Copyright holder: Tyndale University, 3377 Bayview Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2M 3S4 Att.: Library Director, J. William Horsey Library Copyright: This Work has been made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws of Canada without the written authority from the copyright owner. Copyright license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License Citation: Pouteaux, Preston Walter. “From Imago Dei to Missio Dei: An Art Experiment as Invitation to Spiritual Transformation.” D. Min., Tyndale University College & Seminary, 2012. ***** Begin Content ****** TYNDALE UNIVERSITY 3377 Bayview Avenue Toronto, ON M2M 3S4 TEL: 416.226.6620 www.tyndale.ca Note: This Work has been made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws of Canada without the written authority from the copyright owner. Pouteaux, Preston Walter. “From Imago Dei to Missio Dei: An Art Experiment as Invitation to Spiritual Transformation.” D. Min., Tyndale University College & Seminary, 2012. [ Citation Page ] From Imago Dei to Missio Dei: An Art Experience as Invitation to Spiritual Transformation by Preston Walter Pouteaux A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry awarded by Tyndale Seminary January, 2012 Toronto, Canada [ Title Page ] ABSTRACT Jesus told stories and weaved together metaphors that called his followers and detractors to consider their place in the Kingdom of God. Today church leaders are challenged to engage the theological imagination in order to inspire people to see themselves as participants in the mission of God. Positioned at the intersection of three disciplines: spiritual formation, devotional art, and missional theology, this study was designed to discover how art might be utilized to engage the theological imagination and invite people to consider specific realities of the Kingdom of God and their place in it. Created as a reflective journey through an art experience centered on the themes of Imago Dei and Missio Dei, this project and thesis studies, using hermeneutic phenomenology, the ways in which contextually specific art can bring about spiritual transformation. The findings demonstrate that art can play a very important role in the church's effort to invite people to see their identity and mission in ways that reflect Christ. This dissertation concludes by pointing to new horizons for shaping the missional imagination. [ Page ] iv PREFACE I love the Church. It's through Her that I've seen Jesus and have had my heart and eyes opened to the Story of the Resurrection. Jesus is redeeming the world and he chose to do it through my friends and family, the people that make up my local church. What an amazingly beautiful mystery and hope. I did this study to open my own eyes to the beauty of the Bride of Christ and to celebrate our Missionary-God who invites his people to join in with Him on this amazing Resurrection-Life. I would like to acknowledge and thank the community of believers and fellow disciples of Christ at Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Calgary, Alberta. Not only have you supported me all the way through my Doctor of Ministry program, but you have shown me the face of Jesus. You are so dear to my heart! A special thank you to my Pastor, Lee Woolery, for being such a faithful co-worker in Christ and friend. Thank you to my program advisor, Dr. Paul Bramer, for bravely guiding me through the DMin program, to Dr. Mark Chapman, my second reader, for giving me a vision for good methodology, and to Dr. Rob Peterson who has been an advisor, pastor, and mentor. I wish you lived closer. [ Page ] v I would like to thank my parents, Vic and Brenda Pouteaux, for always supporting me, encouraging me, and praying for me; you are a gift. And most enthusiastically I would like to thank my beautiful wife Kelly. You are a reflection of Jesus and my ally in life. I love you. [ Page ] vi CONTENTS Thesis Approval Form .... i Declaration and Disclaimer .... ii Library Release Form .... iii Abstract .... iv Preface .... v Contents .... vii List of Figures .... ix Chapter 1. Introduction .... 1 The Context .... 4 The Opportunity .... 7 The Research Question .... 9 The Project .... 10 Overview of the Design .... 14 Defining Key Terms .... 15 Chapter 2. Biblical Rationale .... 19 Bible and Spiritual Transformation .... 21 Imago Dei and Missio Dei in the Text .... 24 Theological and Historical Rationale .... 29 Art in Protestantism .... 34 Imago Dei Initium .... 38 Missio Dei est Metam .... 40 Chapter 3. Relevant Themes in Contemporary Literature .... 46 Theological Aesthetics and Sanctification .... 48 Visual Art and Spiritual Transformation .... 51 The Power of Imagery .... 51 The Multi-Sensory Tool .... 58 Seeing Anew Through Art .... 61 Art as Invitation to Mission .... 62 [ Page ] vii Methodology .... 67 Chapter 4. Project Design and Methodology .... 72 Design of the Study .... 72 The Art Installation .... 74 Collecting Data .... 80 Scope .... 84 Methodological Philosophy .... 89 Coding the Data .... 91 Validity and Rigor .... 93 Ethics .... 94 Chapter 5. Findings, Analysis and Interpretation .... 96 Surveying the Quantitative Data .... 97 Surveying the Qualitative Data .... 102 On God .... 103 On Self .... 106 On Mission .... 108 Experience .... 112 Analysis and Interpretation .... 114 Movement .... 115 The Imagination .... 118 Living Missionally .... 121 Chapter 6. Conclusion .... 126 Summary of the Findings .... 127 Salient Discoveries .... 129 Additional Avenues of Exploration .... 132 Summary .... 134 Appendix A. Imago Dei to Missio Dei Art Experience .... 136 Appendix B. Questionnaire .... 149 Appendix C. Human Subject Consent Form .... 153 References .... 155 [ Page ] viii LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1. Warner Sallman. 1941. Head of Christ .... 55 Fig. 2. Hearing From God .... 99 Fig. 3. Made in the Image of God .... 101 Fig 4. How close does God feel to you right now? .... 102 [ Page ] ix Chapter One Introduction Darrell Guder, in framing the challenges faced by the Church today in the Western world argues, The church must constantly hear the gospel afresh in order to discern its faithful response. It must constantly examine how it has been shaped by its context and ask God to convert and transform it. But at certain times and places it is particularly urgent that the church both understand the shaping it has inherited from its context and hear the gospel's word that calls the church to alter its life. We are persuaded that the present is such a time and North America is such a place (Guder 1998, 14). For Guder, the questions that loom for the church are about transformation of identity and mission; questions that are at the heart of this study. If, as Guder suggests, there exists a growing and urgent need for the church to recapture an understanding of its identity and mission, then how do we move forward? The challenge of transforming identity and mission is, according to Skye Jethani, not about finding new resources or motivation, but imagination (Jethani 2009, 18). For Jethani, "our spiritual imaginations have fallen asleep on the comfortable mattress of the consumer culture, and before any remedy for the church can be prescribed our dormant imaginations must be stirred from their slumber" (Jethani 2009, 20). How, in today's context, are we to engage the [ Page ] 1 theological imagination of ordinary people that they might experience this kind of transformation and identify themselves with Christ and his mission in the world? This is the challenge. In the West, in North America, and in Canada in particular the church is facing a challenge of purpose and identity as Christendom continues to lose its foundational moorings to new paradigms of cultural value systems that simply do not appear to need or want the Church. An increasing number of voices in the United States (Guder 1998), Australia (Frost 2006), Canada (Nelson 2008) and elsewhere are alerting us to the changing landscape where assumptions about the role of Church and mission are very different than they were even a decade ago. But the shift was identified earlier still as Leslie Newbigin observed particular shifts that were happening in 20th century England. He said, in reference to these changes, that "domestication had taken place in my own Christianity" (Newbigin 1989, 3). Furthermore, David Fitch observed that North American culture is not just post-Christian, but is moving beyond the methods and assumptions common to the Church of Christendom. He says that the culture, relative to the church, is post-attractional, post- positional (or post-authority), and post-universal language (Fitch 2011). That is to say that methods of attracting people to church, holding [ Page ] 2 positions of authority in society, and speaking in a language shared by all can no longer be assumed by the Church when engaging culture today. The challenge is deeper still. It will not do to simply bemoan the fact that the Church is living in a post-Christendom context and has lost some level of authority or cultural clout. The goal is not to reclaim that perceived authority. The challenge facing the Church today is to help people see that they are not made in the image, nor bound to the pursuits of popular North American consumerist culture, but that they are made in the image of God to live out his purposes with him. Alan Hirsh and Michael Frost say that the church has done a good job of convincing people to worship Jesus, but not to follow him. They say, "We readily acknowledge that none of us have within us the fortitude, the grace, the courage, and the imagination to actually be like Jesus (Frost and Hirsch 2009, 17). Skye Jethani points back to the ways in which Jesus called his disciples. He says that some people who heard Jesus, were too enslaved by the cultural conventions, too entangled in realism for their imaginations to be awakened...but those whose imaginations were set free, those illuminated by the ray from on high, saw with new eyes. They understood the radical vision of Jesus and went on to transform the world" (Jethani 2009, 26). [ Page ] 3 The challenge is to help followers of Jesus see themselves and the world around them with an awakened and illuminated imagination; to open their eyes to the Kingdom Reality that Jesus invites us into. The Context The Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) in particular are not insulated from the deep cultural shifts described by Guder. Rooted as they are in centuries of tradition with systems and structures that have worked for the better part of half a millennium, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is facing a decline in members (27.8% drop of baptized members from 201,011 to 145,095 from 1992-2010) and a shrinking number of churches (663 to 594 from 1992-2010) according the statistics generated from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada data-base on September 30,2011. The Millennium Study of Pastoral Leadership Needs was published in 2005 and highlights drastic shifts in how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada will need to engage in mission and leadership development. The study projects a significant shortfall of as many as 244 pastors well into the 2020's (Kuhn 2005, 59). In the final analysis, the study demonstrates that this denomination is in a time of discontinuous [ Page ] 4 change; what used to work does not work and it is not clear what solutions will slow the decline of membership and growing inability to engage, let alone influence, the surrounding culture. By virtue of having been bom out of the mainline Protestant tradition in Canada, the ELCIC does have a strong social justice heritage which does give the denomination an ongoing sense of purpose. But even this purpose has not been sufficient in helping the organization sustain the necessary interest required for growth. It is a challenge that is felt at the local church level as well. While cities like Calgary are growing at a steady rate (Calgary Socio-Economic Outlook 2010, 2), Lutheran churches are not (Kuhn 2005, 24). This is true of Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Calgary, Alberta, a church that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012. Established during the 1960's at a time of rapid church growth in the ELCIC, Lutheran Church of Our Saviour has occasionally struggled over the years to discover its purpose and identity. At various times, the church has altered their worship style, has experienced leadership transitions, and has adopted new programs and practices. These are signs of a church that knows it faces challenges and has actively sought solutions to those challenges. Consider, for example, that the vision of Lutheran Church of Our Saviour is to"be a Christ-centered community [ Page ] 5 that equips disciples to make disciples." The Church holds the general values of their social justice heritage and yet have worked to increase their focus on discipleship as a way of understanding their purpose. It is perhaps for these reasons that missional theology with its emphasis on growing close to Jesus and also serving with Jesus, has opened new doors to health and vitality for Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. From about 2007 to present day (2012), Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Calgary has been exploring the ways in which Jesus is inviting them to join in God's mission in the world as articulated in the language of missional theology. The leadership and congregation have been exploring how they might discover what God is doing and participate in that missional call. This conversation has offered new language, new ministry focus, and new reasons to celebrate as the church has experienced the missional life that God invites his people to enjoy with him. Being more than just a call to social justice, it is a process of growing in Jesus and becoming attentive to his specific call to join him. Since developing a missional framework the church has embraced a renewed passion for the neighbourhood, for supporting community projects, for studying the Bible, hearing from Jesus, and for doing work overseas, among other activities. After four years of exploring this way of living as [ Page ] 6 a church, there exists a renewed and lively openness to see how God is at work and active all around and through our community. Of the twelve empirical indicators of a missional church described by Eddie Gibbs (including proclamation of the gospel, discipleship, Bible-based living, participation in the life, death and resurrection Jesus, discerning missional vocation, living as Christ would towards one another, being a community of reconciliation, accountability, hospitality, worship, vital public witness, and an acknowledgment that the church is an incomplete expression of the reign of God ), Lutheran Church of Our Saviour is on a healthy path of having practiced, explored or is in the process of exploring each of them (Gibbs 2000,52). It is within this context that this study is positioned: within a struggling mainline denomination seeking relevance and within a seasoned church family that is discovering exciting things about sharing in God's mission. The Opportunity Having served in Lutheran Church of Our Saviour since 2005 as the Director of Discipleship ministry, I have enjoyed walking with, and learning alongside, my church family as we have journeyed through the process of discerning and participating in God's mission together. Our [ Page ] 7 church has explored, delighted in, and struggled as they have sought to live as missional disciples of Jesus. The leadership team have engaged the congregation with sermon series, articles in monthly newsletters, congregational studies, small group gatherings, and hands-on service projects. Each has played an important role in helping people see themselves as part of the mission of God. However, in spite of these pedagogical tools common to traditional church praxis, the missional message has not always been fully embraced. The missional conversation is not simply the adoption of a new method or system of ministry, but a fundamental re-orientation in self-perception, identity, and purpose. The church is trying to discover the very mission that God has; to redeem the world through Jesus, to bring about the reign of God in the lives of all people, and that God is doing all of this through and with God's people. As with any deep change in thinking, there exists an emerging need for new ways of conveying this paradigm shift. This need required a tool or approach to help a whole community re-align their perceptions and adopt a new stance towards God's purposes. It was clear that at Lutheran Church of Our Saviour there was an opportunity to test a creative approach to spiritual transformation, to measure this transformation, and to help the collective imagination of this community embrace a new way [ Page ] 8 of thinking, of seeing themselves, and of living as a group. My goal as the Director of Discipleship Ministry at Lutheran Church of Our Saviour is to "equip disciples to make disciples." At this juncture in the life of the denomination and our congregation there was an opportunity to engage the church in a specific and meaningful way, a way that would bring about the new identity and mission indicated by Darrell Guder. The Research Question As described in the following chapters, it became clear that art and the imagination were powerful tools that would need to be engaged if a shift in identity and mission was to occur. The arts have the capacity to invite people to consider new ideas, and the imagination is the means through which the Holy Spirit can shape self-image and impress his renewed vision for life and action. These became the focus of the study. Specifically, the main question that underpins the whole project