EMQ » January–March 2021 » Volume 57 Issue 1
Edited by Roberta R. King and William A. Dyrness
IVP Academic, 2019
230 pages
USD $35.00
Reviewed by Brent H. Burdick, DMin, Adjunct Professor of Missions, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Director of the Lausanne Global Classroom.
Using the arts as a means of witnessing for Jesus Christ within multifaith contexts adds layers of complexity to the task of missions. Yet it opens the door to connecting people of other faiths to the gospel in new and powerful ways. Roberta King and William Dyrness as editors of this volume have brought together contributors who examine these complexities and connections where art is the common denominator for witness in multifaith contexts.
The definition of witness that predominates in the essays of the book might be a surprise, however. Typically, witness is thought of in a more evangelistic sense and while that is not discounted by the essayists, a more broadly understood idea of witness is explored where artistic expression functions to gather people of other faiths to discover aspects of community identity and address injustice. Art opens the discussion and allows Christians to express their feelings and faith, while at the same time allowing others to express their feelings and faith from their own religious contexts. The connection of people to people, the community that is formed, and the discussion that ensues around the art that is displayed, spoken, performed or danced becomes the basis of establishing relationships that foster understanding of each other’s faith and creates a platform for Christian sharing and witness. The essays in the book show that when art is used in this way, the end more often results in community transformation, addresses injustices, and helps people establish common bonds where there has previously been mistrust, suspicion, antagonism, or violence. The danger may be that in the process of all this, gospel proclamation is lessened or de-emphasized. On the other hand, if art is the thing that generates the conversations that need to be held to address community concerns in the first place, that may lay the groundwork for gospel proclamation which will then be more readily received.
The major concerns I have with the book are that some of the essay authors use a few references and artistic examples from non-faith contexts which are vulgar and sexually suggestive. Though the examples do not come from Christian sources they do show how non-believers are processing injustice and community concerns. In this respect, the book does push boundaries and readers must expand their horizons and perceptions of how God can move and work as people interact through local expressions of art.
The book presents insights that artists who are Christians in secular and artistic educational settings would find most helpful for building relationships and finding common ground to impact the broader community. It does not present “Christian art” as a means of witness, but rather relies on sharing art to draw participants into conversations and connections that may lead to gospel insights with people of other faiths who might find “Christian art” irrelevant to their world.
For Further Reading
King, Roberta R. Global Arts and Christian Witness: Exegeting Culture, Translating the Message, and Communicating Christ. Baker Academic, 2019.
Kilby, Clyde S., William A. Dyrness and Keith Call, eds. The Arts and the Christian Imagination: Essays on Art, Literature, and Aesthetics. Paraclete Press, 2016.
