A while ago I was speaking with a coworker of mine and we were talking about our beliefs. As the conversation developed he said that I should I meet one of his friends. He told me that I should do this because I should see his tattoo. He says it is his religion. No matter what you think about body art, you must understand that my coworker’s friend was making a beautiful statement about art. As a matter of fact, it sums up quite well what we are thinking about this evening: An artist’s view of life is inherent in his work. How an artist views reality will affect what he produces, and how he produces it. A work of art reveals what an artist believes. You may take a trip to an art museum and view various works of art. You may be impressed with an artist’s use of color, you may be repulsed at the subject presented in the work, but you may be clueless about the significance of the work or ignorant of what is being communicated by it. After walking through an art gallery you may realize that there were all different kinds of pictures. But you may not realize why they are different. For instance, if we look at these pictures, you will see that they are quite different But why are they different? They are different because they are produced by different people who live in different places and different times. They are different because each of the artists thinks differently! Each of these artists was influenced by the thought patterns that pervaded their age. A professor has said, “There is no better way to understand a basic worldview of a period of history than to study its art forms.” This is quite true. Art is never created in a vacuum. It always reflects the time and worldview in which they live. No matter how creative an artist is he will express the worldview of his time. This is why it has been said that artists are "the prophets of one's age." Artists interact with the world of ideas. They communicate those ideas, and sometimes even tell us where those ideas are going. Tonight we are gathering together not for a study in culture, but for a study in cultures. I have entitled this evening’s study “The Heart of Art.” We will be examining various works of art, but our study will not be “surfacy.” We will be going deeper. We will be going inside the minds and hearts of the artist. We will be looking at how the artists’ inner world because the way people paint flows out of the way someone sees the world. My goal this evening is basically twofold. The first, and most general goal, is simply to help enhance your appreciation of art and of the arts in general. This I want to do by helping you to understand something of the context. Art is never without its context. To understand a work of art it is often important to realize something about the “who, when, and where” in which it was produced. As it is, a man who shapes a sculpture is often himself shaped by his culture, or the ideas prevalent in that culture. To critique artwork, and ultimately to appreciate artwork, one must have some sort of understanding of these fundamental underpinnings. My second goal is to help you has to do with my occupation. I am a pastor. As such, I am concerned about the formation of ideas and the consequences of those ideas. To put it another way, I am concerned about what people believe. That is because those beliefs and one's philosophy of life has eternal significance.
Is that true though? If that is your philosophy of life, you have to ask what the point of living is?
You see, postmodernism has consequences (and I would say, consequences of eternal significance!). You might look at this and think it is nothing more than an expensive piece of garbage...and I would agree to some extent. But it is also indicative of what many people in our culture believe. Someone has said that artists are unique in that they are like “prophets.” He went on to explain that artists are sensitive to the ideas & thought patterns of their time. They often show us where those ideas are going. Tonight I want us to listen to what those artists have to say. ...to be continued.
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To speak of a “Christian worldview” may sound foreign to many people who claim to be Christians. This is because they are used to thinking about Christianity solely in terms of spiritual salvation. Salvation is a distinct aspect of the Christian faith, and an exceedingly prominent one at that. But the notion of salvation does not encapsulate the whole of Christianity. Again, many Christians have a narrow vision when it comes to Christianity. A professor of economics at a Christian college opens his class each semester by asking his students what the Bible says about money and economics. He says that he is met with blank stares. Only a few of his students recognize that the Bible talks about the issue in great depth. When it comes to politics, many Christians choose to simply avoid the topic. Or, if they do get into it, they simply choose to follow the platform of the Republican Party or the daily expressions of Rush Limbaugh. (It should be noted that this is changing! Many evangelicals were said to vote for Barak Obama in 2008.) The Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper expressed the sentiment of the Christian worldview when he said, “In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, 'That is mine!'” This was his way of communicating the fact that Christianity is an all-encompassing worldview. He himself not only understood how the Bible touched every aspect of life (be it politics, education, economics, family, etc), but Kyper was a living expression of it. During his lifetime he served as a pastor and theologian, a politician, a journalist, and contributed significantly to the world of education. Another way of talking about this subject may be seen in the following quote. A man once said, “The Bible is an expert in every subject with which it deals, and it deals with every subject This Sunday (Feb. 17) at 9:45 our elder, Judge Jim Deweese, will be presenting a seminar on "Same-sex Marriage: Does it Matter?" at Providence