and study is: how does an art installation engage the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples? The research question seeks to examine both the means of bringing about transformation (art engaging the theological imagination) and the outcome (living as missional disciples). Furthermore, it hypothesizes that [ Page ] 9 transformation can occur through art and that participants could come through an art experience with new language, felt experience, and cognitive framework for embracing and living out the missional life with Christ. The thesis of this study is that an art installation can engage the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples. The implication of this project and study is that the arts and a more concerted effort to engage the theological imagination in the local church will be an important consideration when helping the Church of the 21st Century to live reflexively and actively within God's redemptive work in the world. The Project The project at the core of this study is an art experience entitled, Imago Dei to Missio Dei. This is a contextually specific art experience made to engage Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Calgary and to move the community further along in their appreciation for, and identity with, missional living. The project is made up of a dozen portraits and stories that guide people through a reflective and prayerful experience. The intent is that participants in the art experience would see themselves in new ways and in turn see themselves as part of God's work in the world. [ Page ] 10 This project is not a technical solution for the challenges facing Lutheran Church of Our Saviour; it is an adaptive approach to moving the community forward towards spiritual transformation. Utilizing art and the imaginations of participants, this project seeks to carry people through a time of disequilibrium by challenging their identity and presenting a new identity in Christ as partners in the work of God in the world. At its very essence, the project is a condensed kind of adaptation, a transition or change from one mode of understanding and identity to another. In a very real way, this project is an intervention that helps move our congregation into a time of complexity (discontinuous shifts in values and identity) towards a reflexive identity founded in Christ and his mission in the world. This project is an exercise in sensemaking through art that results in new directions and clarity. Complex Adaptive Systems theory advocates the use of metaphor and imagination, among other aspects, to help people see themselves anew and change their behavior as a result of a new vision (Bullock, Smith, and Bird 2006, 191). This project navigates the confluence of devotional art and theological imagination to bring about missional transformation. In creating a project intended to bring about a specific kind of spiritual transformation, there is a complexity to the layers of scripture, [ Page ] 11 history, personal experience, and spiritual dynamics that make any foray into spiritual theology feel rather daunting. Art, in the broadest sense, has the power to help people visualize complex issues. A song, painting, or poem can create imagery that seems to sum up complex data into comprehensible visualizations. In many ways, this project seeks to utilize stories and portraits to help people see themselves in new ways. Art also helps people visualize the outworking of complex theological ideas in their own lives. The power of the picture is explored by William Bridges who explains that there is a three part movement in adaptive transitions from a position of letting go, into a neutral zone, and then into a new beginning. For him, a vital step in helping people move through this dynamic process is to create a clear picture in people's minds, "a picture that explains and validates what they are experiencing" (Bridges 2009, 64). Bridges draws from the Exodus story by pointing to Moses as a primary example of a leader who, "translated the idea of a Promised Land into the picture of a Land of Milk and Honey...he portrayed the destination in a way that engaged the Israelites' imaginations" (Bridges 2009, 64). The power of the picture is potent to instill hope and inspire an individual or community to continue moving forward through transitions, even when the present situation seems dire or uninspiring. Bridges explains that there [ Page ] 12 are many ways to convey a picture, but the goal is to create an enduring image that helps people "feel at home with the new way" (Bridges 2009, 65). Although this project seeks to use art to help people visualize and dream of a new direction, there is a deeper goal and purpose. The project hopes to help participants actually make sense of their place in God's purpose for the world. The experience will give people new language to imagine what may be true, but it will also seek to take complex and fluid life situations and bring about a renewed sense of clarity and direction. This is called "sensemaking" and is an important part of this project. The sensemaker's role is to, "convert a world of experience into an intelligible world" (McDaniel 2007, 28). Reuben McDaniel suggests that this sensemaking is done through creative means that help people understand their identity and to imagine a plausible future. In light of this, an art experience has great value in transforming complex life experiences into something useful and clear. Art is a valuable and time-tested way to understand complex and perhaps troubling lived experiences. Brian Godawa calls this an "aesthetic exegesis" (Godawa 2009, 46) that helps people draw from art to make sense of God's world and in turn be [ Page ] 13 empowered by art to see themselves in new ways, trust God anew, and move into the mission of God with renewed purpose and mission. Overview of the Design The project at the heart of this study is an art experience that seeks to move people to make sense of their identity and imaginatively consider a new possible future for living life as missional disciples of Jesus. The project, which consists of portraits of people in the congregation, is designed to be highly contextual, born out of the lived reality of Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. Along with these portraits are written reflections intended to help the participants reflect theologically about what they see, who they are, and what God is calling them into. These portraits and written responses (all of which were created by the author) were then displayed in the church gallery and an evening was set aside where the congregation could come together and engage with the experience. About 60 people, largely from Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, agreed to participate in the study. The methodology design of this project is modeled after hermeneutic phenomenology. Participants were asked to share their [ Page ] 14 beliefs and feelings about God, themselves, and the world around them before and after experiencing the art presentation. This qualitative approach allowed for respondents to openly reflect on what they saw and felt. The data were collected and analyzed for themes and trends that might emerge. These findings would then inform interpretations and conclusions. Does art really have the capacity to change people? Can spiritual transformation happen in a short amount of time? Is art a useful means to help people see themselves as part of the mission of God? This study is designed to address these questions and present the findings as they emerged from the data. Defining Key Terms Devotional Art - This is a distinctive category of art designed with devotion to God in mind. According to Pamela M. Jones, "At the heart of Roman Catholic apologies for sacred art was a belief in the indelible power of visual imagery and a concomitant concern with channeling and exploiting viewer responses in the service of the "true faith" (Jones 1998, 2). Today, however, devotional art is born out of a broader creative impetus that includes Christian art from a wide range of cultures and ethnicities: from visual folk art to Christian rock and roll. [ Page ] 15 Missional Disciple - This is, in many respects, a redundant term. However it is used to clarify the proper emphasis of discipleship. A key aspect of missional theology is the belief that every disciple of Jesus is an agent of God's mission. Spiritual Transformation - This is the change of character produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer often through the catalyst of events, experiences, and reflection. It is the work of the Spirit that shapes a person into the likeness of Christ as he or she experiences new thoughts, values, and engage in new actions. Elements of this transformative work is reflected in Romans 12:2 as Paul says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Theological Aesthetics - A discipline that is interested in how beauty, the imagination, and the arts can address epistemological and theological issues or questions. Jonathan Edwards was a theologian, for example, who allowed his emotional experiences of God's beauty to inform his theological perspective. "Beauty provided Edwards with a category by [ Page ] 16 which to integrate some of his most important philosophical and theological ideas" (Mitchell 2007, 46). Theological Imagination - The imagination played a critical role in the way Jesus led his ministry. Through story, metaphor, and practice he invited people to see the reality of the Kingdom of God through his lens. Although knowledge and skill are important in any theological reflection, it is the imagination that has the ability to transform. "If we are to effectively make disciples of Jesus Christ and teach them to obey everything he commanded, we cannot neglect the imagination." (Jethani 2009, 27) [ Page ] 17 Chapter Two Biblical Rationale Reading the Bible requires imagination and a participatory mindset. In its very nature, the Bible calls people to interaction and reflection through stories, propositions, and metaphors. Eugene Peterson says, "Our imaginations have to be revamped to take in this large, immense world of God's revelation...we learn to live, imagine, believe, love, converse in this immense and richly organic and detailed world to which we are given access by our Old and New Testaments" (Peterson 2006, 67). Experts in homiletics agree; John Piper says that, "Experience and Scripture teach that the heart is most powerfully touched...when it is filled with vivid images of amazing reality" (Piper 2004, 90), while others contend that without Biblical imagery, "Christianity is uncommunicable (Willhite and Gibson 1998, 159). Central to our experience of the Bible is imagery, and that imagery requires our imaginations. Imagination is a means of grace, according to Leland Ryken, because it is "a means by which God can reveal His truth and beauty and people can respond with due appreciation" (Ryken 1990, 387). The imagination, in scripture, is often ignited (so to speak), with various kinds of experiential art. For Ryken, this "shows that God's work is partly [ Page ] 18 artistic" (Ryken 1990, 387). Examples in scripture attest to this experiential or artistic approach to accessing the imagination; throughout the Bible there is song, performance art, visual imagery, and linguistic arts that God uses to communicate His message (Spencer and Spencer 1998,19-21). By way of examples for songs in the Bible, God sings a love song (Is. 5:1), while Moses leads the Israelites in a song to the Lord (Exodus 15:1-18), and the Psalms have been used by believers for thousands of years. Prophets used performance art to make important points. Isaiah, for example, stripped naked for three years as a sign against Egypt and Cush (Is. 20:2-3) while Ezekiel laid on his side for 430 days to act out the siege on Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4:4-8). God also used visual signs to convey his message. In the narratives, we read about the manufacture of imagery as a sign of God's help or presence in the form of a bronze serpent (Num. 21:8-9). The building of the temple (Exodus 31:3-6) or the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 37:1) is also central to God's revelation and facilitated worship; these are physical objects reminding people of God's presence and salvation. But these are more than mere instances of artistic creations in the life of God's people. The temple, for example, acts as a "synecdoche, a sign of God's great beauty, and a prolepsis, a sign of God's new Jerusalem" (Spencer and Spencer 1998, 21). God's use of imagery in [ Page ] 19 the Bible becomes an effective revelation of God's ongoing work. Lastly among these examples, the Bible draws upon the readers' imagination through the linguistic arts. Jesus utilizes a variety of approaches to make his message understood, from direct commands and blunt questions, to fictional stories and practical explanations. But even more interesting, perhaps, is that Jesus uses signs and wonders as creative communication. These miracles "were not abstract propositions, but sensate visual signs (images) intended to elicit faith and trust in their creator" (Godawa 2009, 54). Signs were used by both Jesus and the prophets as an experience that persuades people to consider God's message and to change some kind of behavior or belief. But the largess of God's creative revelation is not limited to images, words, and song. These inspire the imagination, but they merely raise our eyes to see the beauty and glory of God. The Bible is not primarily interested in advocating the arts, but uses creative means such as the arts to point to God's beauty and glory. According to Karl Barth, God's beauty "enlightens and convinces and persuades us" (Barth 1970, 650-651), and that our knowledge of God's beauty "stems uniquely from revelation and is therefore centered in Jesus Christ, the image of God's glory" (Viladesau 2008, 185). In the biblical narrative, God uses creative means to tap into [ Page ] 20 the imaginations of His people for the purposes of redeeming his people and restoring his relationship with humanity. The ultimate goal is that we, like Jesus, might reflect the image of God. This is the hope of the Gospel and the aim of missional discipleship. The aforementioned examples from the biblical narratives, from the prophets, and from Jesus Christ demonstrate that God's creative engagement through word, song, and symbol are often means to draw humanity into right relationship with God. Bible and Spiritual Transformation Spiritual Transformation is the change of character produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer; shaping them into the likeness of Christ as they experience new thoughts and values and engage in new actions. This transformative work is reflected in Romans 12:2 as Paul says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This transformation is accompanied by changes in self-perception (Rom. 12:4), activity (Rom. 12: 7), and even emotional responses (Rom. 12: 8). Spiritual transformation, in the context of this study, is the redemptive work that God is doing in His people. God frequently used artistic devices or creative imagery to reveal himself and [ Page ] 21 to communicate this redemptive and transformative mission to God's people. Examples of this creative symbolism are referenced by Calvin Seerveld in his survey of the Biblical text. He observes how God is imagined as a rock (1 Sam. 2:2), nursing mother (Is. 49:13-17), husband (Hosea 2:7), bridegroom (Matt. 25:1-13), land-lord banker (Matt. 25:14-30), and hen (Luke 13:31-35). He adds that, "it is entirely proper to imagine God to be like something we creatures are acquainted with" (Seerveld 1987, 48). The Bible uses creative imagery to demonstrate a truth about God's nature and purpose or mission. Today, does the Bible allow for us to use art and imagination in order to creatively engage and lead people towards spiritual transformation? Brian Godawa says, "If the Bible communicates God and truth (theology) primarily through story, image, symbol and metaphor, then a theology that neglects these methods is not being strictly biblical in its method" (Godawa 2009, 81). In other words, if God used these creative means to transform his people, then it seems reasonable to use creative methods now. Today church leaders such as Nanette Sawyer are taking a cue from scripture and trying new ways of using creative language to bring about spiritual transformation. Using "spiritual art" to convey the gospel message in what she sees as a more biblical way Sawyer believes that "Spiritual art is about the process, not [ Page ] 22 the product. Practicing it is a way to engage the imagination and to encounter the holy" (Sawyer 2010, 50). Experimental practitioners like Sawyer are not doing spiritual direction in a vacuum, but are taking lessons from the scriptures and church history to help point people to Christ. Creative imagery, including fictional stories, has been central to the Protestant experience. Stories have been written and used with the purpose of inspiring the imagination and producing a specific kind of spiritual transformation. William Dyrness points to Dante and Bunyan as two early examples of this particular genre. He says that each author sought to use literary creativity to change their reader's approach to God in a specific way. The theme of Dante's Comedy is that God has given humanity signs, and that discernment and the "love of the good" should be valued in the life of the believer (Dyrness 2008, 289). However in Bunyan's pilgrim's progress, the protagonist encounters temptations that "dissuade him from his journey" (Dyrness 2008, 289); and readers are taught that Christians must cast off the burdens of sin so as not to get side- tracked on the journey of