Friday, December 23, 2005

MERRY CHRISTMAS INTERFACE - NEW MP3

…and a very merry Christmas to everyone. Good to see some of you at the Tate last Saturday. Lets do it again into the New Year. Back in November we had our first Interface group meeting in Scotland. We discussed ‘Art in the Bible’ and ‘Can I be a Christian and an Artist?’. Thanks to all of you who made the trek across Scotland to the event. What a good day we had together!

Down in London 20 of us met in November to hear Jim Paul from l’Abri open up thoughts on ‘Creativity and Creaturliness’. Check out the recording of this event (complete with worship from the room next door half way through!) to the right. You can download it as an mp3. Just click on the link and Bob’s your uncle.

As always, any comments and ideas most welcome! Have a very merry and creative Christmas good people.

3Comments:

Blogger becci brown said...

Happy New Year Al!
Looking forward to catching up sometime soon...

7:18 AM

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Creative students for Christ, hmmm? Well, considering I enjoy putting pen to paper for stories and sketches and stuff and want to write stories and use those gifts to please God, I guess that includes me!

I see that one thing this is supposed to be for is discussion, so I wonder whether there's anyone else out there with any thoughts on approaching writing and storytelling as a Christian. I'd like to be a published author, and I don't want to write for just a Christian niché audience, but how should my faith affect what I write? Stories obviously aren't a preaching medium, but what difference should my love for God make in my writing?

Anyway, I see from this site that there have been events in London and Scotland - any plans for anything in Wales any time soon?

I've downloaded that MP3 and hope to listen to it soon, and I might post a few comments on it afterwards.

Toodle pip!

9:00 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Caleb. Good questions. My names Ally - I work for the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship and co-ordinate Interface. I'm a painter and installation maker. Good to hera your thoughts.

I think you're right to think outside of the Christian niche market for writing. As our culture becomes increasingly influenced by the media there has never been a more urgent time for Christians to engage with the creative Arts in a way that glorifies God. The big question is, 'What does that look like?'. Here's a few thoughts, tell me what you think...

First up, I don't think we have to look very far in the bible to see that God is for creativity in itself. Five words into Genesis we can see that creativity is the rigt at the heart of God's character and the first thing he chooses to record about himself in his word. For us, who are made in that creative image, the very act of writing, painting, making music etc is displaying fundamentally what it means to be an image bearer. Therefore, the Christian should never feel a need to justify his or her creativity by labelling it 'Christian', 'Evangelistic' or 'Gospel'.

When Adam writes his poem for Eve (the first piece of creative writing in the bible in Genesis 2:23) God is present and requires no justification from Adam. The poem is spoken out of gratitude to God but it ceratinly isn't litergical worship - if anything, it falls more into the catagory of love poetry.

So I think God is really for creative writing as an expression of what it means intrinsically to be an image bearer... But we live in a fallen world. Just as not all actions give glory to God, so not all creativity brings him glory. The next question is what writing brings God glory and what brings glory to the author or the devil? I think that's got to do with motives... but not just that. The bible talks a lot about idols that try to stand up against God. Theres lots we can talk about there but I'd be intereted in what you make of these things first.

... Unfortunately we don't have an Interface group in Wales yet. We'd like to some time in the future. Perhaps that's something to pray about?!

Bless you man. Hope to hear from you.

Anyone else want to join in the discussion?

1:31 PM

 

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Friday, December 09, 2005

WHO WANTS TO SEE A SHOW NEXT SATURDAY?

Hi there,

A few of us Interfacers were thinking about gouing to see an exhibition together next Saturday (17th). The Turner Prize is still running, Henri Rousseu and Jeff Wall are on at the Tate. Saatchi's last installment of Triumphal Paintings will be opening too.

Who wants to see a show?

Let me know what you fancy seeing and we could all meet centrally at 2pm.

Ally G

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