I got a new toy. A set of headphones. Very nice headphones. Very big, clunky, ugly, black headphones that sound like a million bucks. So in that sense I got a real deal on them!
Even though they look like old soviet technology.
4.3.06
cool out. it's ok. be cool. EVERYBODY JUST COOL THE FRICK OUT!!!!! (I was talking to myself)
Below is a post from a blog written by a pastor in my Presbytery. Following it is my response. If you post comments, please be compassionate and respectful. This guy loves God and loves people. Please understand that his concern is for the children of the Church. He does not want to see them turn from the faith they were raised in either in their beliefs or in their lifestyles. Certainly that is commendable! I post this here for your consideration and to convince my readers that the work being done at Grace Central is necessary, good and right. Thinking like this- particularly when it comes from a minister within my camp, from a man whom I know and respect- reminds me why we are planting Grace Central. Artists are often among those who are counted as "religiously disenfranchised" and Grace Central has been called by God to be a church for the religiously disenfranchised.
So, to Grace Central - be encouraged! Your efforts are needed and valued. To artists - conduct yourselves in such a way that rob this kind of thinking of credibility. To everyone else - move to Columbus and join us in our efforts. Peace and remember: Be cool.
(Click the title above to read the article which inspired his post)
____________________________________________
Christians and the Visual Arts...
Is there anything not absolutely normal about the Hollywood lifestyle of this young woman?
Is there any way parents can train up a son or daughter for this kind of career without anticipating this kind of outcome? Are there Christians in this realm of the arts? Sure. Is the existence of Christians in this realm of the arts justification for churches and Christian schools uncritically propelling their children in this direction? Certainly not.
Coming a bit closer to home... Is there anything all that different about the moral course of a typical career in professional dance versus a career in Hollywood? Of a painter or sculptor?
In what conceivable universe should Christians be encouraging their children in these sorts of directions without anticipating potentially tragic outcomes? Does this mean every Christian actor or dancer has prostituted his or her faith? Certainly not. But the track record of those who have versus those who have not certainly shouldn't encourage us to propel our children down these career paths--or to look uncritically at the various visual art forms which so tend toward immorality. (And of course, if you've read this blog over any length of time you know that we are not merely practicing guilt-by-association in making this connection. We tend to believe Christians have failed to apply the second commandment to modern visual arts, a foundational neglect of God's Law which inevitably tends to various other forms of neglect.)
Finally, for all the talk in certain quarters about redeeming culture, all the WORLD Magazine Daniel awards for visual artists, all the lionization of Christian artists taking place in various sectors of (especially) the Reformed world, where's the beef? Where's the salt producing saltiness? Where's the light banishing the darkness? Why can't we see that only the Gospel illuminates, only the Gospel preserves? Why do we think artists and the arts are capable of redeeming culture in a way that plumbers and ditch-diggers do not?
As a matter of fact, I suspect were we to weigh the contributions to culture of Christian plumbers against Christian visual artists, the scales would come heavily down on the side of training our children to be plumbers and ditch-diggers.
One last note--please read the full story first if you're tempted toward a knee-jerk defense of Christian involvement in the representational visual arts.
______________________________________________________
David,
How many professional artists do you know personally? Where did you study the visual arts? How involved are you directly with the visual arts community in your town or area? How many Christians do you know personally who are involved in the visual arts professions? It is easy to find bad examples and unfortunate outcomes, of course. But I'd venture to guess we could find these kinds of sad stories about covenant children in any profession.
I respect your concerns, but I think you are largely speaking from a position of ignorance. Certainly not Biblical or theological ignorance. But perhaps ignorance of the faithful witness of many truly Christian artists practicing their faith with integrity in the context of the visual arts.
Perhaps the operative word in your post is "uncritically". We should do nothing "uncritically". At Grace Central we are equipping artist, dancers, designers, writers and musicians (as well as teachers, doctors, attorneys, mothers, business men, no plumbers, but two electricians etc.) to critically employ a Christ-centered worldview and belief system in the way they approach their respective fields of expertise. I have found most of these artists have been starving for a voice of affirmation and encouragement from the church in place of the voices of suspicion and denigration they have traditionally recieved.
Again, I truly do respect your concerns. I just think maybe they are communicated in an uncritical way, and have the great potential to cause a lot of damage in the lives of artists who are true believers. I know this is not your intent!