faith. Both of these authors sought, through imagery and story, to engage the imagination and transform lives of those who engaged with it. These were not theological texts, but popular [ Page ] 23 literature that was highly accessible. The trend continues today. One of the best selling Christians books of recent years (Rude, 2008, 20), with a huge following of people who claim deep transformation, is The Shack by William Paul Young. In the book, God meets the protagonist Mack through strangely ordinary human interactions (such as over breakfast, or by a lake). The book uses common imagery to address complex theological ideas such as the trinity, redemption, and relating with God. In all these examples, the story was not created merely for artistic purposes, but to edify (Dyrness 2008, 298) and transform its readers. Imago Dei and Missio Dei in the Text Imago Dei and Missio Dei are central themes in this study. They represent points of entry and exit to the art experience, and the research was based on how these themes were captured in the imagination of the participants. Participants explored these themes by being encouraged to consider how they are made in the image of God and how that might inspire them to live out the mission of God. Both themes are weaved throughout the Old and New Testaments revealing the grand scope of God's redemptive work in the world today. [ Page ] 24 Imago Dei is a term describing the uniqueness of humans as God's creatures (Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling 1999, 63). In Genesis 1:26-27, God created Adam and made him in God's own image. God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis sets the foundation for God's relationship with humanity, connecting himself intrinsically with his creation by making them in his image. In saying that humanity is made in the image of God, Genesis 1 presents a picture of perfect union with God and his will. Martin Luther says, in his famous commentary on Genesis, "Therefore my understanding of the image of God is this: that Adam had it in his being and that he not only knew God and believed that He was good, but that he also lived in a life that was wholly godly; that is, he was without fear of death or of any other danger, and was content with God's favor" (Luther 1959, 62-63). The Imago Dei represents a perfect connection between God and His creation. Yet even after the fall, the image of God upholds humanity's inherent value in God's eyes. Genesis 9:6 says, "Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." In fact, "because we bear God's likeness, to abuse or kill another person is an affront to God himself" (Tverberg and [ Page ] 25 Okkema 2004, 56). Thus the Old Testament presents a picture of perfect union with God because of God's creative initiative and that even though the fall tainted that union, all people are still no less made in God's image. Themes of being made in the image of God are greatly developed in the New Testament as the incarnation presents the mystery of God in Christ and our invitation into that union. Colossians 1:15 first establishes Jesus' reflection of the Father, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." Jesus, then, is the New Adam, made in the image of God as Adam was, but coming to restore humanity unto the Father by his sacrifice. N.T. Wright explains that "From all eternity Jesus had, in his very nature, been the 'image of God' as man: from all eternity he had held the same relation to the Father that humanity, from its creation, had been intended to bear" (Wright 1986, 70). 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 establishes the supremacy of Christ in this and goes on further to say, "just as we have borne the likeness of earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven." Thus Jesus exemplifies the restored Imago Dei in himself (Col. 1:15), and through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, humanity can also live as people recreated in God's image (1 Cor. 15:45-49). 2 Peter 1:4 goes so far as to suggest that through Jesus believers "may participate in the divine nature." Where the Old Testament [ Page ] 26 establishes that humanity is created in the image of God, the New Testament reveals what that image is like in Jesus Christ and that through Jesus, humanity (tainted by sin as it may be) may be recreated in God's image and in-dwelt by the Spirit of God (Romans 8). Today believers have reason to hope that creation may once again be restored to that state of perfect union and that we may in fact be invited by God to participate in his redemptive work. Christopher J. H. Wright says that the implications of being made in the image of God are important for how we understand our role in the mission of God. For Wright, the fact that people are made in the image of God has at least four specific implications. First, that all human beings are addressable by God; second, that all human beings are accountable to God; third, that all human beings have dignity and equality; and fourth, that the biblical gospel fits all (Wright 2006, 422-424). The result of these implications for missional activity is that God is already speaking to people and is calling them into relationship with Him. Our role is to treat all people with dignity, loving all people, acknowledging sin and the need for salvation, as we work with God who is restoring humanity to Himself. In this way, mission begins in a full and healthy understanding of the [ Page ] 27 image of God and ends by helping others to see that they are made in the image of God. As Wright says, Christian mission is not a matter of inviting or compelling people to become Westerners or Koreans or Nigerians. It is inviting people to become more fully human through the transforming power of the gospel that fits all because it answers the most basic need of all and restores the common glory of what it is to be truly human - a man or woman made in the image of God. (Wright 2006, 424) So what, then, is this mission? The mission of God, or Missio Dei, is a theme that is closely interconnected with the Kingdom or Reign of God. We cannot define or properly understand the mission of God without exploring the Kingdom of God (Roxburgh and Boren 2009, 39). For it is as we appreciate God's reign across time, and his actions as king, that we begin to see how God is at work and how we might be a part of his ongoing creative and redemptive work. Genesis 1:28 and 2:18 give two helpful insights into the nature of this mission. Firstly, in Genesis 1:27-28 the text says that "God created man in his own image"; then he said "be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea..." Although God is the supreme creator, it is man and woman who are called to populate the earth and rule over it. Wright says, "It seems clear that what God is doing here is passing on to human hands a delegated form of God's own kingly authority over the whole of creation...whatever way this human dominion is to be exercised, it must [ Page ] 28 reflect the character and values of God's own kingship...a rule governed by justice, mercy and true concern for the welfare of all" (Wright 2006, 426). Secondly, in Genesis 2:18 God says "it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." God's purposes from the start were rooted in relationships, that populating the earth and caring for it would not be done alone, but together. But sin devastated relationships and, as part of God's redemptive work, "it is part of God's mission to restore healthy social relationships where they are broken through sin" (Wright 2006, 428). That is, God is on a mission to restore families, communities, cities and nations. In this sense, our identity as people made in the image of God affects the way we participate with God in the redemption of humanity. Theological and Historical Rationale Visual art has been a key part of the Church's theological dialogue from its very early days. There is evidence, for example, that pre- Constantine Christians depicted Jesus as a Shepherd - a symbol of Christ's protection and care (John 10:11). Although Jesus himself was never said to be a literal Shepherd, metaphors for Jesus influenced early art and created a sense of Christ's ongoing and immanent presence with the first believers [ Page ] 29 (Spencer and Spencer 1998, 100). Art in the early church was often used for encouragement and persisted in simple metaphorical forms such as Jesus the Shepherd or the Lamb, but had not developed the more precise forms of iconography until several centuries later. From Byzantine Christianity onwards, art became a powerful centerpiece for depicting the grand biblical narrative. At the Quinisext Council of 692, the eastern church declared that "Christ our God be represented in His human form and not in the ancient form of the lamb. We understand this to be the elevation of the humility of God the Word, and we are led to remembering His life in the flesh, His passion, His saving death and, thus, deliverance which took place for the world" (Spencer and Spencer 1998, 101). As the church grew and spread, so did the importance of art in the life of the church. Iconographers began to depict the image of Christ, and soon a vast array of biblical stories and more complex theological themes such as the Trinity and the sacraments. Icons became more than art to the community, they became tools for teaching, theological reflection, and worship. The visual arts rooted in the stories of the scriptures reflected important truths about God and shaped the self-perception of those who looked upon them. Art thus came to shape the very identity of the early [ Page ] 30 church by offering vivid reminders of God's work in the scriptures and all around them. Icons, although only one expression of imagination and artistic creativity in the history of the church, serve as a good point of exploration. Icons have a rich history as a pragmatic art form and are becoming objects of fascination in the modern Western church as people long to "catch a fleeting and clouded glimpse of the divine, to allow the eye to see what the mind might not know unaided" (Jensen 2003, 30). A closer look at the purpose and usefulness of icons, both generally and specifically, help to shape the rationale for this study. Henri Nouwen, a Roman Catholic Priest, wrote about his experience with several well known icons and reflects upon the importance of icons in his own journey of faith. He had a particular affinity for icons because, as he wrote, "they are created for the sole purpose of offering access, through the gate of the visible, to the mystery of the invisible" (Nouwen 2007, 23). The usefulness of icons as a medium for helping people enter into prayer and reflection on complex theological mysteries is evident. For him, they are a kind of window into further understanding and truth. Nouwen reflects upon several icons and it is clear that these simple paintings have a profound impact upon him. He reflects upon the Rublev's damaged icon of Christ entitled The Saviour [ Page ] 31 of Zvenigorod. Nouwen says that after months of looking at the icon, it continues to reveal something new about God (Nouwen 2007, 67). Nouwen writes, "When I first saw the icon, I had the distinct sense that the face of Christ appears in the midst of great chaos" (Nouwen 2007, 67). Nouwen was able to actively participate in the simple portrait of Christ by identifying with chaos and entering into that chaos with Christ. Icons capture the imagination and are carefully created to help people identify themselves with God in a particular way. In this sense, they are pragmatic tools for helping people grow in their faith. They are displayed with the hope that people will be drawn into them and be made to reflect upon them. Léonide Ouspensky, a central figure in Eastern Orthodox theological reflection on iconography, expounds upon icons at an even greater depth. Ouspensky explores the iconography of the Holy Spirit and observes how icons are not only able to draw people into a place of prayer and identification with Christ, but may also help people move back out into the world. He observes how the Russian icon called The Descent of the Holy Spirit shapes our thinking about the church and its purpose in the world. This particular icon is made up of a circle of the apostles, receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He notes, "The unclosed structure [ Page ] 32 of the icon at the top and bottom is this very openness of the Church: at the top the communion with the Uncreated Trinitarian Being through the Holy Spirit, and on the bottom, the communion with the whole world through us" (Ouspensky 1987, 330). This icon inspires believers to see that their spiritual life and daily life is connected and that seeing Christ means also seeing him in each other (Nouwen 2007, 89). Icons, rather than creating a disconnect from the real world through some mystical practice, have the potential to help people to see how God is working in them and calling them into his active work in the world. It is through this vision, according to Eastern Orthodox theologian Anthony Uglonik, that people "can look out onto the world, discover the manifestations of God in materiality, and thereby assist in the transfiguration of this world into the kingdom of the Father" (Ugolnik 1988, 22). From quiet observation and new identification of self in Christ, to action and place within God's grand purpose of redemption and renewal; icons act as an invitation to a process of spiritual formation and participation in the present and coming Kingdom of God. [ Page ] 33 Art in Protestantism Throughout the history of the Church, art has been central in helping ordinary people interact with the Biblical narrative. Visual arts such as icons or stained glass, musical compositions and memorable hymns, even theatre, poetry, and architecture were creatively used to help people connect with God and live out their faith. It was for fear of idolatry that the iconoclasts wanted to removed icons from the church arguing that it was "unworthy of God to be represented and venerated in a physical object" (Holt 1993, 55). Although early Protestants saw a certain value in art as part of God's general revelation (Godawa 2009, 88), Puritans such as Richard Baxter believed that images of God, the Spirit, angels, or adored persons should not be made because people may be tempted to give "unlawful worship or honor" to those images (Baxter 2000, 697). Baxter recognized the power of images and thus advised that it "is unlawful to place images in churches...when it tendeth to corrupt the imagination, or by possessing it, to hinder the spiritual exercises of the mind. Which is the ordinary effect of images" (Baxter 2000, 697). Brian Godawa suggests that in a time when there was "widespread idolatrous worship of images" (Godawa 2009, 89), the responses of these early reformers seems appropriate. Churchmen hoped to curb idolatry, but in [ Page ] 34 the process appeared to throw out arts completely. Some, such as Martin Luther, initially called for moderation to any anti-arts sentiment, recognizing that art could have a powerful and necessary role in the church (Godawa 2009, 89). According to David Morgan, "Protestantism tend[ed] to understand 'image' as idol or illustration. The former Luther condemned, the latter he accepted" (Morgan 310, 1989). Still, as the reformation continued to unfold, theologians and church leaders made a clear shift in didacticism. Instead of viewing art as inherently valuable to teach complex theological and spiritual truths, theologians such as John Calvin elevated doctrinal education in spoken and written word as the primary means to communicate the Gospel (Godawa 2009, 90). Thus, in many reformed traditions, art was seen as superfluous and unnecessary to the higher goals of the Church. Art and the theological reflection that was associated with it were diminished while more systematic forms of theological discourse took precedence. Although attitudes towards art have been changing in recent centuries, frequently it remains as a by- product, and not a central part of, the life of the Church. N.T. Wright, in a lecture at Seattle Pacific University bemoaned the place to which the Church has often relegated art since the Reformation. He says, "For generations now, many Christians have really believed, and [ Page ] 35 acted on the belief, that the arts, the imagination, are the pretty bits around the edge, the kind of decorative border, whereas the middle bit, the main bit, whatever that is, is the kind of solid, stodgy, chunky bit in the middle which is the Christian truth, dogma, belief, and ethics, and all that stuff, and then you can kind of go away and play sometimes around the edge if you're lucky" (Wright 2005, 2). Theologians, like Wright, are now recognizing the importance of art in the life of the Church. They suggest that the church in the West is no longer fighting a culture of idolatry like the early reformers may have had to deal with, and perhaps the time is right to reintroduce, redeem, and freely use the arts in a culture that is accustomed to learning through visual mediums. The Lausanne Covenant was a landmark agreement between church leaders from around the world signed in 1974. The purpose of the Lausanne Covenant was to unite and strengthen the church to excel in world evangelization. Since then, the Lausanne Movement has grown and continued in the spirit of the covenant by hosting global congresses that discuss important issues, partnerships, and developments in evangelism. The Lausanne Movement has recently recognized and commissioned a study to examine the value of the arts for evangelism. They found that although "Evangelical communities have been inclined to [ Page ] 36 neglect the arts...these same communities have begun to manifest a new interest in