Church. With the militancy of the homosexual agenda advancing things like civil unions and same sex marriage, the pressing question of the day is whether Christian marriage is a value still worth retaining. Judge Deweese will argue that marriage between one man and one woman is not only God ordained, but necessary for retaining viability as a society. I made this chart that gives an overview of the Biblical prophets years ago and have found it to be quite useful over the years. It is designed to help memorize where each prophet fits in historically. Once you break it down this way, it is not as hard to commit them to memory. If anything, it gives you a visual to help sort out the flow of biblical history and the role of each prophet. I've been listening to this series of sermons by Dr. Curt Daniel on Philosophy and Christianity as part of my research for my worldview class. Of particular interest is this lecture on Existentialism and Nihilism (embedded below). I like the Existentialists because they are the most consistent atheists/naturalists. If life has no God, life has no meaning. If life has no meaning, then life is absurd. If life is absurd, then why live. Daniel puts it well when he says that existentialism and nihilism are "the sewer into which all philosophical systems run." In the teaching Daniel does an excellent job of showing the different variations of existential thought have express themselves in art, theater, anarchism, and everyday life. What's best is that through the entire series he points to first sources, using names and quotes/examples of people who embody the philosophies. The esteemed scholars of one of my previous classes. I've been asked by a number of homeschool parents if I was going to offer any classes for home schoolers this year. The answer is YES! I will offer one or two of the following, depending on interest:
If you would like to probe the ins and outs of each class to get a fuller idea, check the descriptions out at my site. FYI: the basic doctrine class can also be used as a writing class if you would like your child(ren) to have some practice at composition. I will not be teaching composition per se, but I can assign them such if you would like them to have those kinds of exercises (stories, essays, poems, etc). The classes will only be $10 per family. They will once a week for 12-14 weeks. Number's 1 & 2 above will be both Jr. & Sr. high levels (grades 6-8 & 9-12). The worldview class will be Sr. high only.
One of the most profitable studies I've conducted during my ministry is the course on "How to Watch a Movie Like a Christian." Our study took approximately 5 weeks and the text that we used was Brian Godwa's fabulous book, Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment. Godwa does an excellent job of helping the reader understand that movies are not just entertainment. They are preachers who are out to proselytize. In other words, movies contain messages that can shape your life if you are not wise to them. The conclusion of our study sought to apply what we learned by watching the late 80's classic Dead Poet's Society. I remember watching this movie when I was in Jr. High or High School, and I thought it was a superb movie. I still do. But, in watching it again with a better trained eye, what we found was that this movie promotes a strong existential (i.e. anti-Christian) worldview. The following is a breif synopsis of the things that we should be aware of as we watch the film. Theme 1. Salvation is breaking free from authorities and influences. Rules restrict creativity and suppress all potential and “the real you.”
[The following is part of a lesson that I am teaching on Biblical hermeneutics and exegesis. I wanted to share it because it is a vital step in Bible interpretation that is rarely taught. Moreover, I wanted to help people see how my preaching usually differs from other churches.] Up to this point, your work has been strictly Jewish. You must now make it Christian! This is done when you find the passage’s Christological significance. Always remember: The passage is not fully interpreted until you have discovered how the passage comes to its fulfillment in Christ. The Bible itself tells us this. We can tell first simply by understanding the nature of Scripture. The whole of the Bible is telling one story. There are many stories, but it is ultimately one divine narrative. This helps us to keep in mind what we are talking about as we work through the Scriptures. The question we must ask is, “How is this specific story (or passage) drawing out the overall story?” We can preach about Joseph and say, “Go and do likewise.” But to do so would be wrong. Joseph did nothing of his own power. His demeanor and ability to resist sexual temptation was “through Christ who strengthens me.” Moreover, the point of the Joseph narrative is not about what we can do to be like Joseph. The real point is God’s providential acts through Joseph to provide for the redemption of his people. Herein is the Christological point: “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to bring about the salvation of many.” Despite how heinous evil is, God still uses it for his ultimate purposes. The cross of Jesus Christ is a great evil, but it was ordained of God for the purpose of saving many. Secondly, we find that interpreting the Scriptures “Christologically” is one of the basic principles of Biblical interpretation laid out in the New Testament. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Eph. 4:28 For my next class, which will be on "Ministering to the Poor," we will be looking at the above verse. I am going to make the point that, on the basis of this verse, churches ought to not let its members take public assistance of any kind. To do so would be permitting theft (let alone countenancing the other vices, such as sloth, that accompany such acts). Instead, churches ought to be the agents of charity to its members. The corporate body ought to be the ones who "bear one another's burdens" and "encourage one another to good works." |
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