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Bold cover, bold book. These were first impressions as I
got acquainted with this recent publication designed “to
offer both foundational and practical help for integrating the
arts into worship.” Mindful of the Word-centered history of
most Anabaptist-Mennonite worship assemblies, the
authors’ aim is to show how visual arts can proclaim the
Word of God and why it is essential to do so.
This is an ambitious book. It is big, but not thick,
theological but not arcane, visually pleasing but not gaudy,
practical but not technical, a resource for worship planners,
but not a manual. The organization reveals the ambitious
scope. After an introduction and a “Call to Twenty-first
Century Worship”, the book is arranged in three major
sections.
“The Gallery” is likened to a large art museum where
displays focus on a particular artist, era or theme. The
Gallery contains four foundational essays that relate
worship art to the God we praise, the Scripture we proclaim,
the design we offer and the people we become. This is the
heaviest section of the book, but much of the writing is
poetic.
“A Catalogue of Art Created for Worship” portrays 24
pages of full-color photographs of worship art. The visual
impact of these bright photos and the simple creativity of
the examples do a lot to help communicate the message
the authors share elsewhere in words.
“The Studio” is where the tools and spaces for creating art
for worship are located. The items in this space are
eclectic and practical: Setting up a Visual Arts Ministry,
Candle Care, Cautions, The Liturgical Year, to name just
four of the sixteen articles.
In some Mennonite congregations, “worship” refers just to
the music and singing of church gatherings. “Worship” in
the minds of these authors encompasses the prayers, the
music, the Scriptures, the space, the movement and the
visual images. They seek to offer an expansive view of
worship. “Liturgical” is a word frequently employed.
The authors point worship into a post-modern direction
with an emphasis on mystery, imagination, story, visual
participation, ritual, and experience. They also call for the
church to reclaim the visual heritage of its Scripture – rock,
water, tree – and its ancient worship story. Music and
sermon are not put down; rather the visual and the
narrative are lifted into prominence also.
One of my students described the worship space of his
congregation as a “shoe box”. That is the kind of setting
this book can help to address sensitively. Another student,
however, is a church-planter in a Latino community.
Candles and certain liturgical features in worship remind
the believers of what they no longer want to be part of.
Clearly, wisdom, creativity, and spiritual discernment are
essential in worship planning. This book reminds
Christians that creation itself declares God’s glory. It asks
a sobering question: “What if the arts were used only for
secular purposes?” And it offers genuine help to worship
leaders who seek to recover ancient features and discover
new ways of opening 21st century believers to God’s
presence, holiness and truth.
$32.99 from Faith and Life Resources at 1-800-245-7894
or www. www.faithandliferesources.org
got acquainted with this recent publication designed “to
offer both foundational and practical help for integrating the
arts into worship.” Mindful of the Word-centered history of
most Anabaptist-Mennonite worship assemblies, the
authors’ aim is to show how visual arts can proclaim the
Word of God and why it is essential to do so.
This is an ambitious book. It is big, but not thick,
theological but not arcane, visually pleasing but not gaudy,
practical but not technical, a resource for worship planners,
but not a manual. The organization reveals the ambitious
scope. After an introduction and a “Call to Twenty-first
Century Worship”, the book is arranged in three major
sections.
“The Gallery” is likened to a large art museum where
displays focus on a particular artist, era or theme. The
Gallery contains four foundational essays that relate
worship art to the God we praise, the Scripture we proclaim,
the design we offer and the people we become. This is the
heaviest section of the book, but much of the writing is
poetic.
“A Catalogue of Art Created for Worship” portrays 24
pages of full-color photographs of worship art. The visual
impact of these bright photos and the simple creativity of
the examples do a lot to help communicate the message
the authors share elsewhere in words.
“The Studio” is where the tools and spaces for creating art
for worship are located. The items in this space are
eclectic and practical: Setting up a Visual Arts Ministry,
Candle Care, Cautions, The Liturgical Year, to name just
four of the sixteen articles.
In some Mennonite congregations, “worship” refers just to
the music and singing of church gatherings. “Worship” in
the minds of these authors encompasses the prayers, the
music, the Scriptures, the space, the movement and the
visual images. They seek to offer an expansive view of
worship. “Liturgical” is a word frequently employed.
The authors point worship into a post-modern direction
with an emphasis on mystery, imagination, story, visual
participation, ritual, and experience. They also call for the
church to reclaim the visual heritage of its Scripture – rock,
water, tree – and its ancient worship story. Music and
sermon are not put down; rather the visual and the
narrative are lifted into prominence also.
One of my students described the worship space of his
congregation as a “shoe box”. That is the kind of setting
this book can help to address sensitively. Another student,
however, is a church-planter in a Latino community.
Candles and certain liturgical features in worship remind
the believers of what they no longer want to be part of.
Clearly, wisdom, creativity, and spiritual discernment are
essential in worship planning. This book reminds
Christians that creation itself declares God’s glory. It asks
a sobering question: “What if the arts were used only for
secular purposes?” And it offers genuine help to worship
leaders who seek to recover ancient features and discover
new ways of opening 21st century believers to God’s
presence, holiness and truth.
$32.99 from Faith and Life Resources at 1-800-245-7894
or www. www.faithandliferesources.org
| Copyright 2008 OurFaith Digest |
| Book Review |
| Proclamation by Design: The Visual Arts in Worship By Karmen Krahn and Leslie James. Review By Mark Wenger |
Mark R Wenger is the director of pastoral
studies for Eastern Mennonite Seminary in
Lancaster, Pa. He coordinates a variety of
pastoral training efforts that bring instruction
close to the local congregation.
studies for Eastern Mennonite Seminary in
Lancaster, Pa. He coordinates a variety of
pastoral training efforts that bring instruction
close to the local congregation.