The Role of the Arts Pastor

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Comment by Edward van Vliet on October 22, 2009 at 7:22am

a wonderfully impassioned speech -- makes me want to do an arts rant of my own! (and i just might)

there are a lot of things that i like about this video -- the role of the [arts] pastor to simply pastor/ shepherd ("release/ unleash") the artist in the local congregation. and not only the artists, but everyone's inherent creativity. i also like the references to serving the local community, not only by releasing the congregation's song in the community but also telling their story (stories?) in an artistic or creative way.

the second part - does the church set the artist free? - raised some questions for me. yes, the church was a patron of the arts in times past, but the church also was a patron of excellence. i think that part of the church's role as a patron also necessarily involves an ability to distinguish and determine (perhaps even discern) what work or which artists are worthy of patronage and support. the question i have is: why exactly was the church the main patron before? what was the impetus behind its patronage? status? power? didacticism? evangelismo? and why were "the arts" a focus? and how does that play out now? and what does it mean that the church was a locus? what does that mean for us as part of a community (or communities)?

the last section and its repeated emphasis on beauty was also quite generative. dostoevsky said that "beauty will save the world". beauty as a theological concept is a driving force for much of the theology of art, and there is a moral component to the idea that is crucial to our activity as artists, let alone christians. i especially like craig's question: how can we create moments of beauty, truth and splendour that cause us to pause? and, presumably, ponder. reflect. open ourselves up to the possibility and capacity of art to move us.

i do wonder, however, of the emphasis that somehow the 21c is purely a "visual century" and of rushing headlong to embrace every form and expression of that visual culture. in his other do you see? video (this one is #2) craig speaks of slowing down. perhaps the inundation of images (depending on your source, we are bombarded with anywhere from 4,000 to 20,000 images a day) is more a matter of the incessant demand rather than visuality. how do we create that place of [visual] rest?

certainly, lots of grist for the mill...

Comment by Tim Stansbury on October 8, 2009 at 5:29pm

Great video, very commanding in his passion for the arts and clearly definitive of the role of the arts in the church. Thanks to Craig for being obedient in the making of this video!

Comment by Joey O'Connor on September 29, 2009 at 9:53am

Not sure if there is transcript. Try searching for Craig Detweiler's blog. He'll know the answer to your question.

Comment by Edward van Vliet on September 29, 2009 at 8:47am

is there a transcript?

Comment by Scott A. Shuford on September 28, 2009 at 10:20am

Craig is one of the premiere thinkers today on culture and church. I've had the pleasure to serve with him in the past with the Biola Media Conference. He also has a great blog on ConversantLife.com.

Comment by Elizabeth Hartung on September 27, 2009 at 6:30pm

Fantastic! The ending went straight through my heart. Thank you for this!!!

Comment by Stephanie Green on September 27, 2009 at 2:46pm

This resonated with me in a powerful way. My mission in the Church body is to do exactly what he articulated. Art is my talent, compassion is my gift these combine to engender my passion.

Comment by Dale R. Johnson on September 26, 2009 at 11:07pm

what a CHALLENGE!

Comment by Deborah Ford on September 26, 2009 at 5:21pm

Wow amazing video of how the churches should be viewing the arts in the churches of today! Thanks for sharing it.

Comment by Cheryl Null on September 26, 2009 at 4:54pm

Thank you for sharing this. Amazing and well done!

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