Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Art and Ideology

Will Deuel has an intriguing post up in which he muses about the intersection between art, ideology, music and homiletics. At the end, he ponders several questions:

1. Is the sermon an art form?

2. If so, is the art best served by being in tune with my own deepest passions, desires, fears, hopes, dreams?

3. Is the art well served by being in tune with the congregation’s deepest passions, etc.?

4. Am I guilty of preparing art in the service of ideology rather than passion?

1 comment:

Kurt M. Boemler said...

Just real quick, them back to the credo:

1. Yes.

2. When moving toward Wesley's idea of perfection in love, being "Habitually filled with the love of God and neighbor" and "Having the mind of Christ and waling as he walked" one's passions, desires, fear, hopes, dreams should be growing closer to that of Christ's.

3. This one's tough; I'd say that if the "art" of the sermon is such that it does not communicate the message in a way the congregation can comprehend, then it is pointless. However, the sermon as art should be like an aural eikon, which stirs the imagination toward understanding the love God in Christ has for creation.

4. I don't understand what is meant by the terms "ideology" and "passion" in the context of these questions, but I'll take a SWAG at it. I guess, if the truth of the good news--which I would hope the preacher is trying to convey through the sermon--is an honest conveyance of divine revelation for the people of God is ideologically sound and delivered through the witness of the Holy Spirit, I don't see how the two conflict.

Note: That was neither "really quick" nor did I really leave the subject of my credo. Oh well. :-)