Finding direction

10 February 2023

“Judging” Art?

We know intuitively that art, in some way, can be used for “good” or “bad”. And it seems to us that there is “good art” and “bad art”. But of course many today would tell us that you simply cannot judge art, because it’s art! After all, artists should have absolute liberty to be creative.

Henry F. Potter — *Mr. Potter – we’ll talk about him later…*

So today in our Biblical Anthropology series, we ask the question – can you judge or evaluate art? Or is it only a question of culture, or opinion?

Let’s go to a very important text in the book of Colossians. The Apostle Paul has been talking about Jesus Christ as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (verse 3).

Now, he’s going after the false teachers, who want to bring back the feasts and dietary laws from Moses.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Colossians 2:8-10

“[Christ] is the head of all rule and authority”. Jesus said it this way in John 5:22 – “the Father … has given all judgement to the Son”.

Everything in all of creation is under the authority of Jesus Christ. Science, art, math, governments, churches, your workplace, your video games, your playlist. Everything.

We recognize that people have different preferences, and that’s fine. But everything is still under Christ’s authority.

We’re constantly creating art, our community is constantly creating art. And every movie, every band, every painting, every meme, must be placed under the authority of Christ.

This isn’t to say that every song should be a Christian hymn, and that every painting should represent a Bible story. But it does mean that all art must be for God’s glory. And even secular (non-religious) art can glorify the Lord. Even art created by unbelievers can glorify God, thanks to God’s grace in all the world, and the imago dei.

But let’s get real – very often the world is using art to actively fight against God. So we need to think about how that is done.

Let’s go back to where we started in our first study – Genesis 1 & 2. We looked at three keywords in that study – Truth, Dependence, and Purpose.

Yes, art does have a purpose. Even when it is supposedly simply “art for the sake of art”. Or when it’s deliberately “purposeless” art. But of course, that is its purpose. You simply can’t avoid purpose.

Dependence? We depend on something that is outside of ourselves, and all things depend on God. Or, we could say, they depend on Christ – “in him all things hold together” Colossians 1:17.

So let’s look again at what happened with “Nehushtan”, the bronze snake.

First, the people had to pretend that they didn’t depend on God. The image was controlled by unbelievers who used it as a false god. I mean, imagine if the image had been placed in a museum with a notice underneath: “Praise Yahweh for saving us from judgement – read the fourth Book of Moses for details”. Maybe the idolatry never would have happened!

The purpose of the bronze snake was changed. Instead of a reminder of God’s judgement, and a symbol of faith, it became a false god in itself.

And truth itself had to be ignored. “This isn’t just a metal image on a pole – it’s the mighty Nehushtan!” And perhaps the story of Numbers 21 was told, conveniently leaving out some important details, such as the sin of the people against God. Truth mixed with error. We’ve talked about that before – remember the house in ruins?

Finally, they separated the image and the Word of God completely. They tried to reinterpret the world, ignoring God’s revelation, God’s truth. “…men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” Romans 1:18.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Romans 1:22-23

The world used its God-given creativity and ability to communicate to attempt to change the truth. Of course, you can’t change truth. But they hid it, suppressed it. How?

Have you ever noticed that when you see “popular sins” depicted on the big screen, there are rarely serious consequences? Immorality, for example, rarely results in disease and broken families.

And when you see a pastor or other Christian religious figure, usually they’re ignorant – or even evil? But if there’s an immoral person, that is, immoral in a culturally acceptable way, that person is often depicted as being very wise, or at least they’re the comic relief.

In Hollywood, especially in the 1930s-1950s, movies were regularly evaluated to determine if they were “decent”, and they were censored if they didn’t comply with certain criteria. For example, the 1946 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”. One of my favourites, I’ll admit it.

If you don’t know the movie, it’s a fantasy about a man wanting to commit suicide, who is visited by an angel.

The movie almost had to be changed. Why? Well, in the story there’s a rich and evil man named Mr. Potter. Now, Potter is a wicked man, who is depicted as a wicked man in the movie. So far so good. Already we’re doing better than most of today’s movies.

But in this movie, he never experiences any significant consequences for his sin. There’s no punishment at the end. Of course, that’s the way things sometimes are in the real world – evil people seem to get away with their evil. But for some people, that made the movie “indecent”. My, how things have changed!

Today, it seems, movies must make evil look good.

Next time we’ll look at some current examples of how creativity and communication are being used by the world.

10 February 2023

Three Odd Packages

Jim Practical matters, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 1

When these were delivered, I thought – there must be some mistake. Then, I remembered…

Of course! The cocoons of the giant Mexican Tacomoth! No, just kidding.

