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| Thursday, July 01, 2004
The Open Back Door Contributor : Dawn FungEd : 'Church' may be a stumbling word for many art practitioners today. It triggers their fear of being controlled or being misunderstood, where many have fallen prey to. However, artists must stop walking out of church whether or not they want to be taken seriously because church is Jesus' idea. It is the best place to grow in the kind of community that our Saviour had in mind. If we reject church, we reject His plan to teach us to know Him more. He gave us church to love one another in the light of all our flaws, to the degree that we submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. STOP WALKING OUT OF CHURCH. When we have a theme like Ghetto Poly, I pray and ask God, what do we look out for? What are you trying to say to us? Themes work as much as we decide to work with them. Ghetto Poly is a human construct - stereotypes of poor black people and tertiary institution seldom comes up to anything else, right? But no wait... According to our writers inspired by the theme, Ghetto Poly can point to the church, in all its splendour, adornment and charm. What happens when you 'read' church backwards, when it becomes a journey to the holy land, when definitions alone can positively stir up a community of lackadaisical Christians? For artists, we can take it the logical step and apply it to the non-believing community. I spoke with a Muslim friend the other day and I asked, what made you feel marginalised, i.e.. not being taken seriously? She answered, my community. Because within the Muslim religion are non-Arabs, non-Malays and converts. Within these sub groups lie the same insecurities about each other that magnify when they diversify. These are non-alien to any religion, race or language. I am convinced that unless Christians in the arts know their role and positions in the church first, they would be the ones to reckon themselves as the marginalised. Too often have we seen the 'misunderstood' tag hover above interviews. My heart goes out to all the Christian artists, and artistic people who might feel that sense of alienation, or Otherness, within their own community. One ex-worship leader and current leading actor could not reconcile the demands of the church and arts industry. A teacher of the arts who has been a long serving Christian smells of burn out, and would have nothing to do with church. Myself included, have gone through the journey of anticipating alternative worship expressions to making that happen outside the mainstream flock. Does our community hate us? Do they just not care? I think most of us do not accept generalised questions like that. Yet we subtly harbour grudges, if not a searing wound that grows, as we progress. A time will come when we walk out not because we do not love our neighbours but because we love ourselves too much. The regular fellowships will be an earful of commitments against our rehearsal schedules. Where do we belong? The key is Christ. We had differences with people before we accepted Him into our lives. Unity is this, 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15) It was never about us. It is about God. It is about becoming like Jesus. His group was a motley crew including one terrorist, one government 'ah long', a few fishermen. Jesus' requisite was that they followed him, regardless of their background. It could only be love that kept the group together after he resurrected and ascended to heaven. I reckon that's the formula that might keep us together when we don't see the same colour. So, to Christians in the arts : stop beating down church as you think you know. Look at it through God's eyes - church is nothing more than a group of people hungering for God. You're part of it. Churches are not run by professional artists though you might find some of them practised before. We focus too intently upon my works, believing that our occupation justifies a position in church, no less! God cannot be mocked. He chose us and not the other way. The kingdom road is narrow, and salvation can only be had through one man's blood. Our works of art stand paltry in terms of time and value in comparison to eternity's doors. In the end, we have to remember that churches should be run by God first. Perhaps the crux of our labour as Christians in the arts is our freedom to put it down. When our theatre is nothing more than a wisp of air, when we have the courage to challenge Renoir and destroy our canvassing worship, might we have a standing chance of closing that open back door. As some people like to remind others, Rest in His Love and know who you are. So don't just walk out of church for professional excuses. You're a child of God like the one next to you - the only thumbprint to this kingdom. Pray and ask God for a support group. CreateLeVoyage would be pleased to pray with you and for you! Read also Terry Noland's Heart of an Artist. It'll be a dose for that melancholic morning.
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