Global Forum on Arts and Christian Faith

Languages of Worship

Glenn Stallsmith — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Ethnodoxologists work at the intersections of disciplines that include both cultural studies and theology. Many seek to guide others in meaningful expressions of worship and are therefore engaged in a theological task, one that is implicated in the work of adapting liturgy to local cultural expressions. It is therefore important for those advisors to recognize their own theological inclinations regarding worship. This essay outlines four primary “worship languages,” or liturgical theologies, that inform much of the ethnodoxology work happening around the world.

Music Composition as Sung Theology: Exploring Missional Significance

Nancy Durance — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

This paper explores music composition as mission, elevating both its significance and urgency. Biblical references to Miriam, Mary, Deborah, David, Solomon, and Elizabeth provide insight into God’s intention for music composition as something natural, divinely inspired, and intended to be shared for God’s glory. Impediments to music composition as gospel proclamation coincide with attributes of the present day, including the rise of technology, limited attention spans, societal preference, and the propensity to elevate the provocative over the beautiful. Likewise, the impact of market economies, the commodification of music, and music that is mass-produced will be discussed as they relate to music composition. Music composers are therefore tasked with embracing their calling as cultural contributors, bringing edification to the body of Christ, pointing others to Him, instructing in theology, and bringing ultimate glory to God. There is relevancy for musicians and composers, church leaders, board members, mission agencies, seminaries, music training institutions, and for anyone interested in the intersection between the arts, culture, and mission.

The Original Hymnody of Gereja Masehi Injili di Minahasa

Matt Menger — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

This paper explores a local creative system through an analysis of the songbook Nyanyikanlah Nyanyian Baru bagi Tuhan (Sing a New Song to the Lord), published by Gereja Masehi Injili di Minahasa (The Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa) in the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi. It explores the lexical and musical aspects of the fifty songs in the book as a window into understanding how the denomination worships and what they believe. The study is based on grounded theory, concentrating on the intended communication of the songs by the church and its leaders. It uses qualitative data analysis to uncover and categorize concepts within the songs and the supporting sources such as the prefaces, church liturgy, and interviews. The research identifies several significant themes in the church and surrounding culture. There is a strong preference for group worship and a trend toward horizontally singing to one another about God. Confession is emphasized within the larger topic of the problem of sin. Over and above these themes, however, the songbook represents a localizing creative expression of this sizable Indonesian church denomination, increasing its status and clarifying its identity. It is an act of conservative creativity, revitalizing the existing domain within a local creative system. This analysis discusses these ideas and considers what this tells us about the church and its creativity.

Towards Greater Emotional Accuracy in Psalms Translation

June Dickie — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 16:04:31 -0700

Poems (such as psalms) lend themselves to oral translation as, in poetry, sounds play as large a role as words, and sounds are aurally received. Because of both their sounds and their words, psalms are able to convey and evoke emotion. Thus, for authentic translation of a psalm, the translator needs to feel the poet’s emotions, and enter as fully as possible into his thinking, i.e. to internalize the poem.

Internalization requires first listening carefully to the psalm as it is read aloud, and then applying analytical thinking, to remember the key ideas and themes, their logical relationship, the divisions, the moods, and the poetic devices which add beauty or rhetorical power to the poem. Various exercises can facilitate this process. These include enacting the backstory and/or the psalm; creating an emotional map; using drawings, key words, colors, or gestures to remember the main ideas in each section; and sharing personal stories along the same theme as that of the poem. The goal is to hold in short-term memory the key ideas (usually based on emotions) conveyed in each stanza so that the translation that emerges is natural and culturally-sensitive. Examples of internalization exercises are included for various psalms of different genres.

To support the process motivated in this paper, insights from research are incorporated as to how to facilitate creativity, and how to evaluate a literary oral translation communicated through performance. Finally, excerpts of psalms translated following this approach are assessed for their emotional accuracy.

Diversity in Worship

Laura Roberts — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 08:40:25 -0700

Churches in metropolitan areas of the United States are surrounded by diverse communities with people of many ethnicities. These communities encompass different languages and cultural styles of art and music. Why then do most churches in the United States continue to practice monocultural forms of worship, particularly in the dominant language of English and cultural style of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)? All churches, even those in areas not as diverse, can benefit from beginning multicultural practices in order to identify with the global body of Christ, and provide a vision of all nations worshipping at God’s throne in heaven. This article demonstrates a strong theological foundation for churches to strive to incorporate artistic multicultural elements within their services. I compare four existing approaches related to multicultural worship, which I distilled into a process applied to a multiethnic church plant in a metro area. I illustrate this movement from monocultural to multicultural worship through a step by step process, helpful for churches new to the idea of multicultural worship. As churches take steps from away from monocultural music and art, they begin to experience the richness of intercultural worship as they slowly integrate multiple cultural styles and artistic forms in the life of the church.

Keywords: multicultural; worship; artistic; intercultural; churches; diverse; culture; liturgical; theological; contextualize

La leyenda del Yuruparí

Jhonny Nieto Ossa — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Jhonny A. Nieto Ossa creció en la triple frontera amazónica de Brasil, Colombia, y Perú, donde ha realizado trabajos de desarrollo comunitario. Estudio música en la Universidad Pedagógica de Bogotá. Él y su esposa, Ninoshka, han enseñado Contextualización crítica en las escuelas de traducción bíblica de América Latina. Nieto tiene una maestría de Alliance University (también conocida como Nyack College) y un doctorado en ministerio en Estudios Bíblicos de la Facultad de Teología del CMM.

When Creativity Meets Theology: I-To Loh and the Invention of the Yellow Spiritual

Chia-An (Victor) Tung — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0800

This essay explores how the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) and its church musicking intersect with theology and culture. The focus is on Rev. Dr. I-To Loh's Yellow Spirituals–a term coined by Loh–refers to a genre of church music that blends Taiwanese folk elements with Christian hymnody. These infuse Taiwanese cultural narratives with Christian spirituality, showcasing a unique genre of church music. An analysis of one such contextual hymn, “Watch the Bush of Thorns,” reveals how Loh effectively marries elements of Taiwanese culture with Christian spirituality to construct the unique contribution of Yellow Spirituals to church music and the broader cultural identity of the Taiwanese people. This analysis features Loh's innovative adaptations in spiritual composition, thereby illuminating his significant role in embodying the collective ethos and faith of the Taiwanese PCT community. This inquiry parallels broader discussions of how music enhances cultural and spiritual life. It accentuates the dynamism found in music when uniting the themes of faith, creativity, and identity through performance.

Let Us Draw Near: Biblical Foundations of Worship, by Ron Man

Matthew Menger — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Ethiopian Church Art: Painters, Patrons, Purveyors by Raymond Silverman and Neal Sobania

James Krabill — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0700