Author: Jonathan Dodson

Art Breeds Worship

Posted on November 11, 2010

There’s nothing like great art to inspire great creativity, awe, and joy. A recent art collector found $42.6 million worth of joy in a painting by Roy Lichtenstein (pictured right). What compels such an audacious purchase, such profound responses to the art we love?

Jonsi, Lyle Lovett & David Fincher

Awe-inspiring creativity is what I feel when I walk away from a Jonsi concert, a Lyle Lovett and his Large Band show, or watch a film like The Game, directed by David Fincher. In the case of Jonsi, the fusion of diverse instrumentation, unmatched vocals, and video imagery. With Lyle, a musicianship that pushes 14 other people up front to create a harmony and western swing that is both witty and jaw-dropping at once. With, Fincher’s films a storyline, cinematography and suspense that draw you into the plot refusing to let you go. Immense creativity, excellence, and talent gather at a the head of these artists’ respective mediums to inspire the viewer to create themselves, or, at the very least, to worship.

When Admiration Overflows

We might walk away adoring the talent, struck by such deep admiration that we can’t pry our fingers off of the personality. We end up adoring the artist so much that we overflow in joy and awe in conversations with others. “You have to see X live. They are so incredible.” There is certainly no replacement for a live performance of a great artist, but I doubt we would find their lives entirely admirable were we given a glimpse into all the decisions that led them to that stage, moment, or piece.

Art and Community

When our admiration overflows, where should it go? Some would say to the community, to people around us with whom we can share our joy. A joy shared is a joy doubled. We gather community around us to increase our effusive satisfaction in witnessing great art. A concert, a conversation after a movie, a book club. When admiration overflows it requires community, but when it overflows uncritically the admiration is offered unduly. Yes, unduly.

How Art Fails Us

The true object of admiration is not the art or the artist, though they should receive our respect and admiration for their creative works. What we find ourselves doing in this blessed act of admiration is reaching the shores of the Originator of what is good, beautiful, true, symmetrical, harmonious, and excellent. All too often we fall short of the shore, remaining content to ride the undulating sea of creativity and excellence until we encounter yet another peak into the originator of the good, true, and beautiful. We go from artistic experience to experience—a book, a film, a concert, another download—hungering for one more glimpse, one more shot of beauty, but as each shot fades we subtly realize that another artistic experience isn’t enough. Art fails us.

Made for More Than Art

We were made for more than art, more than admiring art. Art breeds worship. But worshiping the art/artist (we would rarely state it so boldly) does not consummate our joy. Art is meant, not to breed worship of itself but of its ultimate originator. Art breeds worship through its medium not to its medium. It graciously, wonderful guides us but can not open the human heart in admiration to God. Art breeds worship but should not receive worship. We were made for more than art.

Religion in the City

Posted on November 9, 2010

Great article on “Religion and the City” by urbanist Aaron Renn . He notes that religion and Christian churches in particular do much to relieve the tax burden of social services in cities. He cites several examples including the Harrison Center for the Arts, an arts initiative housed by Redeemer Presbyterian Church and led by Joanna Taft. When asked why she devotes time to improving the artistic and social character of the city, she replied:

I have been Presbyterian my whole life and my worldview has been influenced by the protestant reformed concept of the cultural mandate. This is the idea that humankind has been called to continue God’s work of creation–building cities, restoring broken neighborhoods, creating beauty, raising children, planting gardens, etc…..While some of our Christian friends would feel guilty doing this work because it was not “full-time Christian service”, understanding the cultural mandate gave us the freedom to pursue what some would see as secular work.

Here’s the stand out quote: “some of our Christian friends would feel guilty doing this work because it was not “full-time Christian service”, understanding the cultural mandate gave us the freedom to pursue what some would see as secular work.” Joanna sees all of life as mission, in particular her vocation. She’s making good culture precisely because of her faith, not in spite of it. Oh for ten thousand Christians in Austin that would approach their work like this, vocation as mission, as an act of love for the city. We are all in “full-time ministry”; the question is are we working like it? Or has our Christianity been reduced to spiritual moments and events or are we carrying out the creation mandate of continuing to build and renew cities?

2 Missional Resources

Posted on November 8, 2010

How Do Gospel Movements Start? – In this roundtable PlantR podcast, Jeff Vanderstelt, Steve Timmis, David Fairchild and Jonathan Dodson respond to the question: “How do Gospel Movements start?” The conversation took an interesting turn when Steve Timmis proposed that gospel movements start from the margins not from the center of society.

The Exemplary Mission of Jesus – In this message, Nate Navarro examines the demon-exorcising, incarnational ministry of Jesus in Luke 4 and its relevance for us today. A thoughtful, well delivered message that will stir you towards mission.

Gospel & Culture for Church “Planting” (Pt 2)

Posted on November 5, 2010

In my previous post, I laid out a three fold approach to understanding the relationship between Gospel, Church, & Culture. In summary, we must understand the Gospel in light of culture. Second, we must understand Culture in light of the Gospel. Third, only then can we wisely Church the Gospel in our cultures. These three layers of understanding build on each other the way you plant a tree. We need Gospel seed to be scattered in Cultural soil in order to grow the Church into a robust, healthy tree that can flourish and provide shade within its culture. In the next three posts, I will take each layer and explain what I’m getting at. Let’s start with the Gospel.

The Eternal Gospel

African theologian and Missiologist John Mbiti writes:

“The Gospel is God-given, eternal and does not change. We can add nothing to the Gospel. For this is a eternal gift of God; but Christianity is always a beggar seeking food and drink, cover and shelter from the cultures it encounters in its never-ending journeys and wanderings.”

This quote addresses our two primary concepts, gospel and culture, and does so by making a distinction between the eternal gospel and its never-ending cultural expressions. Although the gospel does not change, it is clothed over and over again, changing its appearance in various cultures throughout time.

The phrase “eternal gospel” only appears in Revelation 14 where an angel flies over the earth “with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.” When we think of the word “eternal” our minds typically trigger otherworldly, un-earthy images, but God is connecting this eternal gospel with very earthly, worldly imagery. The gospel is not for heaven but for earth; it is not for escape but for engagement.

The Gospel is Cultural

In fact, its great news is for cultural-linguistic groups of people, i.e. nations, tribes, languages, and people. The gospel is focused on cultural groupings of people. It does not seek to rescue Americans from America or Africans from Africa, but rather to meet them in their cultural clothing. Someone has said that in heaven we will be “fully American” or “fully African.” The gospel is culturally particularized, focused, expressed.

In Christ, we discover the gospel clothed in cultural particulars. Jesus Christ does not drop out of heaven; he is born into a particular time and place, wearing particular clothing, speaking a particular language. He particularizes the good news in his flesh and in his clothing. Andrew Walls puts this phenomenon well: “Incarnation is translation.” Jesus is translates the gospel for us in space and time, in flesh and culture.

The Gospel is cultural. Jesus is cultural. We are cultural. Although the Gospel does not change, it does change its clothing. Incarnation is translation.