We should talk. I look forward to having lunch with you in Toledo sometime soon and it was good to see you at Presbytery.
By the way, I am completely in favor of Christian plumbers as well! Too bad they will be unemployed in the comsummated Kingdom, as I suppose the pipes there never burst! I tell you what, send some of your plumbers to us and we'll teach them to paint and sculpt, just so they have something to "fall back on" when they get to Heaven. ; )
Peace.
So, to Grace Central - be encouraged! Your efforts are needed and valued. To artists - conduct yourselves in such a way that rob this kind of thinking of credibility. To everyone else - move to Columbus and join us in our efforts. Peace and remember: Be cool.
(Click the title above to read the article which inspired his post)
____________________________________________
Christians and the Visual Arts...
Is there anything not absolutely normal about the Hollywood lifestyle of this young woman?
Is there any way parents can train up a son or daughter for this kind of career without anticipating this kind of outcome? Are there Christians in this realm of the arts? Sure. Is the existence of Christians in this realm of the arts justification for churches and Christian schools uncritically propelling their children in this direction? Certainly not.
Coming a bit closer to home... Is there anything all that different about the moral course of a typical career in professional dance versus a career in Hollywood? Of a painter or sculptor?
In what conceivable universe should Christians be encouraging their children in these sorts of directions without anticipating potentially tragic outcomes? Does this mean every Christian actor or dancer has prostituted his or her faith? Certainly not. But the track record of those who have versus those who have not certainly shouldn't encourage us to propel our children down these career paths--or to look uncritically at the various visual art forms which so tend toward immorality. (And of course, if you've read this blog over any length of time you know that we are not merely practicing guilt-by-association in making this connection. We tend to believe Christians have failed to apply the second commandment to modern visual arts, a foundational neglect of God's Law which inevitably tends to various other forms of neglect.)
Finally, for all the talk in certain quarters about redeeming culture, all the WORLD Magazine Daniel awards for visual artists, all the lionization of Christian artists taking place in various sectors of (especially) the Reformed world, where's the beef? Where's the salt producing saltiness? Where's the light banishing the darkness? Why can't we see that only the Gospel illuminates, only the Gospel preserves? Why do we think artists and the arts are capable of redeeming culture in a way that plumbers and ditch-diggers do not?
As a matter of fact, I suspect were we to weigh the contributions to culture of Christian plumbers against Christian visual artists, the scales would come heavily down on the side of training our children to be plumbers and ditch-diggers.
One last note--please read the full story first if you're tempted toward a knee-jerk defense of Christian involvement in the representational visual arts.
______________________________________________________
David,
How many professional artists do you know personally? Where did you study the visual arts? How involved are you directly with the visual arts community in your town or area? How many Christians do you know personally who are involved in the visual arts professions? It is easy to find bad examples and unfortunate outcomes, of course. But I'd venture to guess we could find these kinds of sad stories about covenant children in any profession.
I respect your concerns, but I think you are largely speaking from a position of ignorance. Certainly not Biblical or theological ignorance. But perhaps ignorance of the faithful witness of many truly Christian artists practicing their faith with integrity in the context of the visual arts.
Perhaps the operative word in your post is "uncritically". We should do nothing "uncritically". At Grace Central we are equipping artist, dancers, designers, writers and musicians (as well as teachers, doctors, attorneys, mothers, business men, no plumbers, but two electricians etc.) to critically employ a Christ-centered worldview and belief system in the way they approach their respective fields of expertise. I have found most of these artists have been starving for a voice of affirmation and encouragement from the church in place of the voices of suspicion and denigration they have traditionally recieved.
Again, I truly do respect your concerns. I just think maybe they are communicated in an uncritical way, and have the great potential to cause a lot of damage in the lives of artists who are true believers. I know this is not your intent!
We should talk. I look forward to having lunch with you in Toledo sometime soon and it was good to see you at Presbytery.
By the way, I am completely in favor of Christian plumbers as well! Too bad they will be unemployed in the comsummated Kingdom, as I suppose the pipes there never burst! I tell you what, send some of your plumbers to us and we'll teach them to paint and sculpt, just so they have something to "fall back on" when they get to Heaven. ; )
Peace.
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