the arts and have made significant moves forward in engaging the arts in the life of the church" (Harbinson, Franklin, Tughan and Novak 2005, 1). The Lausanne Movement has begun to recognize the value of the arts for reaching people with the message of Jesus. They suggest that the church ought to reclaim the use of our imaginations. The authors of the study say, "Imagination is the ability to look beyond what is immediately present to what might be. We could say that imagination helps us to order our worlds and make sense of our experiences. It puts us in touch with a larger narrative - God's story - and helps us to see things differently" (Harbinson, Franklin, Tughan and Novak 2005, 6) Art is more than an aesthetic compliment to the central work of the church, art is a means to ignite the imagination and move people to see God and their place in God's work in the world. The study continues by adding that art has a very special and potent role to play in communicating the truth. "Art has its own unique way of 'speaking' and 'meaning'...art is not a good preacher - it is by nature allusive, indirect. The arts should not attempt to evangelize per se, but they can 'bear witness' to the truth...and allow the Holy Spirit to 'point' people towards transcendent realities" (Harbinson, Franklin, Tughan and Novak 2005, 24-25). Even as [ Page ] 37 recently as 2010 the Lausanne Movement declared in the Cape Town Commitment that "in the world of mission the arts are an untapped resource" and a "valid and valuable component of our call to discipleship (Lausanne 2010, 25) Imago Dei Initium The purpose of this study is to examine how an art experience might move participants to reflect on their own identity as people made in the image of God in order to live out the mission of God. Throughout the history of Christian spirituality, the metaphor of a journey has often been used to help people understand that growing in Christ involves directional movement. Bruce Demarest in his book, Seasons of the Soul, describes the nature of this movement. He suggests that this journey of faith frequently begins with identity and moves towards service. He says that the journey of faith starts with a kind of unity with Christ, or reorientation and alignment to God. In history, this has been called the Unitive Way where "God raises Christians above the world system to live in unbroken awareness of his presence" (Demarest 2009, 132). This unity has been understood also as a kind of theosis, or what Bruce Demarest describes as a "participation in the divine life that makes believers more [ Page ] 38 like Christ" (Demarest 2009, 133). In other words, the journey of faith begins by embracing ourselves and others as people made in the image of God. Thus, Imago Dei initium, or the image of God is the beginning. But how can we possibly appropriate God's majestic value to ordinary people, let alone criminals or the diseased? Art is a useful starting point for understanding the Imago Dei in all humanity because art has the capacity to bring the imagination into a place where it is capable of giving value to people we thought to be worthless. Why care for poor, needy, or filthy people? Reason alone may not bring value to "worthless" people, but art serves as a window into which the "spiritual can be experienced in matter" (Siedell 2009, 8). Ordinary material or people can be seen as God intended through the spiritual lens of art. Icons, for example, have found a particular place in the history of the church. Icons, "discipline sight, as we look at the world through the eyes of faith seeing the Other not as an instrument for our use but to whom something is owed" (Siedell 2009, 8). Art may, at times, be viewed as a utilitarian apparatus to communicate or educate, but spiritual art has the capacity to cause us to see others in new ways. Iconography, according to Siedell, gives us reason to pause and reflect upon our neighbour. The person sitting beside us in the pew or at the grocery store [ Page ] 39 is not just a passing figure, but someone with inherent value. They are made in the image of God. Art raises our eyes and imaginations to grasp this reality. Through art, we are taken back with Jesus to the creation, and once again to the cross of redemption, joining him in seeing creation as He intended, then participating with Him in its renewal. Ultimately, our theological understanding of Imago Dei cannot end within itself. Imago Dei, as Bruce Demarest attests, produces movement outwards. William Dyrness says that it is the "capacity for relationship that characterizes the image of God" (Dyrness 1972, 171). This relationship plays out in three ways; in humanity's relationship to God, relationship to their human community, and finally humanity's relationship with creation. The image is so closely connected with the action. So much so, that "man is suited not merely to enjoy the world, but to tend it and form it in ways that reflect the goodness and beauty of God himself" (Dyrness 1972, 172). Missio Dei est Metam Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch establish a convincing interrelated connection between Imago Dei and Missio Dei; that movement from being made in the image of God to serving with God. They contend that belief [ Page ] 40 in the Imago Dei recognizes that "God's image is so indelibly stamped on our nature that not even the fall can completely erase it. We, of all creation, are the creatures through whom God's plans and purposes can be made known. In other words, when Christians acknowledge the image of God in us, we can see ourselves as participants or partners with God" (Frost and Hirsch 2009, 33). Frost and Hirsch lay out the movement from Imago Dei to Missio Dei, a movement from identity to action. But these authors take it further by saying that the mission of God is to help the world see that they are made in the image of God. They say that because the image of God is in all people, then the "the missionary task is not to bring God to them but to uncover the Imago Dei and assist people to use this knowledge for the salvation of their souls" (Frost and Hirsch 2009, 35). The movement is from Imago Dei to Missio Dei and then together with the Holy Spirit moving back to help others discover that they are made in the image of God. This cycle results in humanity working with God to restore humanity back to God. Similarly, Demarest describes the journey of faith as one where the movement towards missional living is the most natural part of the journey. "No one has to twist the arm of spiritually oriented saints to get them to journey outward in selfless service to others. We who have been [ Page ] 41 healed and repatterned serve with fresh purpose so that others might enter the circle of blessing" (Demarest 2009, 140). For Demarest, if a person, through the Holy Spirit, comes to an understanding of the Imago Dei in themselves and the world around them, then the movement to join God in outward mission is both natural and reasonable. The mission of God, the present and coming Kingdom, thus becomes the goal: Missio Dei est Metam. By virtue of reflecting the image of God, all people are called to join in His mission. This act of calling is an invitation to all people to participate in redeeming creation. Robert Peterson observes that "Human beings are created with divine potentialities and are called to live these out in the context of the world. More specifically, to be called is to know the voice of the creator who has summoned his people into a relationship and commissioned them to be co-laborers in his unfolding new creation" (Peterson 2009, 100-102). Os Guinness also points to the universal call of Christ to participate in even the smallest act of redemption. He points to Martin Luther who once declared that "God and the angels smile when a man changes a diaper" (Guinness 1998, 34). In simple acts of attending to creation, humanity is demonstrating that [ Page ] 42 they are reflecting the image of God and are responding to the call of Christ and thus participating in his redemptive work. In light of Imago Dei, the connection between creativity and mission grows ever clearer. God, in His creative splendor, made humanity in His image. At the start of humanity's story is this massive and ongoing burst of creativity intrinsically connecting humanity to God. God's mission is to continue, through Christ, this creative work that results in redemption and recreation of a broken world. As this renewed identity is adopted, the redemptive nature of God is woven into the very fabric of his people. God then draws his people into his mission to work with himself in this restorative and redemptive work. Identity and mission are intricately connected. David J. Bryant explores the role of the imagination to help us see ourselves as being made in the image of God for the purpose of joining with God in mission. He first establishes that "imago is intimately connected with vocation" (Bryant 2000, 37) and that our response to that vocational call will "lead to the fulfillment of our authentic being... [serving] as God's representative within the created order" (Bryant 2000, 37). Bryant understands that because we are made in the image of God, we are then invited into a world of possibilities where God is forever [ Page ] 43 creating and renewing. But living in this place and seeing ourselves as part of that creative work requires imagination. He says "imagination is what enables us to take the world as comprising a whole, of which we are a part and for which we have responsibility, to take God as the Reality to which we are ultimately responsible...we could even imagine a situation in which we fully lived up to this responsibility" (Bryant 2000, 38-39). For Bryant, the Imago Dei and Missio Dei are intrinsically linked, identity and vocation with God are not separated, but must be imagined together. N.T. Wright sees this connection and suggests that art and beauty have a very important role to play in helping us imagine the Missio Dei. N.T. Wright says, God has put us in a beautiful world, and wants us to celebrate it, but he wants us then to use our imaginations to write those other parts. We'll get it wrong, we will imagine it wrong, but then we'll get glimmers which are getting it right, and the music will grow, and swell, and we will teach one another, and enlarge one another's horizons so that we can actually glimpse and see that there is to be a yet fuller beauty, a beauty in which the violence is rebuked, in which the possibilities of this world are finally fulfilled. Our culture is not good at imagining that, and it takes the arts to help us do it - music, poetry, literature, dance, drama, all of that. (Wright 2005, 3). Art, for Wright, has a powerful capacity to transform the imagination, expand perceptions, and through the power of the Holy Spirit and the work of Christ, to literally redeem the world. God's creative [ Page ] 44 presence enlivens our imaginations to remind us that we are made in the image of God and to invite us to the mission of God. [ Page ] 45 Chapter Three Relevant Themes in Contemporary Literature How does an art installation engage the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples? This study is placed in the crossroads of several disciplines and areas of research or study. More specifically, this project seeks to examine the point in which the areas of spiritual formation, devotional art, and missional discipleship converge and interact with one another. A concise literature review will assist in examining the converging point of these disciplines in the context of this study. This literature review draws from the work of other DMin, PhD, and graduate studies, as well as articles and books from key scholars and examples of transformative art from recent artists or practitioners. The chapter is divided in thematic sections rather than by resource. The first section reviews key discussions and voices in the area of theological aesthetics; focusing on those particular scholars who have examined the transformational or missional dynamics of visual arts in this interdisciplinary area of study. The second section examines the ways in which art and multisensory communication may produce spiritual transformation. The third section explores ways in which art has been used for the very specific purpose of helping people think and live [ Page ] 46 missionally. The fourth section reviews literature that pertains to the methodology of this study. Throughout these sections, this review periodically draws from prime instances of transformational or missional art. These examples clarify that at present this area of research is not solely an intellectual pursuit, but that practitioners are actively experimenting with ways of creating spiritual transformation through art. Taken as a whole, this chapter demonstrates that much work has been done to explore the role of art and sensate experiences in the life of the church. This chapter also reveals that there is still relatively little being said about the role of art in the specific work of developing missional values in the lives of ordinary church-goers. My criteria for this literature review have been to find articles and research projects at points of convergence between art (primarily visual art and portraiture), spiritual transformation, theological aesthetics, and mission. I have discovered literature that variously connects one or more of these areas of study and determined that the highest quality resources were those that sought convergence between several of these strategic search terms. Note that whereas a broad range of contributors are referenced, key voices in the conversation such as Dyrness, Jensen, Morgan and others feature prominently in this review. The result is a [ Page ] 47 collection of studies, articles, books, and examples of art that create a supporting framework and point of reference for this study. Theological Aesthetics and Sanctification The study of theological aesthetics is interdisciplinary and broad. According to Frank Burch Brown, art was once bound in a kind of "prison of hermeneutic autonomy" (Brown 2001, 32), or elevated to a level of formality that would resist any submission to theological or moral criteria. But Brown says that this has changed and art is now broadly valued for its capacity to interact and behave in a much larger and diverse conversation. Through this growing conversation about aesthetics and art, theology can now take a deeper "interest in imagination, metaphor, story, and embodiment" (Brown 2001, 33). The result is a conversation that crosses the disciplines theology, art, and spiritual formation. Scholars in the area of Theological Aesthetics cover a broad range of topics. Some focus on the various relationships between theology and the arts (Reginald Begbie, Richard R. Viladesau, Alejandro Garcia-Rivera, William Dyrness, Robin M. Jensen, and Frank Burch Brown), between theology and literature (Paul Fiddes and Leland Ryken), theology and film (Neil Hurley, Robert Jewett, Robert K. Johnson, and Larry Kreitzer), [ Page ] 48 Christians as artists (Calvin Seerveld and Ned Bustard), early Christian aesthetics (Paul Corby Finney), and those who write across the disciplines of theology, art, politics, philosophy, and culture (Hans Rookmaaker, Francis Schaeffer, Timothy Gorringe, and Nicholas Wolterstorff). Theological Aesthetics is a broad area of study still developing with new voices drawing theological connections between new forms of media, changes in culture and implications for mission. This study, which seeks to understand the power of art to transform missional perspectives, generally orients itself within the realm of theological aesthetics. Some authors within the conversation have addressed the effects of art on spiritual transformation; they provide a helpful point of reference for this study. The following is a closer look at some key voices in theological aesthetics that offer particular insight to this work. Beauty is a central theme in theological aesthetics. Richard Viladeseau highlights the value of beauty in art and the world, suggesting that people, as God's creation, participate in and reflect God's beauty. Jesus, being the Son of God, reflected the beauty of the Father, and we are also given this grace. In this sense, Viladeseau says that children of God share in this divine life, in this "deiformity" and as such are invited into a process of sanctification variously described as theosis or divinization [ Page ] 49 (Viladeseau 2008, 183-184). In this process of theosis, the beauty of God the Father, as revealed in the Son, opens hearts to see a new kind of beauty. Viladeseau says, "That beauty consists above all in goodness or justice, which we are called to imitate, thus becoming similarly beautiful: putting aside the ugliness of sin and sharing by grace in the divine life of self-giving love" (Viladeseau 2008, 187). Viladeseau views beauty as a way to God (Brown 2001, 34), and that beauty portrayed through art leads to theosis and the eventual creation of beauty in the form of justice and goodness. Beauty in art leads to beauty in life; beauty in this sense is transformative. William Dyrness, in his assessment of beauty in the old testament, connects beauty to the Day of the Lord. He says that the "absence of beauty is sometimes associated with the oppression of the poor (Amos 2)" (Dyrness 1985, 432). For him, beauty is seen as an important part of justice, it is a foretaste of the coming redemption of humanity in Jesus Christ. But more than that, beauty changes us. He says elsewhere, " Beauty is not that which, being seen, pleases, but that which reflects the deeply real of the world we live in, indeed it reflects the story that informs our life...but it does more than this; in and through these qualities it makes a claim on