ARE WE A PEOPLE AT HALF TIME? - Leadership Network

" W e are about to say art and worship in the same sentence, a jarring
concept to many i
n whip
leadership. On the
other hand, to
many Christian artists struggling to find their vocation embraced in the life
By Kathi Allen
t Church in Peoria, IL and church consultant
When the Protestant church purged ltself of
"arts," lt bl~ndfolded belleven, squelched artists
and s~lenced powevful expressions of wonh~p.
Th~s once-r~ch mu1t1-hued tapestry ~ncludlng
muslc, instrumentation, palntlngs, stalned
glass, poetry, story, Imagery, dance, scents
and symbols was strlpped of ~ts beauty and
reduced to mus~cal 'Styles" dependent on
generat~onal and leadership preferences.
Today, we use worshlp and music
~nterchangeably "S~nce muslc 1s not the sum
and substance ofworshlp, we need to repent
of our redu&on~sm and set about to restore
fullness to the presence of God ~n our mldst"
says theology professor; Robert Webber:
Since muslc 1s a matter of taste, tralnlng,
experfence and ablbty, "worsh~p" has become
a hotly debated battleground. Worshp wars
have spl~t churches lnto "trad~tlonal" and
"contemporary" muslc camps Now we're ~n
danger of further sphtenng lnto ph~losoph~cal
camps of modern vs. postmodern wlth
resultant ~rnpl~catrons for muslc.
In churches across the country, lndlgenous
art-filled worshlp IS emerg~ng. Green Lake
Presbytenan Church In Seattle has worshlp
that 'is organ~c, lt uses up fvom our
community," says Pastor M~chael Kelly. He
loves saylng to new behevers who are amsts,
"You love God now. Express that In the
context of the gospel. Don't try to make ~t
fit what you thlnk the church wants. What
this church wants 1s for you to express lt fvom
your own heart, In th~s church, at thls tlme
and In thls age " "By no means 1s our sense
of beauty and worsh~p only about muslc. It's
about hturgy, the sanctuary and all the arts."
NEXT: Why are we experiencing P
renaissance in the arl
SM= We have moved from a codified langu
(print) to when our main entrance points into
NEXT: Are the c~ts integml to worship
SIIII= The arts in every aspect of the church are
non-negotiable. At the turn of this millennium, it's
almost a no-brainer. Our whole culture, Christian
and non, and every age group is relating to and
even accessing meaning in life through art It's not
through lists bf ab& hanaeh6a about God,
but through visual a&, media and narrative.
NEXT: How can churches embrace
the arts
SM. I think any church, from the smallest to
the largest, can start embracing art in worship by
using the very forms they're using now. To use arts
in worship, first and foremost use arts to build
relationship. It is not art as product first but art
as community. Start with small art affinity groups
or a creative arts think tank at church.
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