Wednesday March 21, 2018
Volume 14 Issue number 6 Student publication of Corban University
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beauty, brokenness, the art in-between By Charlotte Van Werven Managing Editor
Art provides a way to interact with truths about people and the world in a form that nothing else allows. Many students on campus make and appreciate art, and they have noticed the great value in it. “Art communicates in a way data and logic cannot,” Dallyce Vetter said. Many of the truths art discusses are deeper than the physical world, and this connects with people — people who were created in the image of a creative God. “Art is something that is at the core of our God,” Abigail Barnett said. “He is a Creator. And our Creator wove into the fabric of humanity a desire to create things, express our experiences and explore beauty.” The things people create have power to bring people together and to bring them closer to God. “Art can be bathed in prayer,” Barnett said. “Jesus wants us to bring our entire selves to Him, so art is no exception. And think how much more the Holy Spirit can be in our art if we begin by inviting Him into it right at the beginning.” Creativity can be used to reveal God’s glory, and some students emphasized the importance of using art to display brokenness and how that can lead to God’s glory as well. “Why would God write the Bible if we were not supposed to interact with depravity?” Tim Ethell asked. The Bible is full of art, and much of that art depicts the fallen nature of the world – and it is shocking. “What about the rape of Tamar?” Ethell asked. “Or the murder of Abel? Or Abraham’s mistrust of God’s providence by siring Ishmael with Hagar? It is through interacting with these sad truths that God’s providence and wisdom drips off the page and into our hearts.” According to Ethell, the Bible uses these stories of corruption to pave the way for stories of redemption. “I have never read
p. 5 - Students and professors reflect on AMBEX experiences as program ends
p. 9 - A look at how the Barn came to be and where it is now
a book from which I have seen more depravity, death and destruction than from the Bible,” Ethell said. “Similarly, I have never read a book that has spoken more about life, shalom and redemption into my life than the Bible.” This, then, is a good example for how Christians can interact with art in meaningful and productive ways. But not all brokenness should be depicted, and not all believers can interact with art in the same ways. Art depicting certain sins might tempt some believers but encourage others. “Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (Romans 14:13). “Christians should use discernment and should appreciate truth and beauty,” Ryan Stark said. “And Christians should expect beauty to manifest itself in different ways.” Several students noted that even art created by non-believers contains truth about humanity — truth that can be explored and honored. “As Christians, our interactions with art should be based in the truth of the gospel, but we shouldn’t shy away from art that does not depict explicit Christian values,” Vetter said. “‘Secular’ art can be a vehicle of conveying truth, and sometimes does it more effectively than ‘Christian’ art.” To Rachel Stadeli, the line has to be drawn regarding sympathizing with sin. She said that art is deeper when it depicts depravity in a way that is self-acknowledging. However, art that depicts depravity in sympathetic ways is dangerous and “should be discarded.” If approached appropriately, many students believe art can be a wonderful teacher. “People, not just Christians, often shy away from art depicting the fallen nature of our world because it isn’t nice to look at or it doesn’t make them feel good — but often that’s the point of art,” Vetter said. “It makes us think and reflect on brokenness. Avoiding this reality while burying our heads in the sand isn’t a good way of dealing with this. If Christians truly want to be people who reflect God’s image to a broken world, we must be willing to engage with difficult topics, and art is one medium through which these things are addressed.” “Great art teaches us how to live better lives,” Stark said. Truth can be found in art, but Barnett warned that art is not the ending. “We also need to recognize art in its rightful place,” she said. “[It is] a gift from God, not God Himself. Many people find solace and strength in dancing, painting or playing a musical instrument. But if we try to find our identities here, we’ve missed the point. Art reaches our souls in a unique, mysterious, divine way. But it cannot fully satisfy us. And it won’t have any meaning if we take the one who made it out of the equation.”
p. 10 - ‘Alice’ captures wonder in colorful, original show
p. 11 - Honoring Greg Eide, retiring as director of athletics