us" (Dyrness 2008, 298). Beauty, according to Viladeseau and [ Page ] 50 Dyrness lead to transformation, life, and reflects a world in need. But beauty, as mentioned, can be part of a process of sanctification. Robin Jensen points to the early church fathers when she says that images were created for good, to see God's divinity and participate in it. In this sense, beauty and imagery, "can be edifying, revelatory and even salvific" (Jensen 2008, 33). For these scholars and theologians throughout much of Christian history, images were so much more than nice pictures; they did in fact edify, reveal God, and even lead to salvation. Visual Art and Spiritual Transformation How does an art installation engage the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples? Central to this guiding research question is the importance of art as a catalyst for transformation. Theologians, pastors, and artist have variously explored the ways in which art inspires transformation and change. The Power of Imagery Theologians, artists, and behavioral psychologists have studied the effects of art to change behavior and attitudes. C. Siddha Webber argues [ Page ] 51 that "operant behavior is strongly influenced by art and the environment, which in turn stimulates social behavior" (Webber 2003, 31). Rachel Northcott posits the thesis that art, especially visual art, is very important to the postmodern church for this very reason - that they have the power to transform people's behaviors. She states that, "Paintings change lives" because "It is not an intellectual pursuit that Christ has called us to, but a whole life changing experience. Art gives people the realm in which to experience this" (Northcott 2005, 4). Northcott draws upon history to contend that for centuries the church has used art to change lives. But more specifically, she believes that "art has the power to change lives in the way that churches want to changes lives" (Northcott 2005, 8). For Northcott, it is the potency of art that ought to make it a valuable tool in the life of the church. In effect, she says that art has what the church needs, a conduit through which spiritual transformation might happen. Northcott draws heavily from the work of William Yates, a scholar in the field of theology and the arts. He firmly believes in the power of art to affect change because art is a kind of participatory symbol. We enter into imagery and are "grasped" by it. As with iconography, Yates says that "we are pulled into the icon or image to participate in the life it symbolizes" (Yates 1998, 19). The work is done well, with rich meaning; [ Page ] 52 then the experience of it can be profound. Yates says, "But the work is the catalyst that can release in us powerful moments of recognition and identification, absorption and transcendence in which we become one with the work's representation." (Yates 1998, 20). For Yates, art has a pulling effect, to bring us into a spiritual moment, "to call us onto holy ground" (Yates 1998, 27). Or, as Jensen says more poignantly, "visual images not only variously attract, frighten, warn, shock, delight, teach, console, and admonish us, they shape us and form us by our attentive and imaginative interaction with them (Jensen 2008, 36). It is here in the interaction with imagery that the transformations happen; art creates a place where a person might encounter the holy. Iconography, as Yates suggests, has the potent capacity to draw people into a spiritual moment of deeper transformation. In 1966, Russian film-maker Andrei Tarkovsky's film Andrei Rublev examined the relationship between art and faith. Andrei Rublev was an iconographer who created some of the most recognized Russian icons, and Andrei Tarkovsky's film sought to bring those icons to life by stylistically portraying Rublev's life set as a kind of icon itself. In a sense, the film is a kind of icon within an icon, a fascinating use of iconography set in a medium that could speak to ordinary people. Nigel Savio D'Sa describes [ Page ] 53 how Tarkovsky, like Rublev, uses shots of simple faces, drawn out over several moments, to create a kind of cinematic icon. In his analysis, D'Sa finds the film to have a truly numinous quality that has a powerful effect on the person viewing it. He says that, "While Andrei Rublev relates an individual's experience of religious epiphany, it simultaneously aspires to induce in the viewer a likewise experience, or at least an apprehension of it" (D'Sa 1999, 2). The film is not something that is just to be observed, but viewers are to enter into it, like an icon, and be mystically transformed. As a result, "art, for Tarkovsky, is conducive to prayer" (D'Sa 1999, 4). In Tarkovsky's film, and in D'Sa's analysis, we see an icon come to life as a medium for transformation. It is a compelling example of the convergence between art and faith. Iconography extends in different forms beyond the Orthodox and Catholic traditions. Although perhaps not described theologically in iconographical terms, popular portrayals of Christ in Protestant traditions have been deeply influential and transformative. Consider the portrayal of Christ by Warner Sallman, The Head of Christ painted in 1941. David Morgan finds that this work by Sallman is often viewed as folk art, but that its influence and power to transform has been longstanding and worth noting. He says, "The features of Sallman's Christ reveal the gentle, [ Page ] 54 compassionate, approachable savior whom believers desire. Christ's countenance in this image promises a relationship with the savior to those who seek to understand him in an essentially pastoral and intimate way" (Morgan 1993, 34-35). In many ways, this piece has played an important role in shaping the popular image of Christ in the West, but it has also served as an invitation to viewers to consider Christ in a particular way. Even early publishers understood the power of this particular piece, saying, "It truly stirs man's yearnings for spiritual fulfillment" (Morgan 1993, 35). Art has the power to change perceptions. [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 1 details ] Fig. 1. Warner Sallman. 1941. Head of Christ. © 1941 Warner Press, Inc., Anderson, Indiana. Used with Permission [ Page ] 55 Protestants have traditionally been leery of iconography and hagiography. But Gerald L. Sitter says that Protestants do in fact draw deeply from the biographies of missionaries and that these stories of faith have a powerfully transformative effect. He says that, "missionary biographies reveals (sic) the process by which that transfiguration takes place in space and time, how sanctity is achieved, or better, infused by the work of the Holy Spirit in a life that is yielded to God...Protestant missionaries become written icons of faith" (Sitter 2007, 303). So whether it's an image or a story, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions turn to the imagination to deepen devotion and call people into the Kingdom of God. Seeing the work of God in another person inspires people to look for God and his work in their own lives. How far back have images been used to bring about transformation? How long have they been part of the Christian devotional experience? A growing body of work is committed to this question. Robin M. Jensen examines the history of portraiture in the church and contends that the very earliest Christians resisted the use of specific images, often viewing them as pagan (Jensen 2001, 29). However this changed as a more robust theology of the incarnation developed, she says, "portraits actually emerged within Christianity just at the time when [ Page ] 56 the Christological debates reached their peak in the early fifth century" (Jensen 2001, 31). Jensen believes that as a result portraiture finally became an important part of the "devotional life of the Christian faithful" (Jensen 2001, 31). Paul Corby Finney, sees the presence and importance of imagery much earlier than Jensen might. In his analysis of the earliest Christians and art, he contends that much of the imagery was subtly co-opted from pagan art for their own use. He notes that Severan- Roman Christians were using the image of the Shepherd with the lamb on his shoulders (the Hermes-kriophorus) and that it became an important image in their burial practices (Finney 1994, 125). It was perhaps due to persecution that formal images of Christ were not commonly available, but symbolic images such as the Hermes-kriophorus became a strong image that soon decorated both eucharistic cups and baptismal fonts (Finney 1994, 125). Scholars still debate the place of imagery among early Christians, but there is a general agreement that images were used among these communities as objects that inspire devotion and must have brought about change in attitudes and action. [ Page ] 57 The Multi-Sensory Tool Where authors such as Northcott, Yates, and D'Sa generally describe art as a symbol that draws people into a space where transformation occurs. Others see the value of art as a pedagogical tool; part of a multisensory experience. In her DMin study, Jeanette Sue Heart explored the value of the multi-sensory sermon as a tool for transformation. She builds her study on the premise that the message conveyed through the sermon-event cannot just be orally transmitted, "The end goal is not to simply submit information but to offer hope that is transformational in its effect of the lives of the believers" (Heart 2003, 11). Although Heart examines a number of multi-sensory tools used to transform people in the sermon event, her exploration of imagery is relevant to this study. She contends that images are not used just for their symbolism, but for the feelings that surround that symbolism (Heart 2003, 93). The image of fire, for example, might bring comforting feelings of a fireplace or wood stove, or it might be a painful reminder of a burning house. Either way, Heart believes that preachers can use images to move people in a particular direction, thus delivering a message that "can be readily appropriated by the hearts and minds of the congregation" (Heart 2003, 94). In his series on The Bible as Literature, Leland Ryken draws from [ Page ] 58 scripture several reasons why the imagination must be engaged by preachers today. He says that when art or story is used to engage the senses, the imagination "images forth its subject matter" (Ryken 1990, 392), effectively removing people "from immediate reality to send them back to it with renewed insight" (Ryken 1990, 398). The result is introspection and the potential for a change in character. D. Matthew Poole broadens the usefulness of multi-sensory communication in his DMin study by contending that worship would be better served through a more sensate experience. He argues that tangible behavior transformation could result from a more emotional worship experience (Poole 2009, 45). Encouraging transformation in people is a very broad issue in contemporary Christianity and the creation of a transformative event has been one tool used by traditional educators and progressive practitioners alike. John C. Parrish, for example, explored the usefulness of short-term training events to produce spiritual transformation. Parrish sought to study how transformation might be cultivated in educational events (Parrish 2007, 10). On a quite different level, Peter Rollins, a prominent figure in the Emergent church movement, contends that transformation happens when the church is deconstructed and reshaped in a particular way. For him, it is about inviting people into a pub and creating an [ Page ] 59 intellectual void to be filled by God. He has sought to foster an event called Ikon where doubt and conversation are the tools of transformation (Rollins 2009, 20). Both are insightful examples of event-based transformation. But examples of art-centered transformative spiritual events are becoming more commonplace. Consider, for example, the work of Kjellgren Alkire. He is a Christian performance artist with the engagement of the participants in mind. His work is a creative twist on religious mores that make people think and consider their own faith. Alkire says, "I construct spaces where a "message" can be disseminated - verbally, graphically, and sculpturally" (Alkire 2009, 64). Among his interactive projects, he has created an alter-ego named Rev. Roughstock and sets up a kind of revival tent where people come to participate in a rodeo/sermon. It is not a revival at all, but rather a creative art installation that invites people to interact and respond. Alkire also spent an Ash Wednesday kneeling in a barrel of dirt on the side of the road. He offered passing pedestrians the opportunity to receive ash on their forehead. Here too, Alkire puts a twist on religious practices to achieve a particular response and spiritual transformation. [ Page ] 60 Seeing Anew Through Art David Morgan explores the mysterious quality of art to bring about transformation. He says that "terms like 'revealing mystery...' or 'expressing inner truths' do not explain how images function in any objective sense, but in a very partisan manner convey how they are to be experienced. Strictly speaking, an abstract work of art does not make anything visible...what we do find in abstraction, however, is a novel way of seeing" (Morgan 1989, 1154). For Morgan, the spiritual dynamics of art involve new modes of visualizing and experiencing the world. Elsewhere, in speaking about how art changes the way we "see," Morgan says that, "in reality pious images do far more than just deliver the visual facts. They collaborate with sacred texts to interpret them, to make scriptures speak to people living several thousands of years after their authors" (Morgan 2007, 136). Furthermore, he says that viewing an art exhibition "does not allow us to sink comfortably into the visual framework of just seeing" (Morgan 2007, 142), rather, viewers are inspired to engage the art and "seeing" turns into response. This 'seeing' is again brought to the fore by Robin Jensen who says, "Christ came precisely to be seen, not just in his birth and his death, but in his earthly ministry, Athanasius affirmed the value of visual perception for knowledge of God. [ Page ] 61 Jesus' public acts, miracles, and other wonders revealed both God’s glory and his own identity as the divine Word. Thus it was crucial for Christians to see these miracles, if not in life, then in art" (Jensen 2008, 30). Visual art draws people into a place where they can "see" the present Lord. Art as Invitation to Mission One focus of this study is to examine how art might be particularly useful to move people into mission. The task of missional thinking is inherently cross-cultural as followers of Christ are called to move with God into the larger world. William Dyrness argues that art has the effect of shaping spirituality, epistemology (understanding), and ontology (orientation to reality) when it converges with multiculturalism (Dyrness 1994, 40). Art is, in a sense, a cultural exchange where artists invite people, or "outsiders," into this different reality, understanding, and spirituality (Dyrness 1994, 42). Dyrness explains that since art has this capacity to traverse cultural lines and speak outside of ordinary cultural frameworks, Christian artists can actually project new worlds, such as the redemptive kingdom of Christ, or towards the anticipated shalom of God (Dyrness 994, 42). [ Page ] 62 Elsewhere, William Dyrness assesses the cultural landscape of the United States and concludes that there is a deep yearning for a spiritual experience and a hunger for goodness along with a growing uncertainty about the future and distrust for institutions (Dyrness 1997, 34). In his view, the Four Spiritual Laws is no longer the right means of presenting the gospel message, "a new way of thinking about evangelism has become necessary so that our generation will hear the old story of God's love" (Dyrness 1997, 35). This new approach, according to Dyrness, must harness the yearnings of the heart. Art has the capacity to cross that cultural divide and engage people with the gospel in profound ways. Elsewhere, Dyrness says that Advent is an example of longing where the church is invited into a time of hope for the "fulfillment of all God's purposes by the glorious messianic arrival" (Dyrness 2008, 386). He highlights the usefulness of art to invite people into this time of longing by pointing to a piece of art used in La Canada Presbyterian Church. This painting depicted the annunciation as a teenage girl in her messy room, a modern twist on traditional imagery. The effect of the piece was profound and was incorporated into a larger display that "nourished and encouraged" the community (Dyrness 2008, 397). Instead of Advent being a strictly liturgical experience, through specially designed art it became a [ Page ] 63 pedagogical experience, teaching people how to wait and long for the Messiah. But interestingly, it became a missional experience that invited people to see that God's Kingdom is not in the distant past or future, but that it breaks into ordinary life here and now. Similarly, an art installation was created through the season of Lent at Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville in 2006. Since reconciliation is an important part of Lent, art was solicited from local inmates, people who had committed terrible crimes. The effect of the visual art was powerful as people were called to consider their own ability to forgive and be reconciled with their neighbour. Through art, Lent came alive and called people to join in God's mission of reconciliation. Robin Jensen writes that, "The visual arts can teach us how to attend to the visible, external world of nature and of neighbors" (Jensen 2010, 42). Another helpful example comes from Linda Fisher Privitera who brought about congregation