Sessions 6 & 7

1) Reflecting on Dryness, how does our view of culture, church, and Christ impact our theology and practice of worship?
First, my confession. I found this book to be the toughest going - not on the basis of anything Dyrness wrote, but (in a strange irony for a book on visual arts) in the physical makeup of the book. I had issues with the type and the page size which made the reading seem rather like trudging through molasses in January. I kept feeling like I was getting no where with it. Of course, it may be my background as a page designer that brings that criticism to the table.

In a sense, it is analogous to the relationship between our view of culture and how it impacts our theology and practice of worship. The physical layout of the words on the page were an impediment to my understanding of what the author was trying to communicate. Likewise, the way we worship can sometimes be an impediment to someone seeking Christ. I do not, and will never, advocate diluting the gospel or dumbing it down. Quite the contrary, I found working with the youth that they rise to the challenge of difficult material and, more often that not, prefer to be challenged. As it stands, I think effective teaching as it exists as part of the worship service will take its culture into consideration. Perhaps in our culture that means visual elements.

2) Reflect on the art presented on pages 110 and 112.
This will (no pun intended) paint me somewhat as a traditionalist, I suspect, but I have seen similar "art" to the Jackson Pollock piece on the drop cloths left over from a work project with my youth group that had far more meaning to me (especially when I think about how the drop cloth was created and who created it) than this piece. Perhaps it would have been better in color, but, as it stands, it means nothing to me. It's chaos. It's unbalanced. Having read the material around it, I understand that process was a vital component, which actually accounted for more in the mind of the artist than did the end product. All the same, it does nothing to bring me into the painting. I have as much desire to look for the meaning behind it was I would to look for meaning behind the Spaghettios smeared on a high chair tray by a toddler. (Hmm ... maybe I am being a bit harsh, but I suspect that makes my point.)

Now, as far as the Warhol piece, I think this loses something in being in a photo rather than seeing it in person. The text tells us it was a large model of the Brillo box. It would be interesting to see a picture with some sort of spatial reference in it. As it stands, it's just a piece of household history. But, if I were to see it in person or see that it is truly an oversized box, I would at least wonder what possessed Warhol to create it. In that sense, it pulls me in much more than the Pollock piece. Actually, even in the photo in our book, I still at least wonder about it a little bit.

3) Why do think modernism is collapsing? Or do you think that modernity will survive the onslaught of PM?
Modernity as we now know it may not survive the onslaught of postmodernism any more than mindset of the medieval period survived the coming of the Renaissance or the Renaissance survived the modernity. Vestiges of each previous philosophy remain as the new takes hold, but it does not remain as a dominant force. So, we will see elements of modernism in the culture in the foreseeable future, but it, too will gradually give way as even postmodernism becomes passe.

I think one reason modernism is collapsing is that people can feel the rug being ripped out from under them. The presuppositions that supported modernism - science can provide answers, society can take care of its members, peace can be achieved, etc., etc., etc. - are ringing false to a culture that has seen two World Wars, a Cold War, diseases that remain incurable as new incurable diseases emerge, poverty continues to ravage communities, etc., etc., etc. Now, terrorism has even come to our shores, taking away what I think many saw as the last safe refuge in a crazy world. The old adage of "question authority" has taken on a totally new life in this culture that questions everything as if they were fooled once and won't be fooled again.

4) How do you envision and/or practice utilizing the arts in your ministry?
In the past, I have done a "digital gallery" by asking artists to submit slides or photos of their work which we put into a PowerPoint presentation set to music. I also have a student who is rather talented at drawing. In a study of Isaiah 6 one night, she showed an interest in the seraphim and I suggested that she could try drawing one from the description given there. I also suggested that she could draw scenes from the Bible as a form of journaling. We're also talking about having her do drawings to accompany the messages for the contemporary service at our church. I realize the answer thus far really focuses on one student, but my interaction with her is indicative of how I watch for a student's talent and try to find ways to incorporate it into the ministry.

As far as future endeavors, some of the students are talented musicians who would like to try writing their own music so we plan to get together this summer to see what transpires. I would also like to have a gallery of art open as people are coming in for the contemporary service (and maybe expand it to other times). I like using videos and other visuals in my talks, so I would also like to find students who are interested in creating such things and work with them to make such visuals.

