A Culture in Need.
Then Now
Handel "Messiah" Madonna "Like a Virgin"
Michaelangelo "Pieta" Serrano "Piss Christ"
Bunyan "Pilgrim's Progress" Nabokov "Lolita"
Shakespeare "Henry V" Ensler "Vagina Monologues"
Capra "It's a Wonderful Life" Soderbergh "Sex, Lies, & Videotape"
A New Renaissance
Imagine our American culture transformed by the presence of Christ. Jesus Christ at the center of religion, commerce, science, government, education, medicine, sports and, of course, arts, media and entertainment. In many respects, arts define culture. In particular, artists influence a culture towards God-- or away from God. In I Chronicles, musicians become the “gatekeepers” of the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem-- the very presence of God in the heart of the city.
Imagine our culture changed by the efforts of new gatekeepers-- artists working together to bring back a recognition of Christ’s presence in the heart of our cities, in the center of our culture.Over the last century, the arts have failed miserably to keep Christ in our culture. In fact, Hollywood, music, theatre, and even dance and the visual arts attempt to push God further and further away. Christian artists appear to have given up, and even in our churches seem to have been missing-in-action.
Finally, after decades of disenfranchising artists, the church has begun to validate them again. Unfortunately, the church currently tries to deploy Christian artists to create a parallel culture. Now is the time to bring Christian artists back into mainstream American culture and restore the arts to their original intent.
In July of 2009 InterVarsity established a National Arts Ministry focus. With Dick Ryan chosen as the national director a ten year vision was established:
By 2019 InterVarsity’s Ministry to the Arts desires to make significant progress in three primary arenas:
1. To plant and build witnessing communities of students and faculty in 25 of America’s top 50 schools and departments of art and design, creative writing, film and the performing arts.
2. To train and equip already engaged campus staff and student leaders throughout InterVarsity to value the role of the arts, to embrace artists, and to pursue creative excellence in strategic campus ministry.
3. To produce alumni who are aesthetically, intellectually, professionally, and spiritually equipped to generate work of enduring value that is faithful to a Christian world and life view.
For more information about InterVarsity Arts Ministry in the Southeast click here.
To make a tax-deductible contribution or receive more information about donation options, click here.