Creatives & Craftsmen
Cultivating an imaginative discipleship community in the RDU-Triangle
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves." By Jesus (Matt. 10:16 NASB)
“As soon as the generals and the politicos can predict the motions of your mind, lose it. Leave it as a sign to mark the false trail, the way you didn’t go. Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.” By Wendell Berry (Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front)
To “practice resurrection” is discipleship and discipleship is the heart of culture care. Culture makers take the gospel seriously in full-bodied practice (not just the idea or doctrine of it). God loves this world in which we live and He calls His people to love and care for it too. Christ’s last words are the heart of Culture Care: to go out and participate in all aspects of humanity, all venues of culture making conversations and works.
When the world reads that NYC’s Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) was forced to close due to lack of Christian investment, we must ask if we are investing in a generous legacy for our neighbors. Do our actions say that our earth is to be abandoned? Are we personally faithful to create and support spaces of light and dignity in the most challenging venues of our culture?
“How do you show the faithful presence of Christ in culture?”
As we consider this question, our blind spots in ministry and prejudice are shown. Although most people learn and come to deeper levels of faith through genesis moments of care and beauty, many ministries approach spiritual formation as a debate, not a community forming relationship. Debate as technique and preaching becomes the focus rather than discipleship practices that seek to love the community through collaborative good works.
Aesthetics, environment, and ethics (justice and righteousness) have a dynamic relationship with theology. While they have different tactics, they serve one another by offering unique gifts and insights like many members in one body. In practice, Culture Care listens and works within the unique context of each church to explore ways to form Christ-becoming character through imaginative discipleship. Through the local church and the culture care paradigm, Christians explore ways to practice faithful presence in the local community, generate re-humanizing dialogue and Kingdom formation.