The Intersection of Faith and Culture
This July, Jesus Culture — a worship driven ministry that is gaining a reputation as sort of the Hillsongs of America — is putting on a conference in LA. We got to chat with Jesus Culture director Banning Liebscher about the origins of JC, the conference, and what it means […]
Chinua Achebe died on March 21 at the age of 82. The news of his death echoed across the world because even though he was considered the ‘grandfather of African literature,’ his writing crossed ethnic and cultural boundaries like few before him. I had not heard of Chinua Achebe before a friend […]
Stove Pain versus Bicycle Pain If a child touches a hot stove and burns his hand, he learns not to touch the stove again. That’s simple wisdom, right? But what would happen if children took the same lesson from every conflict? The first time they fell while trying to learn […]
All the conversations I’ve had with readers (and viewers) of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz suggest that it occasioned in its church-based audience something akin to Roberta Flack’s lyrics in “Killing Me Softly.” I was about to say that I wish I could relate. In fact, I tend to spend […]
What defines Christian Art? Lately this genre has illustrated or portrayed the principles of Christianity all the while remaining PG-13. Precious Moments figurines, Veggie Tales DVD’s, and pastoral paintings by Thomas Kinkade may immediately spring to mind. But all that is changing. Although some boundaries help, playing it too safe can stifle creativity. So what can Christian Art do better? And how can we define this genre differently? These are the questions we posed to a group of artists (who also happen to be Christian).
What defines Christian Art? Lately this genre has illustrated or portrayed the principles of Christianity all the while remaining PG-13. Precious Moments figurines, Veggie Tales DVD’s, and pastoral paintings by Thomas Kinkade may immediately spring to mind. But all that is changing. Although some boundaries help, playing it too safe can stifle creativity. So what can Christian Art do better? And how can we define this genre differently? These are the questions we posed to a group of artists (who also happen to be Christian).