Liberty University School of Divinity an Examination of Art in the American Evangelical Church for the Purpose of Discipleship A

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Liberty University School of Divinity an Examination of Art in the American Evangelical Church for the Purpose of Discipleship A Liberty University School of Divinity An Examination Of Art In The American Evangelical Church For The Purpose Of Discipleship And Evangelism A Thesis Project Submitted to The Faculty of Liberty University School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry By Joshua Dugan Lynchburg, Virginia September 2017 Copyright © 2017 by Joshua Dugan All Rights Reserved ii Liberty University School of Divinity Thesis Project Approval Sheet ______________________________ Mentor, Dr. Rod Dempsey ______________________________ Reader, Dr. David Wheeler iii AN EXAMINATION OF ART IN THE AMERICAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH FOR THE PURPOSE OF DISCIPLESHIP AND EVANGELISM Joshua Dugan Liberty University School of Divinity, 2017 Mentor: Dr. Rod Dempsey Christianity, in previous eras, has been the foundation of the art community. But, it has surrendered that role over the past three centuries and with it a significant potion of its influence on culture. In addition the church is not effectively reaching an entire demographic of people, those who would define themselves as creatives and artists, because it has distanced itself from the arts. This paper will research the previous methods employed by the church and the current limitations of art within the American Evangelical church through applied academic research as well as interviews with church leaders and artists. The results of this study provide philosophies and methods by which a church can increase its influence within the community, disciple artists and creatives, and effectively engage both the creative demographic within secular culture with the gospel. iv AKNOWLEDGEMENTS: To my wife, Rachel, for teaching me to love the fine arts (except Monet whom I will never accept), her unending support, and skills as an editor To Ray Streets Jr., Bill Keagey, and Leif Horrell who helped this unruly creative find his place in the family of God To all those artistic friends who have spent countless hours dreaming with me about how to better disciple and evangelize our fellow creatives To my father, Robert Dugan, who first introduced me to the Savior and gave me the passion for worshiping God through the arts v Contents Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 - Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................................... 1 Limitations ............................................................................................................................ 4 Theoretical Basis .................................................................................................................. 6 Statement of Methodology ................................................................................................... 9 Review of Literature .......................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2 – Art in Church History ............................................................................................ 23 Art in Scripture ................................................................................................................... 26 Art in the Early Church to the Middle Ages ....................................................................... 30 Early Christian Period (100-476 AD) ....................................................................... 30 Church Art in Middle Ages (476-1450 AD) ............................................................ 44 The Misuse of Art in Church History ............................................................................... 59 How Art Began a Reformation .......................................................................................... 63 Review of Art in Church History ...................................................................................... 68 Chapter 3 – Art in the Modern Era ........................................................................................... 70 The Rise of Industry: The Reshaping of Art and Culture ................................................... 71 Art in Modern Day Culture ................................................................................................. 73 Art in the Modern Church ................................................................................................... 77 Abandoning Mediocrity ...................................................................................................... 82 Interviews with Artist and Christian Leaders ...................................................................... 84 vi Chapter 4 –Returning the Arts to the Church ....................................................................... 100 Change Begins With Leadership ....................................................................................... 101 Creating A Creative Culture .............................................................................................. 107 Identifying Artists .............................................................................................................. 117 Creating Opportunities For The Arts ................................................................................ 120 Summary and Areas of Further Study ............................................................................... 126 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 129 Appendix A: ................................................................................................................................ 137 Appendix B: ................................................................................................................................ 145 Appendix C: ................................................................................................................................ 147 vii Abbreviations DMIN Doctor of Ministry EDM Electronic Dance Music viii CHAPTER 1 Statement of the Problem There is something missing in the church, or more aptly said, someone. A few years ago a young man walked into a contemporary church service, openly looking for a place to belong. He was a prodigy of sorts. By the time he was in his early twenties he had been signed to a record label and toured the country making music only to start a new profession as a graphic designer and videographer, gaining national recognition. He politely asked everyone he could find how to get involved. He was simply looking for a way to return to God the talents bestowed on him. After a few months of effort, he left. He couldn’t find anyone to connect with or a place to serve. The best ideas this progressive contemporary church offered were the chance to sign up for a random small group or to serve as a greeter. They told him that they didn’t have a use for his skills. Instead of finding a community that welcomed him, he was greeted by a church that had no idea what to do with a true creative or the art he was offering. Instead of finding a home in the church, the young man went to the only place that accepted him: the secular art community. The theme of this story is a common one. The church is full of bankers, laborers, athletes, doctors, and a litany of other professionals, but there are a staggeringly limited number of creatives when compared to other occupational or social demographics. With the exception of a few small subsets encouraged by the church, such as worship musicians or portrait photographers, the church’s population is in short supply of artists. Where are the painters, the poets, the playwrights, and the sculptors? Where are the game designers, visual effects gurus, EDM artists, animators, movie and television stars, or 1 tattoo artists? The church is fully represented by a number of professions, but when it comes to those directly shaping the modern cultural landscape with beauty and art there is a profound absence. The American Evangelical church as a whole has no plan to evangelize this demographic. Many of these churches don’t even know where to begin. It is important to note that most Christians are unaware of this problem. Churches, specifically those in the United States, often portray an image of openness towards the arts, but with close examination the opposite is found to be true. The arts displayed and accepted within the church are highly limited. Paintings are limited to a select number of styles, such as neo-gothic art or utopian landscapes in the style of Thomas Kinkade. Each church restricts music to an average catalog of fifty songs.1 The church does not engage with new or fresh art, but limits itself to a safe derivative rehashing of the arts they are comfortable with, often forgoing quality for the sake of conformity. The result of this is two-fold: First this system pushes creatives away from the church by making their skills and appreciations unwelcome. Secondly, by limiting how people can express themselves the church is restricting the worship and spiritual development both of creatives and the general congregation. David Siedell explains this by saying, “It is not merely that we do not appreciate the beauty of the arts, but that we do not appreciate the beauty of Christianity itself.”2 The church has separated itself from the arts in such a way
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