleness about beauty. They see an imagination handicapped by Enlightenment presuppositions. Why should artists want to become members of a Church that either ignores, dismisses or rejects their nature and vocation? Yet they too are sheep Christ seeks to bring into his fold.

And this:

IN SUM, WE WANT TO GIVE THOUGHT TO THESE 3 AREAS:

1. The arts and the corporate worship of the church (its liturgical actions and its sacred spaces).

2. The arts and the pastoral care of artists (the discipleship and community formation of artists).

3. The arts and the renewal of the culture (the impact against the zeitgeist, the redemption of the centers of art).


I think good things could come from this. As a musician, I have always sought ways to make worship more artistic, more beautiful. And we both know lots of artists who fit the above description perfectly - the last place they would visit is a typical evangelical Church. So perhaps we'll grow and learn in our ministry to artists, and perhaps we'll find some great ideas for incorporating art into our church life.