Faith As Art
The Whatever Moving Company has another job today, so I can't talk for long. Here's one for the artists in the crowd.
I'm still digesting last week. Here's a quick thought for you that has nothing to do with Galatians. At one point during the week Dr. Fee told us about his son and daughter-in-law, who are both artists. He laughed and said he sometimes wondered where his son got his genes. He then reflected on some of the more arts-based events that had taken place during the last week of summer school.
Then Gordon got quiet for a moment. (The thing you may not know about Gordon Fee if all you've been exposed to is his writing is he is a fiery Pentecostal preacher. 71 years old and he still pounds the pulpit and yells with the best of them.) He looked at us and said that if he had any artistic talent at all he'd give up the preaching and look to art to tell the story of the Gospel.
"Here am I," he lamented emotionally, "stuck with mere words."
Mere words, indeed.
Now that is amazing. To tell the gospel in a way that reaches the senses as opposed to just hearing?!
How then can each of us learn to tell the story with our art?
Good challenge.
Posted by: stephanie | July 31, 2005 at 01:56 PM
The challenge is there: how to unleash the potential and the story of the gospel through the arts? We need to explore that more as the Church, for sure.
But, something he said made the lights on my dashboard light up: He said, if he had any artistic ability in him? I know what he is saying (he can't sing or dance or paint) but it comes across saying that some people have creativity/artistic ability and some don't. Correct me if I am wrong, but I see very little evidence of that found in Scripture. We all have artistic ability and creativity in us, big and small (some with a paint brush, some with a pen, etc). We just need to unleash what is already there.
J.R.
Posted by: J.R. | July 31, 2005 at 02:26 PM
Hmmm. Not sure, JR. I think I get where he's coming from.
Posted by: Mike | August 01, 2005 at 07:57 AM
beautiful.
Posted by: Leslie | August 01, 2005 at 10:13 AM
The story is already being told through the arts - through history and across cultures. Those in boxes of all kinds - religious, political, etc - just need to begin to listen and then participate in what is already taking place. We embarass ourselves when we come in full tilt thinking of all we have to give without first taking the time to really hear...
Posted by: Karen | August 01, 2005 at 12:46 PM
Wow. Go Gordon.
Posted by: Jon | August 02, 2005 at 07:59 PM
Amazing...and You Mike a real artist...though you do not yet realize how good you are... I hope you will. I will encourage you in this.
Posted by: Mac | August 02, 2005 at 10:38 PM
I've long been an admirer of Gordon Fee. His statement blows me away.
Posted by: A | August 07, 2005 at 01:22 AM