5) What arts are emphasized in your church, family, and local community?
All three place quite a value on music. At church, we have choirs for the youngest children to the teens to the adults in addition to a fledging "praise team" which at present consists of four girls - one pianist and three singers. In the summer, the adult choir, which typically sings during the morning worship service, takes a break and a sign-up sheet is posted to allow members of the congregation and their friends or family to provide the special music for the services.

At home, I grew up with music playing in the house frequently, if not constantly. That, however, was back in the days before televisions were in every room as is the case in most families today.

I am blessed to live in a community that places a fairly even emphasis on the arts. Music and drama productions - as well as independent films - are featured at a local theater. There are galleries here and there. There are colleges nearby that open their doors to the public for musical events, theater productions and art exhibits. To be honest, I have often thought that I need to pay more attention and take greater advantage of these opportunities.

6) Explain the value and emphasis of word, sacrament/ordinance, and the arts in your life and ministry?
All three have a particular value in my life, but each in a different way. That is, one is not more valued than another, necessarily, but that are valued differently. The word - and the Word - have been important to me since I was a child. I don't remember ever not knowing how to read - family legend says I could read by the time I was 18 months old, but that's anecdotal evidence from my mother. I learn best from reading. I read voraciously. I love writing. I love agonizing over just the right word to convey a meaning just as I cringe when I see poor word choices. These characteristics become most evident in my teaching and in my blog (which I believe to be a new form of ministry, but that could be a discussion for another day).

Yet, as previous answers acknowledge, there is a visual side to my life and ministry. I rarely do a talk that doesn't include a visual element and have found that to be effective. For example, I freely admit that I talk with my hands. It's so apparent that the students have asked me never to wear one of my tops with wide sleeves when I speak because they are terrified that I will swing an arm too close to a candle and go out in a blaze of glory. One night, I wore handcuffs during the entire message to accentuate how the choices we make can be like wearing these handcuffs. The students could see clearly how much that restricted my usual form of expression. The students still talk about that night. On a personal, devotional level, I love to take scenic pictures that reveal the wonders of God's work.

Sacrament and ordinance represent connection for me. Connection to the followers of Christ who have come before me who also took of the bread and the wine and connection to the people in my church who are taking the bread and the wine in the same communion service in which I am participating. More importantly, it is a tangible connection to Christ.

7) Reflect on pages 151-154, Does art play a role in discipleship? Have you died to self and allowed your life's work to take on a life of its own? Can you kill a dead person?
Art absolutely has a place in discipleship. Of course, the easy way to see that might be in the artist who draws, paints or takes photographs that reflect creation in all its forms as it celebrates and seeks to understand the One who created it all. It's also easy to see in the writer who reflects on the Word of God or on what she sees in the created order and conveys it through written forms - or the musician who combines the words with music to convey those same thoughts. It's harder, but no less true, to see art in other areas of life, but it is there nonetheless.

Part of me wants to say that I have totally died to self and allowed my life's work to take on a life of its own, but I can't say that I believe it has. Let me say it this way. I know one thing. I'm with God. I want to do what He wants me to do. I just pray that He will give me a willing spirit to follow Him when and as He reveals his will to me. Am I running from a call? No, but in some ways, I still wonder what my life work is. I worked for an art professor once who said that the artist can't not create (which I thought was a lovely use of the double negative). I'm still discovering what passions consume me to the point that I can't not do them - that is what I consider to be ultimately dying to self. Clearly, youth work and writing are two options at work in my life right now, but I haven't "pulled the trigger" and become possessed by these activities to the point that they are anything more than side activities that are continually taking up more of my time (so maybe I am closer than I think). Though the free-spirited artistic side of me is gaining strength daily as I write more and more and as I start to give way to the compulsion to write, there is still a side of me that remains utterly practical and somewhat afraid of what will happen if I do let that passion to write take over my life completely (and, no, my work at the newspaper doesn't count as that's not the kind of writing I am talking about).

Obviously I am posting this after Jason's post and agree with what he said about killing a dead person - except for one thing. I believe that once someone finds that all-consuming passion - it becomes their life. They become a dead person following that passion where it leads them. Take away that passion and you kill them or, at the very least, a vital part of their identity. They may continue to live, but they must do it as they seek something to fill the void of what has been taken from them