transformation and a missional mindset through art. Various people from her congregation created art that reflected their lives. The result, according to Privitera, was profound for the community, "we gained insights into each others' lives that we would not have gained without the visual forms" (Privitera 2007, 30). The art became a "communal social act," and Privitera says that, "if the use of imagination [ Page ] 64 is freely encouraged, our parishes may experience liberation, releasing the yearning and longing for a new humanity and even a new way of being a community of faith" (Privitera 2007, 30). For her community of faith, art moves people towards understanding and embracing the "Other." Examples such as this show that art has qualities that invite people into the mission of God. Authors and scholars contributing to the Missional dialogue in the church are readily turning to the importance of art to their discussions. Eddie Gibbs in his book, Church Next, indicates that there is a shift in the church from word to image. This shift is causing many people to look back to a time when liturgy, iconography, and sensory images were normative. He points to heroes of Catholic or Orthodox spirituality who are gaining increased attention, such as Mother Theresa, Henri Nouwen, and Thomas Merton. These role-models were people of prayer and reflection, as well as being people of self-sacrifice and mission (Gibbs 2000, 133). For Gibbs, prayer, iconography, Celtic spirituality and Taize worship are all finding a new generation of champions, but along with this new appreciation for the sensate is a strong desire to become missional people; people participating in the Kingdom of God in every part of life. Art and imagery, in Gibbs' view, are leading to missional attitudes and activities. [ Page ] 65 There are important connections between devotional art and development of missional identity. In the summer of 2010 I visited France to see for myself how icons and stories of saints may produce missional attitudes. I spent time in several cathedrals throughout Norman France and was particularly struck by the beauty and message of the cathedral in Bayeux. The cathedral was relatively untouched by the fighting of World War 2, and I was impressed by all the sculptures and paintings of saints that adorned pillars, arches, and walls. It was a veritable celebration of the saints. There was one chapel that received a lot of attention; the chapel dedicated to Thérèse of Lisieux. It was in this cathedral that the Bishop of Bayeux allowed Thérèse to enter the Carmelite Order. She died at only twenty four years old, but her legacy was profound as she was made a Saint and Patroness of the Missions. For Thérèse, missions was not a distant activity, but the simple act of love (Thérèse 1957, 3). It was this accessible message of simple love for others that drew people to a quiet chapel in the Bayeux Cathedral. As people looked at her image enshrined above, they read through pamphlets written in many languages explaining Thérèse's little way: "Everyday life is made up of thousands of small gestures, difficulties, small sacrifices; all opportunities of showing our love for the Lord and for those around us, at home, at work, in the [ Page ] 66 neighborhood" (Pamphlet from Bayeux Cathedral, 2008). This example from the Bayeux Cathedral powerfully demonstrates how image and story can elicit deep reflection and prayer; perhaps even inspiring people to think about how they, too, might live missionally in their place of work or in their neighborhood. Today, there are a number of mission organizations using art to transform mindsets, calling people into the Kingdom of God and out into the world. For example, the Overseas Ministries Study Centre (OMSC) where it and "many other experienced missions organizations are seeing art as a way to convey the message of the gospel" (Carnes 2008, 60). This was also a central focus of a study by Janet S. Wylie who concludes that in missions organizations, "the use of visual art was not a haphazard means of expression, but a calculated, planned tactic for missionary communication" (Wylie 1991, 156). Methodology This study seeks to understand how visual art might engage theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples. Studying spiritual transformation is not a common focus in academic research and the tools are not well developed. Several [ Page ] 67 scholars bemoan the challenges that any research in the area of spiritual formation must face. Robin M. Jensen finds that there may be very little (if any) truly systematic research done in the area of spiritual transformation. She says that any research may have to "stay in the category of intuition, insight, personal anecdote, or sensibility" (Robin M. Jensen, December 12, 2010, e-mail message from the author). David Morgan explains the challenge by saying that "The question of 'spiritual transformation' bears the fingerprints of a theological inquiry. If scholars haven't pursued that, it's not a surprise. They are not beholden to the Christian community or tradition and they think of human events and motives in strictly immanent terms. God, in other words, does not enter into the equation of scholarly explanation. He may only do so through the instrument of faith, and that is not a tool that scholarship in the secular academy has at its workbench" (David Morgan, December 4, 2010, e-mail message from the author). Yet Morgan does suggest that there are ways of measuring and assessing spiritual transformation by observing attitudes towards the art or subject matter that the art portrays. Peter C. Hill, one of the authors of Religious Measures (Hill and Hood, 1999), in a separate article contends that attitudes are a valid way of understanding religious experiences saying, "accessibility of a religious attitude at a given moment may have [ Page ] 68 important implications for measuring religious experience" (Hill 1994, 304). Attitudes, however, are not the only approach to measuring a spiritual experience, Hill assesses the Object Relational Theory, a framework to "further a relational understanding of religious experience" (Hill and Hall 2002, 365). This approach is particularly noteworthy for this study because the theory suggests that to understand religious experiences, you must take into account one's image of God and relationship to God. If God is seen as cruel or loving, it will be theoretically evident through one's interactions in another relationship. The Spiritual Assessment Inventory (Hall and Edwards 1996) is based in part on the Object Relational Theory and it measures aspects of the religious experience and one's relationship with God. Besides the Spiritual Assessment Inventory and examples in Measures of Religiosity, other tools have been created to measure spiritual experiences and attitudes. Consider several simple assessment tools such as the Spiritual Journey Evaluation (Gilliam 1994), The Spiritual Growth Assessment Process (Lifeway Publishing), or the tool used by John C. Parrish in his study on spiritual transformation (Parrish 2007, 142), a popular training kit called The Christian Life Profile Assessment Tool [ Page ] 69 (Frazee, 2005). These tools are questionnaires useful for asking people to rate their relationships with God. Although simple, they are effective and valid tools for gathering data about attitudes and one's relationship to God and serve as a partial basis upon which this study was designed. These are all important and demonstrably valid approaches and tools that have been used to understand religious experiences. However, this study needs to further develop these frameworks in order to capture data relative to immediate experiences, namely one's change in attitude after an encounter with art. For that I have turned to methodologies that utilize a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. This approach is rooted in the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur which built upon the father of modern phenomenology (and notable Lutheran), Edmund Husserl (Ricoeur 1967, 3). Although Ricoeur critiques the limits of Husserl (Ricoeur 1981, 101), together their contributions are pivotal in laying the philosophical groundwork upon which researchers can confidently base their methodologies. John Swinton and Harriet Mowat, for example, use hermeneutic phenomenology in one of their studies because the approach allows "the researcher access into the inner experiences of research subjects" (Swinton & Mowat 2006, 105). There are also examples where the hermeneutic phenomenology method has been used to understand [ Page ] 70 responses to art. In Mary Rockwood Lane's study, researchers interviewed artists and patients who could articulate their lived experience with art and healing. These stories were recorded, and the researcher drew themes from the stories as a way of understanding the "power of art to heal mind, body, and spirit" (Lane 2005, 1). Lane's conclusion was that art should be integrated into patient care. In Lane's example, hermeneutic phenomenology was a useful method for understanding lived experiences and interpreting personal narratives. This study seeks to explore experiences, and for that a hermeneutic phenomenological research design, based on established assessment tools, is a clear way of collecting that data. Thomas Groenewald writes about his phenomenological approach to a research project. Questions were put to participants that asked about how participants experienced an event and what value they drew from it (Groenewald 2004, 12). The goal of the researcher was to bracket the responses by focusing on "what goes on within" the participants and having them describe the situation as freely as possible (Groenewald 2004, 12) and on their own terms. [ Page ] 71 Chapter Four Project Design and Methodology How does an art installation engage the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples? In what ways can art propel people towards a renewed journey with God and further participation in God's mission for the world? Several guiding principles, research tools, interventions, and approaches were used as the basis for the design and implementation of the study within the context of Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Calgary, Alberta. In this chapter, various elements of the project, scope, methodologies, and ethics of this study are discussed. This chapter further seeks to demonstrate that this study follows commonly accepted standards for validity and reliability in both data collection and analysis. Design of the Study In earlier chapters, the assertion was made that the imagination has an important role to play in spiritual transformation. God uses the human imagination to help people see themselves, God, and their participation in God's mission in the world around them. New discoveries or epiphanies [ Page ] 72 do not happen by set logical rules, but have "much more to do with intuition and imagination" (Newbigin 1989, 44). Leslie Newbigin says that there is a role for "intuition and imagination in the formation of new theoretical patterns...at some point there is an imaginative leap with the new vision of coherence, something which compels assent by its beauty, its simplicity, and its comprehensiveness" [emphasis mine] (Newbigin 1989, 59). Is it possible to create the conditions whereby a particular imaginative leap can occur? Could a new vision of missional engagement be inspired through creative means? Eddie Gibbs, a key voice for missional thinking, also says that imagination is important in spiritual transformation. Gibbs quotes Thomas Merton, who says that, "the imagination is a discovering faculty, a faculty for seeing relationships, for seeing meanings that are special and even quite new. The imagination is something which enables us to discover unique present meaning in a given moment of our lives" (Merton 1971, 354). Is it then possible to use art to trigger the imagination's faculty for discovery? Can these discoveries be measured? These are guiding questions and assumptions which serve as the impetus for the design of this study. The core hypothesis behind the main research question is that art can in fact engage the theological imagination in such a way as to inspire [ Page ] 73 participants to see themselves as missional disciples. This study was thus designed to explore and test this hypothesis within a specific context. There were three areas of consideration in the design of this study. The first is the project or art installation itself, the second is the process of data collection which is primarily the participant questionnaire, and the third is context, scope, and limiting factors within which the study was conducted. All three are discussed in the following pages. The Art Installation In designing this study, it was important to create a specialized art installation around which to conduct this study. Starting in 2009, I began to create a focused art experience that could facilitate the kind of theological reflection required for this study. There were several iterations of this art project that gave birth to the present experience. As early as June 2009 I was exploring artistic themes of spiritual change, personal pain, the process of healing, the surprise of meeting God, and spiritual epiphanies. I began to formulate a belief that art could bring about these kinds of spiritual awakenings. I theorized that art had a special capacity to surprise the imagination and thus inspire people to reflect on God and their relationship to Him in unexpected ways. I wrote a note to myself at [ Page ] 74 that time saying, "We need to be disciples of the 'suddenly Jesus' because love comes as a surprise. Blinded by the light we ask to open our eyes." Thus the art experience needed to have a deeply personal element that drew people to a place of realization and perhaps even to action. The art experience had to "open eyes" and shine a light on assumptions. The art experience also had to be a kind of journey. Progressive and interactive story is important; it acts as a conduit through which listeners can participate and be moved from one place to another. Eugene Peterson says that "story doesn't just tell us something and leave it there, it invites our participation" (Peterson 2006, 40). This project had to tell a story, but it also needed to welcome others into the story and consider their place in it. Lastly, the art had to have a definite goal. This was not to be an open- ended experience, but rather an experience that called people to consider something about God, themselves, and their participation in God's mission; to have a revelation. Eugene Peterson shows the scope of God's revelation when he writes that God reveals himself to "people just like us - men and women created in God's image - how God works and what is going on in this world in which we find ourselves. At the same time that God reveals all this, God draws us in by invitation and command to participate in God's working life" (Peterson 2002, 7). In many ways, the [ Page ] 75 three questions, "Who is God?", "Who am I?", and "What is God asking me to do with him?" are core to spiritual transformation and thus had to be central in this art project. Altogether, this project was ultimately an exercise in prayer, giving God space and offering our attentive imaginations so that God might reveal something to us. Could art really accomplish all of this? What form would it take? By October 24th, 2009 I had created the foundational components of this unique art experience. I decided that I could create a kind of iconographical presentation that would inspire participants to see themselves as God's children, saints, and people made in God's image. This would be an artistic representation of ordinary people, presented in all their simple humanity, and would create the sensual framework within which to test a few of my theories about how art could bring about spiritual transformation. My hypothesis was that art could bring about transformation and could inspire people to see themselves as participants in the mission of God. The last part of this hypothesis (to see themselves as participants in the mission of God) was a key component of my design. Instead of creating an intervention that caused "some kind" of spiritual transformation, I wanted to measure specific kinds of transformation. At [ Page ] 76 Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, the community is seeking to follow Jesus out into the world and so a focus on missional discipleship was a contextually and theologically appropriate focus. Thus the art experience was created to move people in a specific direction, from discovery to transformation and towards a resolve to participate with God's mission in some way. On January 26, 2010 I met with Douglas Driediger, a Christian visual artist and designer in Alberta. He said "folks are interested to talk when given a meaningful opportunity to do so. People have a gap in their vocabulary about images they see, as artists we must give them the language to express their experiences." It was with these words that the focus of my art installation became clear. My goal was to create an art experience that connected with people on a personal and deeply human level in order that they would self-identify with the art and enter into the experience. Along with the art would be language that would help people express their feelings. And finally, that the art experience would be guided, moving people through several themes of focused reflection and engagement; ultimately bringing participants to a place where they must consider entering into the mission of God, whatever that might look like. [ Page ] 77 These design elements created the foundation for what was to become Imago Dei to Missio Dei. The paintings I created were