You may know that, every Sunday, a faithful few get up early in the morning to put up a series of tarps and tents so we can have our weekly service. There are various tarps over the congregation, all tied up with ropes every Sunday. There’s a tent for all the instruments and the pulpit. And there’s a small tent in the back for the children’s Sunday school class.

After the service, all this needs to come down, be wrapped and tied and folded and put away. There are usually quite a few extra helpers after the service, as everything comes down together, chairs are put away, instruments are put away, and so on.

The end result is fair, although sometimes things do blow over.

As thankful as we are for all the hard workers, we’re looking for ways to make things easier.

So, what have we there on the couch? Three new mesh tarps. The plan is to have something in place that not only looks nicer, but is a lot easier to put up and take down. They will let a little more sun through, but still provide shade. No, they will not protect from rain. However, here in Mexico City, that’s really only a problem maybe one or two Sundays a year, and we’ll still have options if we need to rush around at the last minute to provide shelter.

The other improvement we’re hoping for is a little more shaded space for children’s activities. It’s pretty chilly right now, but in a couple of weeks we’ll likely be entering into our hot season, and shade will be all the more important.

So here’s hoping we can be a little more efficient, while still providing space for our disciple-making. We’re also working on some electrical issues, plumbing issues, and some much-needed / urgent – sound system replacement and upgrades.

And if you’re wondering – what about a more permanent solution? Yes, we’re working on that as well! But I’ll keep you in suspense for a while longer as work goes on behind the scenes.

8 February 2023

Retro: P52

Jim Just for fun, Ministry glimpses, Retro 0

Ten years ago today I was in the midst of my new series “Where did the Bible come from?”, which eventually became a seminar which I have shared in Canada and elsewhere in Mexico as well.

Here I am with a replica of P52, a papyrus with part of the Gospel of John, dated from the early second century. Shari and I were able to see it in person back in 2011. As you can see, my t-shirt also fits the theme, with other fragments from the second century. This seminar is so much fun – I hope I can do it again!

Jim with a replica of P52 — All ready for class, with P52!

2 February 2023

Religious Art, Secular Art, and Ugly Art in the Bible

Jim Devotional and Bible 0

Last time in our Biblical Anthropology series we started talking more about art in the Bible – and the descriptions of the Tabernacle and Temple are a treasure trove.

Artist's rendition of Solomon's temple — *Artist’s rendition of Solomon’s temple*

Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.
Exodus 26:1

Here is just a part of the instructions for the robe of the High Priest:

On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.
Exodus 28:33-34

The High Priest literally made music while he walked! And here we see physical images – a pomegranate, in 3D. Blue, purple and scarlet. Have you ever seen a purple pomegranate? Not me. Of course, maybe the threads are supposed to be combined together. But either way, these are not identical to real pomegranates – they’re artistic representations.

And this art continues in the construction of the Temple. David said that the pattern for the temple had been given to him from God Himself (1 Chronicles 28:19).

There were precious stones in the Temple. Why? They’re beautiful! Here, listen to this description of the huge receptacle called the “sea”:

Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. Under it were figures of gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. Its thickness was a handbreadth. And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths.
2 Chronicles 4:2-5

And so here we have this huge “sea” – decorated with oxen. And overall it looked like an open lily.

There should be no doubt left in our minds that there is nothing wrong with artistic images in general. And that includes images used for religious purposes. But you don’t bow before them!

In fact, there are many different types of art in the Temple and Tabernacle. The Sea would be applied art, art used for a practical purpose. It’s also “plastic art”. That’s not necessarily art made from plastic, but art moulded from a certain material, such as gold.

Not only were there bells on the high priest’s robe, there was also a chorus of priests who led worship. There was wonderful-smelling incense. There was food to enjoy. You could use all your senses in the Temple.

And at the entrance – two magnificent columns. And we don’t know for sure, but it doesn’t seem like there were there to hold anything up. That is – they seem to have no practical “use” at all. They just looked beautiful! (Of course, beauty is practical, but you know what I mean.)

And so, in the Temple alone, we see all kinds of art, art that communicates, sometimes only communicating beauty. We see representations of spiritual things, representations of physical things. And not exact representations, artistic interpretations. Art that required artistic ability and technique.

And God Himself gave men and women artistic skill. An example:

“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.
Exodus 31:2-5

Plastic art (gold, silver and bronze), architecture (cutting stones for setting). God is the head craftsman. He loves art!

