ARE WE A PEOPLE AT HALF TIME? - Leadership Network

The creative arts ...p oetry, music, art,
literature, drama. ..are emerging to be
significant elements of worship, ministry
and communicating the Gospel in our
2lst Century culture. We thank
Kathi Allen of Allen Research &
Communications for her research and
writing on the role of the creative arts
and Christian artist.
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FROM LEADERSHIP NETWORK
The arts are a language of the soul.
They speak with eloquence and power.
A chance viewing of a painting in
then-Communist Russia moved an
observer to life-changing faith. One
scene in a play brought a young woman
to repentance and conversion. Music
emanating from a broken-down
church called to an artist passing by
and broke through lifelong barriers
against Christianity. Newspaper
headhes remrt "Poetrv's Dower
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transforms young lives."
In today's warp-speed culture, we live
in information overload. Art engages
US in reflection on the deeper issues of
life and soul. In Boston, Chicago,
Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco
and Washington, DC, more people
now attend art events than sporting
events. Art are popping up in
shopping malls. Literary readings are
held in every major city. Interest in
poetry is skyrocketing. Clearly, the arts
are speaking the language of our
culture's thirsty soul.
But there is a nagging question ... is the
church ready for a Christian arts
renaissance That was the question on
a recent cover of WmshiP L&
magazine. And it's also the burning
question in the hearts of many of
today's Christian artists.
What's the big deal Why are the arts
and faith an issue instead of a given
Two historical turning points shaped
the American Protestant church's
uneasy relationship with the arts -
the Reformation and the cultural shh
of the last forty years. Today, the church
stands at a turning point in its
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