Sessions 6 & 7

1) Reflecting on Dryness (is this a Freudian slip..Dry?), how does our view of culture, church, and Christ impact our theology and practice of worship?

Our theology and practice of worship are directly affected by our view of the three. As Dyrness discusses the group cannot be separated, but instead each offers understanding of the other. We can see the thoughts and feelings of a group towards Christ reflected in the style of their worship and certainly their theology. I think by definition our thoughts on culture, church and Christ is our theology. Dyrness I’m sure would agree that worship being a form of art reflects our thoughts on these three. I guess all this to say that our theology is informed by these three things and it seem as though Dyrness would agree.



2) Reflect on the art presented on pages 110 and 112.

I think, like much of modern art, this period of time was a reaction to the mainstream in society. This is represented in the apparent absurdity of Pollock’s Convergence, or in the exaggeration of Warhol’s Campbell soup pictures. There is always an element present in artists that wrestle with the tension of submitting to the common cultural norms versus blazing a new trail. If the timing is right, and the artist persistent enough, he/she can develop a very simple idea into a living. Artists need to have an identity in the art world, something that becomes their style. This doesn’t need to be great by a number of standards, but it does need to be unique. The splattered cans of paint with multiple colors that taxes a canvas with its weight is Jackson Pollock’s. That’ his thing, and no one can imitate it without his name being mentioned. From some perspectives he beat that horse to death, but it also made him famous and wealthy. I think what makes these artists notable is their timing. They, through their art, raised a question about something mainstream in society, and they did it in a different way.


3) Why do think modernism is collapsing? Or do you think that modernity will survive the onslaught of PM? (I work with philosophers who do not like PM and avoid teaching it. They can't argue with a system that has no presuppositions to argue (That actually is a presupposition.).

I think modernism is collapsing because one of the major foundational concepts supporting it was proving things factually. I think today there is much effort to disprove things and as a result there is less and less information that is true without a doubt. A professor in college would use the “invisible goat” theory. He would point to a spot in the room and tell us to look at the invisible goat. We all thought he was crazy, and eventually someone told him there was no invisible goat. He told them to prove it didn’t exist. Someone else (I wish it was me) told him to prove that it did exist. Thus the situation, the only thing we proved is that there was no actual way to prove whether or not the invisible goat existed. We are in the same situation with PM. Because the scientific method is based upon repeatable experiments, there is always a point where things cannot be proven or dis-proven. We are at an impasse. I’m not sure if PM will change, but rather morph into another form of itself in which the presupposition that things cannot be proven with 100% accuracy will continue. I think in the future it will evolve into probabilities and percentages.



4) How do you envision and/or practice utilizing the arts in your ministry?

I like to use the arts to focus interaction with people. It is great to use to create a starting point among people. For example, a photograph, painting, movie, song, etc. can be used just to get people on the same page for a discussion. Then depending on how the time is structured it can expose feelings and emotions, sharing and vulnerability that might otherwise not have been revealed. It is much easier for a person to talk about which movie character they relate to most and why than it is to ask a person to tell you about themselves. I would envision using the arts in two ways in my ministry in the future. The first would be using it as I have been talking about; a centering focusing agent that fosters better interaction. The second would be as a type of measuring device that might help me to learn about someone. The first initiates and controls a situation, and the second allows the other person to control. This would be asking a person about their favorite movies, etc. and also connecting teachings to what is already popular.

5) What arts are emphasized in your church, family, and local community?

Currently, music is really the only art that is really valued in our church community. There is some appreciation for the performing arts, but not much. Even movies are not really appreciated all that much. I think there is still a lingering idea that art is a superfluous part of life. It tolerated in small doses, but can often be a distraction from the really important parts of life.
In my family, things are a bit different, but not much. I think my wife and I appreciate the arts more than most, but my extended family isn’t all that interested. My parents really enjoy music, but that is about the extent of it.
In the local community (Bowling Green) there is a considerable amount of emphasis put on the arts, at least compared to a non-college town. While there are certainly a number of people that are not involved at all in the “artsy” community there are a number of people that are very active. The art community is pretty strong and perceived and chic and sophisticated in a college town.


6) Explain the value and emphasis of word, sacrament/ordinance, and the arts in your life and ministry?

Tough question. I guess I would have to put these things at about an even level in my life as far as time and involvement. Although my study of the Word is probably more in depth (because of preparations for teaching times, and school) I don’t think that there is a tremendous difference between the time I might commit to these three things. Often during the week I am reading articles, watching movies/videos, listening to music, and noticing art in such a way that I hope it inspires me or affects me. I wish that the quality of the “art” I viewed during the week was more classic and less pop culture. I think the value of observing art and pop culture is simply a way to keep in touch with what people are faced with during their week. It is also valuable so that I caan be informed in such a way to show people that there alternatives out there to just gulping down the “art” that is served to us by the media.


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?

I think the most value here is in his comparison to living the life of an artist and the life as a Christian as being a process. There certainly is value as an artist to the process of struggling with passion and pressure. There is value to the process of expressing yourself or your feelings through something. These are valuable things. It is also true that often times the value of the process is on the other side of difficulty and hardship. In these ways I believe the process of being a artist is similar to the process of being a Christian. I am a bit concerned though because I think this is a very inclusive definition of artist and one that would surely bother “real artists”. Of course the snobbery of “real artists” is relative to where you live and the art community there, but that same snobbery can exist amongst Christians. A true artist is one that totally sacrifices themselves for the art. They might live in poor conditions and struggle financially even resisting conventional success for fear it might corrupt the artistic process. However, I do not believe this is the only definition for a true artist. I know plenty of true artists with health insurance and 401K’s. It is the same for Christians, or true disciples. While outward appearance may offer clues about the condition of his heart, we must be careful not to judge a book by its cover. I think the driving question here is whether we are engaged in the process of dying to self. As soon as I say I have died to self I can think of a handful examples in my life that illustrate otherwise. However, the real question is whether or not I am committed to the process of dying to self. Much of that is allowing God to handle the results of ministry. I wish I could say I had a real handle on this, but I don’t. I still find myself trying to control and influence results. I think it will be something that I struggle with for some time.