And although some art in the Bible is what we might call “religious”, some art is not directly related to worship. Of course, for believers, all of life is worship. But there is what we might call “secular art” in the Bible as well.

For example, have you read about Solomon’s throne? Incredible!

We have an entire book that talks about romantic love, and doesn’t even mention God (or only mentions Him once, but that’s another story).

And not all art in the Bible is happy and uplifting. For example, we have a secular poem from David, a lament for the death of Saul and Jonathan:

Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
…
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.
2 Samuel 1:19,23

And so the Bible seems to celebrate both religious and non-religious art.

God even commanded the creation of art which was probably – well – ugly art. Or perhaps we could say, disturbing. Numbers 21 – a little context:

And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”
Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
Numbers 21:5-6

When the people repented, what did God tell Moses to do?

And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”
Numbers 21:8

And so Moses creates an image of an unclean animal and puts it on a pole. A serpent on a stick. A symbol of sin, suffering, and death.

And everyone who looked at it was saved. Certainly not because it was a beautiful piece of art. But because of faith in the way of salvation that God had provided.

And according to Jesus, this was a symbol of Himself on the cross. Not something beautiful, but something that saves.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
John 3:14-15

Now, maybe you know what happened to Moses’ snake on a stick later on. It was saved. Hmmm… maybe it could save someone again. No – it’s not the art that saved you…

But they hung on to it for 6 centuries. And they gave it a name! “Nehushtan” – which sounds like “bronze serpent” in Hebrew. And they worshipped it. The patron saint of snake bites.

Archeologists have found an altar in Israel with a carved serpent on one of the rocks – maybe this was an altar to Nehushtan.

This is an important story. Because, from one perspective, this is what happened. Ugly art of a snake on a stick, art commanded by God, became separated from God’s Word.

Christianity is based on words – the Written Word. Christians have promoted literacy, translations of Scripture. We put Bible passages on the walls of our homes. We memorize. We study. Words.

The world, on the other hand, seems to be more and more focused on images. Television, YouTube. Instagram. TickTock. We want shows, spectacles. Coloured lights. Magazine covers.

And often, those images are separated from words. After all, it’s better to skip the book and wait for the movie version to come out! And as the world prioritizes images, it leads us to venerate those images. We start to lose our capacity to think and our ability to know what God has revealed in His Word. The revelation of the Scriptures.

A (not so new) strategy of the world is to de-emphasize the word (and the Word) and venerate the image. And I’m not just talking about “veneration” in religion, but simply placing an image above God and His Word in any way.

(I’m indebted to Arthur Hunt, retired Professor of Mass Media and Strategic Communication at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM), for his research on the drift of the world from words to images. His book, The Vanishing Word: The Veneration of Visual Imagery in the Postmodern World, is fascinating.)

All of this brings us to a sticky topic. What about “judging” art? Is art something that can be – should be – evaluated? If so, how? We’ll get into that next time.

31 January 2023

Retro: Cookie Decorating

Jim Family, Just for fun, Retro 0

Ten years ago today, Hannah and Nathanael were doing some cookie decorating with Tiffany at the community centre in Jesús María! Tiffany isn’t in this picture, but you can probably pick out Hannah and Nathanael. Just click the photo for a larger version.

24 January 2023

Working Together

Jim Ministry glimpses, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 0

On Saturday four of us left Ixtapaluca at about 5am to attend a meeting of Bible church leaders from the area. I believe about 8 or 9 churches were represented (with three people attending via Zoom, due to a car breakdown and other circumstances).

It was encouraging to spend time together, although concerning at times to hear some of the things that people are going through. These are challenging times, and it’s good to come together as believers and look to the Lord.

We planned – or, I should say, started planning quite a few events for the coming year, including a youth event, a men’s retreat, and a joint service. Everyone is anxious to get together after having fewer activities over the past few years.

In other news, our coworkers Rod and David went to the state of Oaxaca to serve there and see what the Lord is doing. There’s a possibility of sending a team or two there in the future, whether from our area here in Mexico or (and?) from a team from outside the country. I won’t give everything away – there’s more information and a video at Rod’s blog – be sure to check out Reaching an Unreached Ethnic Group.

We’re encouraged to see what God is doing here at home as well. Here’s a recent picture from a Sunday morning, although there were quite a few who weren’t there that day. Nathanael used his growing skills as a photographer (Photography is one of his courses this year) to take the shot (with a timer, obviously!). Just click the image for a higher-resolution version in our photo gallery.

Thanks to so many of you who also are working with us to reach Mexico!

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