MORE ON THE NEW RENAISSANCE

Here is an article my friend Jen Waters wrote for The Washington Times. I am also cureently enrolled in one of the new Brehm Center programs.

Art, Christianity reunited, page A2, 7/1/04

By Jen Waters

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Craig Detweiler is hoping for a modern-day renaissance of the arts. He

dreams of the day when members of the Christian church will again be the

primary patrons of respected artistic endeavors, as in the era of

Michelangelo.

As a filmmaker and student at the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and

the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., Mr. Detweiler,

40, says he believes the renewal is happening, slowly but surely. He also is

the author of “A Matrix of Meaning, Finding God in Pop Culture.”

“We want to reclaim that grand lost heritage,” he says. “We want to not

only be a place where artists gather, but encourage the next generation of

ministers to integrate the arts into the worship experience.”

The Brehm Center is a division of Fuller Theological Seminary that aims

to better equip artists with a theological education and better inform

clergy about the arts. The Brehm Center collaborates with Fuller’s graduate

schools of theology, intercultural studies, and psychology to develop

curricula.

William K. and Delores S. Brehm of McLean, Va., first pledged $2 million

in 1999 for the center and increased the amount over time to $15 million

total. Mr. Brehm is on the board of directors of SRA International Inc. in

Fairfax, Va. The money endowed by the Brehms provided funds for new classes

to be offered at the seminary.

The center was authorized officially by the Fuller Board of Trustees in

the spring of 2001, which supported the creation of six new degrees, says

the Rev. Clayton Schmit, academic director of the Brehm Center.

“Those artists who are Christians that come to Fuller Seminary tend to

want to inform their art by studying faith,” he says. “They tend to be

people who do not want to be known as Christian artists, but Christians who

are thoughtful artists whose faith informs their work.”

Students can now earn a doctorate in theology with a concentration in

theology and culture; a master’s degree in theology with a concentration in

theology and culture; a master of arts in theology with a theology-and-arts

format; a master of arts in worship, theology and the arts; a master’s of

divinity with a concentration in worship, theology and the arts; and a

master of arts with a ministry focus in ethnomusicology in mission.

Starting in the fall of 2005, students will be able to earn a doctorate

in theology with a concentration in worship and culture or a master’s in

theology with a concentration in worship and culture.

“Bill Brehm realized there was a poverty of imagination and thought we

needed to affirm the faith-filled artist and equip the next generation of

ministers to affirm the artists in their midst,” Mr. Detweiler says. “We

need about 10 or 20 more Bill Brehms all over the country and around the

globe to affirm the faith-fueled art. We have to rediscover that art is not

frivolous. It’s essential to the human journey, to humanity’s deepest

longings, needs and questions.”

As a student, Mr. Detweiler is earning a doctorate in theology with a

concentration in theology and culture.

“I’m learning how to create, express and interpret more creative

metaphors for the glory and splendor of God,” he says. “Unfortunately,

Protestants have done a lot of telling in their art, as in more overt

movies. I’m more interested in showing and demonstrating in my art.”

As part of the Brehm Center, “Reel Spirituality: An Institute for Moving

Images” (www.reelspirituality.org) provides educational programs about film,

says Justin Bell, assistant director of the organization. On Oct. 22, “Music

to Our Eyes: Music, Film and Theology in Dialogue” will be held at the

Director’s Guild of America in Los Angeles.

“We’re trying to give artists better tools to do their art,” says

25-year-old Mr. Bell, who is earning a master’s in divinity with a

concentration in worship, theology and the arts. “We’re rethinking inside

the church how we communicate theology. … It’s not just preaching from the

pulpit.”

However, the main goal of the faculty is not to teach the students to

create evangelistic art, says Fred Davison, executive director for the Brehm

Center.

“When God asked the Israelites to create the Tabernacle, there were

things in the Tabernacle that didn’t have any function, but to be

beautiful,” Mr. Davison says. “We know from the Bible that God appreciates

beauty. We can see that all around us. It’s a way we communicate as human

beings.”

Instead of focusing on evangelism, Mr. Davison would rather have artists

who are Christians correctly represent the worldview they attest to believe.

Further, since he says only a person can be a Christian, he doesn’t use the

word “Christian” as an adjective. He tries to discourage his students from

becoming involved in subcultures, such as “Christian music” or “Christian

dance.”

“In an effort to engage in popular culture, we get ‘love songs for

Jesus,’ ” he says. “They think the text of the songs are conveying a

biblical truth, but it’s not a biblical truth. These songs may be fun to

sing, but what does the song really say? Does it say a truth we believe

about God?”

Michelle Markwart, 26, a student at Fuller Theological Seminary says she

decided to earn a master of arts in worship, theology and the arts because

she wants to display excellence and professionalism in her work. She is a

vocalist. She also plays the piano and guitar.

“If you’ve ever seen any amount of church drama, it can be a little

sugary, not very artistic, and very trite,” she says. “That doesn’t

communicate the love of Christ to anyone, because Christ wasn’t trite. We’re

tired of seeing the word Christian placed on art because of the stereotypes

it places on Christianity. It demeans the arts. The world doesn’t want to

see it. The church has to realize it’s our fault as the church for allowing

that stereotype to happen. If we can’t take responsibility for our own

hypocrisies, it’s really foolish.”

Without a credible voice in popular culture, the American church becomes

obsolete, especially in the area of the visual arts, says Jack Hafer,

producer of “To End All Wars,” staring Kiefer Sutherland. The film, which

had limited release in theaters and is available on DVD, was based on the

book by Ernest Gordon called “Through the Valley of the Kwaii.” Mr. Hafer,

along with other professional artists, mentors students at the Brehm Center.

“The church in America has really been behind the times in the support of

the arts,” he says. “The church needs to be part of the great conversation,

which is really the great issues of life, talked about in a great way. …

I’m doing everything I can to encourage them to keep moving ahead in that

area.”