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Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Surrational Art Faith and Images


Faith is surrational.

I first heard that word from apostolic artman Mark Deraud, who offers:

The new generation, some say, is actually a new creature, is wired differently than mom and dad. The new generation appreciates and processes knowledge and "truth" more visually and experientially than we do. The difference is so profound yet so sublime that we literally have trouble experiencing the difference so that we might adjust to the new reality.
We just can't understand why the teaching of propositional truth, so compelling to us modern, though august creatures of the Enlightenment, is not so compelling to the post-modern believer. Having relied on teaching as experience, I suspect we are very suspicious of actually experiencing "wisdom", or "love", or "transformation" that transcends our humanity and are quite intimidated, especially our teachers, of making propositional statements that assert with any certainty, that transcendence happens and can, and should,here and now be experienced. link




Another artist uses the "surrational" word for his montages:

creative fusions of elements that draw us irresistibly to look again at what first appears unbelievable. Boundaries dissolve miraculously; the impossible becomes seductively tangible. But the logic of his images is exact, reasoned - in his own term, "surrational". Although his work shares the recursive wit of Rene Magritte and M. C. Escher, Mutter never relies simply upon ironic effects. link


Sounds like faith, Kingdom and church to me.


"The aim of modern faith was knowledge, especially scientific rationalistic knowledge, and the path to knowledge was through the question. This explains why Christians in the West became more interested in beliefs about prayer than prayer experinces and practices. This also explains why the nation that most embodied Enlightenment values and rational culture became the nation of fascists and genocide"

Sweet, "The Gospel According to Starbucks", p. 172


Mark again:

The next generation is longing to experience God and His heart of love in ways that are not found in many traditional Sunday morning services. Experiencing God and expressing that supernatural relationship in fresh, new creative forms could be the wave of the future for evangelism and touching the hearts of those who are in crisis. Suicide and depression are real issues facing young people today, and we know that Christ is the only way out.

The Church needs creative answers and tools for this new generation, that can point them to the inner life in Christ, in order to find true liberty, healing and fulfillment. Art, symbol and image are tools that God wants to use to accomplish this goal. link

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Hey, thanks for engaging the conversation!