watercolour portraits of ordinary people in our congregation. There were no strict criteria for who might be a subject for one of my paintings, except that I wanted a fairly broad snapshot of our community. Early in the process I approached several people and asked if they would act as subjects for this research project. Each subject was asked to read and sign a waiver that allowed me to use their likeness as a basis for my portraits, and they were given freedom to change their first name, so as not to be identified. Interestingly, none chose to be anonymous and most were very eager to participate. After a full explanation of the process and project, I would have the subject sit for a photo session, and then I would take those photos and use them as references for my portrait. Since I have never been formally trained as a portrait artist, I made sure to take my time with each painting, reworking it over and over until I found that it was both a good likeness of the subject, and visually appealing. The creation of each portrait was an exercise in prayer and reflection. It was very important to me that I create art that was contextually specific. I, as the artist, know each person I painted and have known many of them for years. I considered [ Page ] 78 commissioning an artist for this project, but realized the value of painting these portraits myself, even though they may lack some technical excellence. The flaws, in a sense, speak to the theme of the exhibition - ordinary and imperfect people reflecting God's image and joining in God's mission. The art was also unique to this context in that each person I painted was part of our church community. None saw themselves as saints or particularly worthy of a portrait, and so by painting these ordinary people as those redeemed by Christ, the whole tone of the project was focused on God's presence and calling. Much consideration was given to ensure that the project, from start to finish, aimed the focus away from the art, artist, and even the subjects, but that the project was about God's work in our midst re-creating and sending his people. On Friday, February 11, 2011 about 70 people from Lutheran Church of Our Saviour came to experience the opening night of Imago Dei to Missio Dei. The exhibit opened at 7:00 pm and ran until about 9:30 pm. In the designated gallery space of our church were twelve stations, each with a portrait and a written reflection. Each portrait was a watercolour painting of a member of the church set in a matte and frame at eye level. Along with each portrait was a written reflection posted on the wall. These reflections variously contained quotes from authors, passages from [ Page ] 79 scripture, or my own words. The last portrait was not a watercolor painting, but a mirror where participants were to reflect on their own image as a reflection of God and how God might be calling them into His mission in the world. Participants worked their way through the gallery and paused in front of each painting to read and reflect. Appendix A includes examples of the art exhibit. In the fellowship hall of the church there were refreshments, and people lingered to visit and discuss what they experienced. In the foyer of the church was a welcome table with a volunteer who explained the process for the evening and a side room where participants filled out the questionnaire. Signs were placed throughout the space to move people easily through the guided experience from start to finish. Collecting Data The design of this study required a narrow population, and this was limited to members and friends of Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. Thus, invitations were sent out only to this immediate community. About 70 people were present on the evening of the study, 60 of which participated by filling out the questionnaire before and after participating in the art experience. On the evening of the art experience, 62 [ Page ] 80 questionnaires were filled out in a room adjacent to the art exhibit, with 60 complete enough to use. Taking between 20 and 30 minutes each, participants were asked to fill out the questionnaire as much as they were able. Participants were not required to leave personally identifiable information. Of those who filled out the questionnaires, there were 25 males and 35 females. People of all ages participated. There were 9 participants between the ages of 10 and 30. Between the ages of 30 and 50 there were 17 participants. The largest group were those between the ages of 50 and 60, a total of 20 participants. There were 14 participants over 60. The profile of these participants would be similar to the profile of our regular church membership, many of whom are long-time members at Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. My research question required that I collect data pertaining to specific kinds of transformation experienced by participants of the art exhibit. I was interested in several questions about how the participant saw themselves, God, and their role in God's mission in the world. I examined several approaches to collecting this information and determined that I would design a primary data collection tool in the form of a written response survey. This would then be supplemented with [ Page ] 81 observational data collected by two designated observers on the evening of the study. Chapter 3, section 5 of this dissertation outlines some of the precedent literature that influenced the creation of this written response survey. The survey was to be completed in a quiet side room where reflection could happen, and no one would feel rushed. The survey was created to assess any changes in attitudes about God, self, and participants' purpose in God's mission in the world. In order to measure any changes, I created a two part survey with similar questions in each part. The first part was to be completed prior to viewing the art, and the second was to be completed after the experience. A full copy of the questionnaire is included in Appendix B. The front page is an introduction to the evening followed by simple instructions about how to fill out the questionnaire and where to go after filling out the first section. Participants were offered a series of open ended questions aimed to draw participants into reflection about their own feelings and perceptions about God, themselves, and what God might be asking them to do. The questions were framed in order to set a benchmark against which to compare responses gathered after the art experience. After participants saw the art and visited with friends, they were encouraged to return to the [ Page ] 82 quiet room and complete part two of the questionnaire. The second section was slightly longer than the first and once again offered open ended questions that would allow for participants to reflect on their experience and share their thoughts. The questions in the survey followed the recommendations of Thomas Groenewald, John Swinton, Harriet Mowat, and Peter Hill who all emphasized the need of this data collection to "access the inner experiences of research subjects" (Swinton and Mowat 2006, 105). My questions used several literary devices to engage those inner experiences. This included simple, accessible language (example, "After your experience tonight, what is one thing you will 'take home' with you?"). I also wanted participants to use their imagination to consider their beliefs (example, "If God had a job description, what would it say?"). I further posed questions about feelings and made room for participants to express the ways in which they may have heard God speak. These may not be common questions and they were designed to gently peer into deeply held beliefs or emotions that I hoped would come out in their responses. The design of these questions was strategic and affords the researcher the freedom to include, "primary questions, goals, [and a] conceptual framework" that will help guide the participants (Saldana 2009, 140). This is not to uncover some preexisting meaning but [ Page ] 83 "supports the interviewees in developing their meanings throughout the course of the interview" (Kvale 1996, 226). In other words, the survey was created to guide the participant through a series of strategic reflections and it is left to the participant to "construct the meaning of what the researcher is trying to explore" (Saldana 2009, 140). The survey was tested a week prior to the formal study on a small group of participants and minor changes were made to the wording and arrangement of the questions. The survey/questionnaire was to take about 30 minutes total to complete (fifteen minutes before and fifteen minutes after). The supplementary data collection came from two designated observers. I asked these two people to take a notebook and discretely write about what they saw, heard, and felt over the course of the evening. This secondary source of data was important and the results are included in chapter 5. Scope The aim of this study is narrowed by the research question. That is, the study is interested in discovering how an art installation engages the theological imagination, and to what extent an art experience can influence a participant towards missional living. In general terms, the [ Page ] 84 focus of this study is on the change that occurs in people as a result of a guided art experience. In specific terms, how people come to see themselves as part of the mission of God through engagement with this particular art exhibit. This study was not a broad study of the influence of art across a wide spectrum of society but was rather a focused project which sought to include a small group of people from a specific context. More specifically, to study how this particular group of participants (people who are connected with Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Calgary, Alberta) respond to a guided art experience. This limits the study and the results to this context alone and cannot speak to the value of this approach in other contexts except, perhaps, in very general terms. This art exhibit was later presented at two other churches (All Saints Lutheran Church in Calgary and Hope Community Covenant Church in Strathmore, Alberta); however, no data were formally collected and none of their feedback is included here as it is out of the scope of this study. A further delimiting factor is that this study, although using art, is not a study of art in particular. For the purposes of this study, art is a tool leveraged in order to study the responses and potential changes in the attitudes or beliefs of the participants. This is very much a study in [ Page ] 85 spiritual transformation even though art may take a visible and prominent role. Similarly, this study seeks to determine how art may move people towards developing missional attitudes and actions. This study is interested in how people move towards developing these attitudes and actions, but it is not an in-depth assessment of the current missional conversation. Limiting factors include the fact that the study did seek to gather self-perceptions, attitudes, expressed feelings, and beliefs as a way of measuring any change. These were gathered voluntarily in written form. Participants who were not good at expressing their thoughts, or who may not have common vocabulary for writing about their feelings may not have fully expressed themselves in a written format. With over 60 respondents, it was not possible to conduct extensive interviews in the immediate time surrounding their experience with the art exhibit. Another limiting factor is that these are self-perceptions and may not reflect the realities of spiritual changes happening within the heart of a person. Emotions, feelings, or the simple joy of the moment may not clearly represent the true form that spiritual transformation might take. However, the delimiting factor in this regard is that the study was focused on what changes did occur "immediately" as a result of their experience [ Page ] 86 with the art, and so the data and feedback are valid and worthwhile in the context of this project. Another delimiting factor is that this study does not seek to examine the effects of art on the theological imagination over an extended period of time. This study did not seek to follow up with participants a week or year after participating in the art experience. Also among limiting factors was the fact that most of those in attendance knew me as both the artist and the researcher. That is to say, the data, though not invalidated by our relationship, are influenced by the potential for participants to respond to perceived expectations of the researcher. This is evidenced in the response of one participant who wrote prior to the experience that she was "worried that [she] will not feel/see what you may be looking for." This is worth consideration. It is interesting to note, however, that this participant gave thorough and heartfelt answers throughout her responses. Participants in the study reported several challenges that may have affected their ability to experience the art as they might have liked. Two respondents reported that they could not concentrate as they would have liked because of noise in the gallery area; specifically, one woman was distracted by her children, another by ambient chatter. Two other [ Page ] 87 respondents felt "rushed" and "pressured to hurry up" by the crowd of people lining up to see the gallery. However one of those respondents said that overall she felt relaxed. In spite of these limiting factors and challenges, the intent of the study was achievable and the results come out of a controlled, reliable design. Each participant was exposed to the same art, in the same setting, with the same limited distractions and challenges, with the same people over the same course of time. The design of the study was to limit the data collection to a one-time event, thus creating a consistent number of variables experienced by all participants. This offers tighter control of the setting and conditions of the study and goes further to ensure that the experiences of the participants would not vary widely as a result of environmental factors. This adds greatly to understanding the feedback and results of the study insofar as changes in attitudes and feelings about God may be more correctly attributed to the controlled experience than to uncontrolled influences that were not part of this study. In spite of these controls, variables that might affect the outcome of the study include how well participants knew the subjects of the portraits and how willing the participant was in expressing him or herself. Other variables include the age of participants, gender, ability to read, as well as interest in art. Each [ Page ] 88 participant was given an equal amount of time to respond to the questionnaire, but some might take longer to respond, and this might affect the data. In spite of these variables, the focus and intent of the study remains to trace a number of changes that occurred as a result of experiencing a devotional art exhibit. This study is focused on immediate change in perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs in a short period of time. Methodological Philosophy The methodological approach of this study is founded upon Paul Ricoeur's philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology, which is a study of the lived experience. As Mary Rockwood Lane said in her study on art and healing, "the lived experience encompasses each participant's experiences of what actually happened when they participated...what were the thoughts, what were the feelings, what was the event and activity, what were the body sensations?" (Lane 2005, 2). It is because of this dynamic lived experience that Ricoeur doubts the capacity for the true objectivity of the interpreter in any qualitative research and instead posits that the primary effort of the interpreter is not to achieve pure objectivity at all. The interpreter is not to assume a transcendent, but rather an [ Page ] 89 immanent stance towards the data and revealed narrative. For Racoeur, the "question is not to recover, beneath the text, the lost intention, but to display before the text, the 'world' which opens and discloses" (Racoeur, 1975, 93). It is a kind of realization that the interpreter can never "entirely recreate the event" (Tan, 2009, 7), and so must enter into the research by adopting a "hermeneutic arc" (Tan, 2009, 13) that employs reflexivity and honesty towards the data. In applying Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenology to a research project, it must be understood that his was a philosophy of interpretation and understanding of qualitative data and that forms are still developing for presenting this data. Heather Tan developed a three stage process of analysis based on Ricoeur's work that serves as the framework for this study. She adopts Ricoeur's hermeneutic arc that moves between explanation and understanding in three general levels. The first level is that of explanation. It is here that encoding methods are used, often rather mechanically, to take large amounts of data and, without interpretation or decisions, are rendered into simplified words, phrases, or expressions (Tan, 2009, 10). The second level is called "naive understanding" where the codes are grouped and the researcher begins to look for themes that arise from the data. The last level is called "in-depth understanding," and [ Page ] 90 it is at this stage where the interpreter will gather the various themes and observe where several passages may "seem to be saying" one thing or another (Tan 2009, 11). These three levels of interpretation were employed in this study. Once the questionnaires were gathered, they were read and re-read several times. The raw data were replete with expressed thoughts, feeling, and impressions, all