I often wonder, as an artist myself, why the church has such a hard time integrating the Arts into services or ministry. For those of us that have followed the works of C.S. Lewis or Francis Shaeffer in dealing with Christians in the Arts, it seems there isn’t much more to be said; that we as the Church are at a dead end when it comes to the Arts. Well, if you are in that mindset, as I was, then For the Beauty of the Church is exactly the kind of book for you.
From the beginning, I was not too excited to read yet another book on “Casting a Vision for the Arts,” especially through the introduction as the editor walked me through what I was about to begin reading. Apart from any hesitancy, I continued reading finding a gold mind of insight and beauty from people across the spectrum of the Church. The book itself is a “community” of people coming together to cast this vision, not only for the Arts, but for the Church as well. Andy Crouch, Eugene Peterson, and Lauren Winner, just to name a few of the contributing writers, all came together to paint a truly diverse revelation that can be applied to those churches looking for ways to integrate the Arts, and its many facets, into their repertoire of worship.
If you are a pastor, student, artist, or even just a lover of Arts, For the Beauty of the Church creates the perfect balance of Spirit moved interpretation on the Arts and culture making truths of God’s cultural mandate.
Tags: Arts, community, gospel, beauty, worship, theological framework
No comments:
Post a Comment