Collide Magazine

One of best things to hit the Internet last week was this article on Forbes.com. In the article AP reporter Eric Gorski shares the story of Christian and artist (or is that Christian artist?) Makoto Fujimura, founder of the International Arts Movement. Gorski observes that Fujimura’s painting is much more reminiscent of Jackson Pollock than Thomas Kinkade, which presents something of a dilemma: what qualifies art as Christian?

Is it the message? If so, how direct or overt must that message be?

Is it the personal faith of the artist? If so, does that mean that we’ll never know whether some works of art are Christian because we don’t know enough about the artist? Does that mean we can observe a piece of art, wonder to ourselves if it is Christian or not, and then discover years that later while reading a biography of the artist that it was or it wasn’t because he was or he wasn’t? If he was, then are we ready to be moved and inspired by the art we observed years earlier? If he wasn’t, then are we prepared to disregard any movement or inspiration we experienced years earlier?

What Fujimura and others mentioned in the AP article seem to propose is art “informed by faith”–a concept that may be as appropriately abstract as Fujimura’s work. He says, “The Bible is full of abstraction…Think about this God who created the universe, the heavens and the earth from nothing. In order to have faith you have to reach out to something, to a mystery.” I think the point Fujimura is trying to make is that while we have art that directly depicts God (i.e. the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, or Thomas Kinkade’s “The Prince of Peace”), it is also important recognize images of God in the abstract (the Song of Solomon, the Grand Kanyon, or the work of Fujimura).

While it remains unclear (at least to me) what makes art Christian or  otherwise, it seems absolutely worthwhile to search for and appreciate glimpses of the eternal, immortal, and invisible  where they may be found–whether on a museum wall, on a movie theather screen, or in a well-tended garden.

• The Bible Film Blog (new to me) talks about a cool upcoming book, Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imagination: A Handbook to Jesus on DVD (via Looking Closer).

• Ever wondered how you could be more like Jerry Seinfeld in your everyday life? Lifehacker shares Seinfeld’s secret to productivity.

• Some new info/speculation about 1-18-08 surfaced recently, including a possible title: Monstrous. If the speculation is correct, each of the film’s baddies originates in Jewish mythology and is mentioned by name in the Bible.

• Photoshop is expensive. Fauxto is not (via the Wired Parish Blog).

• The digital lifestyle trackers at last100 have posted a review of the 8 Internet TV apps they demoed over the last 8 weeks. For churches producing quality media content, there may be some potential here… (via Digg).

• I love the Internet. Presenting JunkyCarClub.com – “A car club committed to living with less so we can give more” (via Evotional.com).

If you aren’t familiar with the fine work of Lee and Storme at eleven72, the video above, entitled “Who Is eleven72?”, may not be a good place to start. While you do get a good idea that they are good-natured, funny guys, you’re probably better off watching the videos on their site to get a feel for what kind of media they typically create. However, their man-on-the-street video did get me thinking. (more…)

What happens when a rock writer, intrigued by the subculture and sales of Christian rock, devotes almost a year of his life to investigating a world he knows nothing about? Body Piercing Saved My Life: The Phenomenon of Christian Rock happens. A veteran writer for publications like Spin and The Washington Post, Andrew Beaujon decided to dive into a corner of the music world that was relatively unknown to him and most of his colleagues. The result is a fascinating outsider’s look at the roots, ideology, and major players wrapped up in the CCM cash cow we all know and love.

Stuck inside a beach house during a rainy vacation to the coast, I found myself riveted by Body Piercing. Beaujon’s perspective and observations, coupled with in-depth interviews with people like David Crowder, David Bazan (Pedro the Lion), Brandon Ebel (Tooth and Nail Records), etc., made for a great read. Along the way, Beaujon shares some his obstacles to faith (he remains an avowed non-believer), muses about the idiosyncrasies of the Christian subculture, and strives to understand what Christian music – and by extension the Christian life – is all about. If you’re curious about where Christian music came from and where it might be headed, it’s time to try Body Piercing.

Innovate sounds like a great conference. If you’re available September 27th and 28th, and the following promotional copy gets you excited, a trip to this year’s Innovate should be worth your while. Here’s what the website says:

Innovate 2007 is not about creativity. It’s about how to take action on creative inspiration to make a mark of greatness. This conference starts with a conversation. Then it brings in experienced viewpoints about ideas to make a permanent mark on this world. (more…)