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Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Issue 09.2008 > Culture "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of God bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 2:8-10, NKJVThis quarter, Culture. Focus George Chua makes a stand for Culture 'according to Christ'. He shares candidly about his previous understanding of life, 'I used to consider myself someone who had embraced freedom through music, bohemian living, drugs, and anything else that I felt emphasised my individuality and independence. When I came to Christ, I realise that freedom is not "being able to do whatever you want". The sad truth was that such freedom was no freedom at all. Any concept of freedom that can be traced to a worldly source (and not Christ) is a lie because this world's culture belongs in bondage to the prince of this world (John 14:30), the father of lies.' For believers however, culture is first and foremost, a life lived in Christ. The Bulb The rewards of this life lived "in Christ" for Christians in the arts may be somewhat difficult to weigh. In Reaching Through Art, Ronald Wong shares a heartfelt testimony about a friend who came to accept the Lord partly because she had been impacted by the lyrics of Corrine May, "Isn't it wonderful to know that our creative endeavours are able to be used as mediums by which God can speak to people?" Spotlight highlights the church's role in culture especially in the area of local worship songwriting. Going back 30 years in history, A Brief History of Worship Songwriting Culture in Singapore explores the beginnings how music even made an inroad with praise and worship. The main support for songwriters in church need to be its leaders, although the process of evaluating a work can be cautious, as in the case study of New Creation Church's local worship culture. What remains important to us is that the church supports local songwriting in worship more than before. As Pastor Barnabas Chong puts it, "What I really believe is this : God has given us new songs, birthed in different churches, meant for the whole Body of Christ. As we mutually sing each other's songs, they will have an impact on the nation, significant to our growth here in Singapore." Journalogue In the end, Christian artists impact culture through knowing who they are in Christ, and not being ashamed to live that out. Take a listen to Like a Child by Pauline Phoon and All That We Have by Annabelle Bok and Daniel Ang. Both songs remind us of our identity in Christ, as children, who are given the privilege of life and not by earning God's approval. Don't miss our Christian arts report : Artist Meet Dr Kelly Tang, music director of Eagles Communications, and composer for the soundtrack of the film, Feet Unbound who believes, "Composing is the process of discovering the secrets of how to create something beautiful, in the footsteps of God when He created this universe." Pastor Barnabas Chong of Cairnhill Methodist Church and founder of local worship songwriting blog, worshipSG.wordpress.com, shares his heart on going deep. "It is the place where we can no longer lift our hands, no longer sing with great enthuse, no longer speak in tongues, no longer play that cool guitar riff or that mesmerizing keyboard works." .... Backstage Community > Foo Sok Leng reflects on a spiritual gifting exercise during CreateLeVoyage.com's monthly writers' group realising, "It is because of my loss in faith (in believing that God could heal) that I have stopped exercising my gifts that could probably benefit many others." Books > Aaron Lee reviews Against Certain Capture by Miriam Wei Wei Lo where, "Reading the collection through in one sitting, the poems easily move between the larger theme of exploring her Asian roots and the intimacy afforded by the poet's interpretation of personal circumstances long past". Film > Jeffrey Lim reviews The X Files : I Want To Believe directed by Chris Carter. To him, "the film makers weave a story that ploughs through the landscape of conservative Christian politics and leaves the viewer pondering the necessity of faith." Music > Dawn Fung reviews Local Worship Music @ New Creation Church, and their worship albums. Charis Ng reviews CSMusic's songwriters showcase 2 featuring Adelina Ang and Alarice Thio. Zhang Rui He reviews The Genesis Project, a songwriting festival organised by TRAC (the Methodist Church). Theatre > Yang Ming reviews Magic Box by Lawrence and Priscilla Khong. "The main highlights of the show belonged to the magic acts and audiences were certainly given a real treat to death-defying acts such as Blades of Death and Spikes of Doom..." .... Our Corner Matthew Crawshaw's Hosanna? Hosanna is a whimsical take on the response of God to man's cry to him. .... Whats On recommends some of the latest happenings in the local arts scene
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