Walking on Water, Madeleine L’engle

jezcarr — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:50:46 +0000

(Reviewed by Miriam Jones) Madeleine L’engle was a U.S author of over 60 books for both children and adults, and is particularly remembered (she died in 2007) for her novels A Wrinkle in Time (a Newbery medal winner), A Wind in the Door, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet. L’engle wrote Walking on Water, somewhat reluctantly at first, on request – it was hoped that she would write on being a ‘Christian artist’. Where we might expect to find qualifications, limitations and theologizing, we instead find all doors thrown open, and through intimate glimpses of L’engles own life, process and experience, we see that to live creatively in Christ involves nothing less than childlike wonder, openness and faith, disciplined listening, and a willingness to serve ‘the work’, through which we are to name, to love, and to affirm life.

25 Jan: 2nd Forum on Art in Church

jezcarr — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:42:46 +0000

Our conversations on 30th Nov were a good start, and it was a fun to spend time together. We were a smaller, less formal group than originally planned (about 18), and that was a good thing. The main conclusion, unsurprisingly, was that there is far too much to talk about to get anywhere in one evening, so we decided to meet regularly (every 2 months) to talk things over. We’ll have a simple dinner in someone’s home, and talk about a specific element of this huge and complex area.

We’ll next be meeting at Miriam and Jez’s house in Marston. 7.00 on 25th Jan. The current plan is to do a brief overview of a few biblical texts that inform this conversation. Let me know if you fancy coming.

Forum on Church and Art

jezcarr — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:57:30 +0000

When: 30th November 2009, 7.00pm.
Where: tbc – in Oxford.
Price: tbc – probably £10 including dinner.

What:
This event will consider how to enable artists to play their part in the life of the Church, by examining both the role of artists in the Church and the relational challenges that often arise with church leaders. The subject matter will be better nuanced by then – feel free to input if you’d like to. The hope is that the evening will serve as a stepping stone in helping the Church engage more creatively with the life of faith.

The evening will include round-table discussions over dinner, followed by a larger-scale interaction between a panel of artists and church leaders. The panel will include Krish Kandiah (Executive Director: Churches in Mission for the UK Evangelical Alliance, formerly taught at Wycliffe College / Oxford University and pastored Church in the Kitchen) who will be able to help our discussions bear real fruit.

As this is a catered event, we will need to know if you’re coming. At this stage, please just let Jez know if you’d be interested in coming.

Art and the Bible, Francis Schaeffer

jezcarr — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:55:17 +0000

A really quick, easy read (2-4hrs) that provides some good background to the historical issues surrounding faith and art. While the conversation has moved way beyond the concerns Schaeffer is answering, and while his answers occasionally reflect the Modernist context out of which he was writing, the book is certainly worth the effort. It looks at biblical examples of art as permission for art today – art that is representational (including by implication art that is representational of God), art that holds no ‘function’ other than to be beautiful (even in church). He writes out of a holistic view of the lordship of Christ over all elements of humanity (not just the ‘spiritual’) which would have been radical when he was writing.

Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2, Steve Stockman

jezcarr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:38:37 +0000

book list

Bono has to be studied in any thorough engagement with artistic spirituality, even if you don’t end up thinking much of him, which I do (think much of him, that is). This is one of a few biographies of U2, but the only one I’ve read. I found it helpful for giving me a grounding in U2 spirituality. Though, again, if you are just starting to think about artistic spirituality, there are better, don’t start here.

Voicing Creation’s Praise, Jeremy Begbie

jezcarr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:37:39 +0000

book list

Another Begbie I embarrassingly haven’t read. Anyone?

Theology, Music and Time, Jeremy Begbie

jezcarr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:36:33 +0000

book list

A really dense theological book, worth reading if you are very interested in Begbie’s big thing: Theology through the arts. In essence, he examines how a bunch of musical principles enrich our understanding of God, church etc. Only read it if you are keen on studying this kind of theological method to a fairly high level.

The Substance of Things Seen, Robin Jensen

jezcarr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:35:20 +0000

book list

A book examining the role of the arts in the church. I admit to having only read sections, but have found what I’ve read to be really thought-provoking. Includes some useful historical under-pinning. The book will connect best with visual artists, as that is the focal point of her discussion.

The Mind of the Maker, Dorothy Sayers

jezcarr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:34:25 +0000

book list

Embarrassingly, I haven’t read this – I have felt uncomfortable with the little I have read of Sayers, and that’s kinda put me off. But it is the seminal work on theology and art from the Catholic perspective, and as such will offer a great balance to the works of Rookmaaker and Wolterstorff et al, focusing more on art as imaging God’s own creative character. I promise to read it. Hopefully someone will comment soon enough.

The Creative Gift, Hans Rookmaaker

jezcarr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:33:25 +0000

book list

Rookmaaker was a professor or Art History and a good friend of Schaeffer, and is one of the most important voices regarding a Reformed theology of art. From what I can remember, this is another great book by Rookmaaker. I remember flicking through it and noting that I must come back and read it properly. However, I can find nothing on it in any of my notes, so what I did read clearly wasn’t life-changing.