of which had to be accurately and carefully analyzed based on Ricoeur's philosphy of hermeneutic phenomenology and Tam's three stage application of his theory. There are many other possible methodological approaches that could have been utilized. Some options considered were Action Research and Appreciative Inquiry. However once the thesis and main research questions were established for this study, it was determined that those methods which utilize an ongoing cycle of inquiry and action would not be ideal in addressing this specific challenge and thus would not be suitable. Coding the Data Although there are many different applicable approaches to codifying the data, this study utilized a theme coding or "Themeing the [ Page ] 91 Data" approach (Saldana 2009, 139). This approach is inherently phenomenological in that themes are considered "insightful discoveries - written attempts to get at the 'notions' of the data" (Saldana 2009, 140). It is a way of finding the life experiences of the participants and tracking these experiences through the data. For the 60 questionnaire responses received, thematic codes were created in order to follow these phenomenological patterns. These included views on God (code: G), how the participants viewed themselves (code: S), how participants understood their mission or activity in the world (code: M), their personal experiences during the evening of the study (code: E), along with two sub-themes: if the participant heard from God (code: H) and the participant's perspective on the world around him or her (code: W). Although there were several other themes that could be addressed, this study was limited to focus on responses in these central themes. Chapter 5 relays the data uncovered through this codification process and engages in Ricoeur's hermeneutic arc as the chapter moves between the explanation and understanding of the data. [ Page ] 92 Validity and Rigour John Swinton, author of Practical Theology and Qualitative Research wrote in an email to the author on August 3, 2001 that, "The problem with any form of codification is that it has a tendency to move from qualitative to quantitative...so codification is and must be intuitive and not simply located in forms of proof that derive from numerical frequency." For this study, it was important to proceed with a robust codification of the data, and although some numerical data was elucidated from the data, the main findings of the study seek to portray the data in the significance of their uniqueness. It was important throughout the process to ensure that results were verifiable and that findings were validated. I adhered to several processes for verifying my analysis recommended by Johnny Saldana including keeping research notes, sharing interpretations with various participants, and allowing others to look at my analysis at various points during the process (Saldana 2009, 28). However what strengthens the validity of the process is that it follows Ricoeur's philosophy of interpretation that allows for the honest and reflexive involvement of the interpreter. This theory "acknowledges that the researcher is a part of the environment of the study," and this is taken into account throughout the study (Tan 2009, 13). [ Page ] 93 The result, according to Tan, is that "the use of this theory as a tool for data analysis, therefore, enhances the likelihood of achieving rigorous reflexivity" and is thus a recommended "tool for the interpretation of data collected in studies whose philosophical underpinning is hermeneutic phenomenology" (Tan 2009, 13-14). Ethics There were two groups of people who took part in this study. Twelve people were subjects of the paintings and write-up, and about 60 participants in the study, those who experienced the art and took part in the questionnaire. This study was designed to protect these groups and ensure that all ethical standards were met. One initial requirement was that the researcher complete the Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics' Introductory Tutorial for the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS). This certification was issued on September 24th, 2010. Each of the 12 subjects of the art component of this study was asked to sign a Human Subject Consent Form. The form (included as Appendix C) explained the nature of this study and the expected uses of their likeness, including a release to use their likeness as part of the study. Subjects were given the option on this [ Page ] 94 form to use a pseudonym to hide their identity, and participants under the age of 18 were required to have a parent or guardian offer the release. Those 60 respondents to the study filled out a survey. The respondents were kept anonymous as only the general age and gender was requested and did not serve as identifying information. Respondents were told that they could refuse to respond to any question, and they did not have to give their name (although a space was given at the end, should they choose to do so). For both groups of people, this study followed commonly accepted standards for privacy, dignity, and ethical treatment of all those involved. [ Page ] 95 Chapter Five Findings, Analysis and Interpretation This study set out to discover the various effects of devotional art on those who participate in an art experience. The research question focuses on how art engages the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples. The focus of this study has been limited to studying changes in expressions of the theological imagination in participants, and using Recoeur's philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology, has sought to describe any changes that may have occurred in the respondent's self-perceptions and desires as a result of the experience. The focus of the questionnaire, as a research instrument, was to create an environment for personal reflection that would draw participants towards considering several key ideas. Changes in their attitudes or beliefs about those key ideas would constitute a measurable or notable change. Section one of this chapter surveys the data and presents it in two sub-sections. The first sub-section contains numerical data that sets the stage for a number of the quantifiable results; however the bulk of the data are presented in the second sub-section where the qualitative data are clarified. The second section of this chapter offers some interpretation [ Page ] 96 and analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data. As tempting as it may be to render phenomenological results into measurable units, it is important that the individual stories and raw language that were captured in the research find voice in this study. This focus remains a priority in this chapter. Surveying the Quantitative Data The focus of this study is to understand how an art installation engages the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples. Although this study was not primarily designed to translate "lived experiences" and spiritual transformation into numerical data, there are some important initial indicators that set the stage for examining other reflections and responses. Initially, at least, the quantitative data reveal some important elements of the participant responses. Did participants feel like they heard from God through this art experience? After viewing the art participants were asked, "At any time tonight, did you sense God speak to you?" (See Fig. 2) Of the 54 respondents to this question, 43 (79.6%) said yes, that they did hear from God, while 11 (20.3 %) said no, that they did not hear from God. Of those [ Page ] 97 eleven people who said they did not hear from God, several indicated that they have much to think about and wonder if God may yet speak to them. Respondent 61 commented that they did "not yet" hear from God, expecting that perhaps God might still have something to say even after the experience. Of those 43 people who did hear from God, some shared vivid visions. Participant 14 said that she "had a vision of fire running along the walls the paintings were on and that fire was carrying the presence of the Holy Spirit." From such vibrant depictions of God's presence, to more muted responses such as that from participant 18 who heard "a whisper" from God. For others, it was a time of notable connection with God, with one participant who said that he felt as though God was standing with him, and that his Opa [grandfather], who recently passed away, was also speaking to him. Similarly, Participant 44 not only heard from God, but described his presence as strong, tender, and kind. Whether it was a prophetic vision, whisper, or sense of physical presence, most participants felt as though God made himself known to them through the experience. [ Page ] 98 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 2 details ] Fig. 2. Hearing From God One underlying, but foundational, proposition in this study is that followers of Christ must see themselves in the image of God if they are to see themselves as part of the mission of God. If they are a reflection of Christ, then perhaps they might see themselves emulating God's missional characteristics and actions. Thus the art experience was called, Imago Dei to Missio Dei because the art was intended to move people through a journey from prayerful self-discovery to participation in God's mission. Participants of this study were asked, before seeing the art, if they felt like they were made in the image of God (see Pig. 3). Of the 56 respondents, 43 (or 76.7%) said that they felt as though they were made in the image of God, while 13 (or 23.2%) of participants said that they were not made in the image of God or were unsure. Interestingly, after [ Page ] 99 participating in the art experience, 54 (or 96.4%) of participants now felt as though they were made in the image of God, while only 2 (or 3.5 %) of the participants were still unsure. Participant 18, for example, was not sure if he was made in the image of God at the outset, but after the experience, he upgraded his view from being unsure, to being hopeful, saying, "I hope I am made in the image of God." Another participant who did not think she was made in the image of God at first, later asked, "Can I really be made in the image of God?" For others who have long believed that they are made in the image of God because "the Bible says so," it appeared to come as a relief to discover it in a more sensual way. Participant 37 said, "I have known that I was made in the image of God, however it was nice to feel that tonight." In a very real way, this person experienced their identity through the art; a Biblical truth became a felt truth. Perhaps the most common associated response was that most people felt that they were made in the image of God, but many expressed that they are a poor reflection, a work in progress, or had fallen short of where they ought to be. [ Page ] 100 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 3 details ] Fig. 3. Made in the Image of God The questionnaire contained one scale to help respondents convey their felt "closeness" to God. The question was asked, "How close does God feel to you right now?" The question was asked before and after participating in the art experience (see Fig. 4). The overall average of these responses before viewing the art was 7.5/10 (10 being very close to God). The overall average of the responses after viewing the art was 8.9/10. That translates into an overall average positive movement of 1.4 points on the scale. A close look at the data reveals that of the 58 respondents, three felt further from God after the experience (by an average of 3.0 points), 39 felt closer to God (by an average of 2.1 points) and 16 were unchanged (of those, 9 respondents felt that God was 10/10 in terms of closeness right from the start, and so several wrote "10+" for [ Page ] 101 their response after seeing the art). For the purpose of this study, the scale was similar to those created by Bob Gilliam in his Spiritual Journey Evaluation (Gilliam 1994) [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 4 details ] Fig 4. How dose does God feel to you right now? Surveying the Qualitative Data Participants were asked to reflect on several ideas before and after experiencing the art. These ideas were interconnected with a view to prepare the participant to consider a number of ideas together. Primary lines of questioning asked how participants viewed God, themselves and their mission. Secondary lines of questioning sought some insight into the [ Page ] 102 particular experience of the art and how the participant might have heard from God. On God Respondents had broad views of God prior to viewing the art. There are several dominant phrases that emerged frequently. More specifically, there was language that expressed an understanding of God's nature and there was language that expressed their feelings about God and his relationship to them. For example, many respondents were able to identify many of God's characteristics and some freely listed them by saying that God is loving, kind, perfect, reliable, forgiving, caring, gentle, firm, etc. These were commonly held perceptions of God that seemed to be true for most respondents independent of how they felt about anything else. For example, respondent 57 said that God was kind, loving, and proud of her, yet also felt that she was a disappointment to God. She felt that God was empathetic and cries with her, yet maintains some universal distance as "father to all." Most could state that God was loving and several felt very close to God, saying that God "calls me his" and "God loves me just the way I am." Although no respondents expressed overtly negative views about the character of God, there were a notable number of [ Page ] 103 respondents who felt that God was akin to a manager or CEO. Respondent 47 said that God is loving, but acts mostly as a "overseer" who "manages multiple objectives," "leads a large department," and has a "dynamic management role." This was also reflected in respondent 1 who called God happy and proud, but also a "CEO" who is "in charge." For respondent 18, there was uncertainty. It was clear that God loved him, but he felt like God gave mixed messages, "God is a chameleon...occasionally pleased, sometimes not pleased." The written responses show some important themes. Respondents almost universally felt that God had undeniable qualities befitting a benevolent deity. God was loving, caring, forgiving, and patient. However, these qualities were not universally enjoyed. Some felt that God was regularly disappointed in them, that God was a distant and busy CEO, or that God feels sad when He thinks about them. He may be a loving Father, but for some this love is limited because of the gap in the relationship. Yet others feel like they have in fact pleased God and that God is proud of their actions. Some say that they make God feel happy. Although a generalization, it may be fair to say that most respondents viewed God in contractual terms; that is to say that God has a number of qualities, and the respondents measure themselves according to how they [ Page ] 104 have accessed those qualities. Some have taken advantage of God's forgiveness and feel redeemed and loved. Some claim to have not enjoyed God's benefits (they disappoint God or do not understand God) and so view God in more distant terms. In either case, warm, intimate familial language was not commonly found in most of the responses relating to God. After experiencing the art, participants were asked to return and offer their thoughts about God once again by answering similar questions. There were some insightful changes in language. Initially, respondent 57, for example, understood God as empathetic to her suffering and considered God "Father to all." Yet she indicated a change when she said that God now "wants a relationship" with her. Similarly, respondent 24, who formerly thought of God as being exacerbated with her and something of a loving judge, now hinted at a change of perspective saying that God "is not as hard on me as I think" and that His love is "unconditional." Respondent 47, who gave vivid language describing the managerial characteristics of God, offered new language after viewing the art. She said that God feels now more "like a father or companion," as well as a "confidant" and "best friend." For others, the sensation was expressed less in how someone felt about God, but about how God made [ Page ] 105 them feel. Respondent 31 said that where she viewed God as being disappointed in her, now she felt that God wanted her "to have peace and hope." Respondent 35 changed his views of God from general terms (that God loves everybody and unconditionally) to specific and personal terms by saying that God is "my” friend, has "intentions for me," "has made me as he planned" and "has a message that's only for me" (italics mine). These changes, however, were not universal. Those who felt close to God to begin with changed their language very little after experiencing the art. Participant 46 is a good example of this. She felt that God was guiding her, was patient and loving. Almost identical language was used after experiencing the art, but it was summarized with a new statement about God when she wrote at the end that, "We have an awesome God." On Self Respondents were asked a number of questions that sought some reflection on 'self.' That is, how did the participants of this study view themselves as related to God and the world around them? In the numerical data earlier described, we see that 76.7% of respondents saw themselves as being made in the image of God prior to participating in the art experience (96.4% afterwards). However the numerical data do not tell [ Page ] 106 the whole story. In what ways did the participants experience changes in self perception and how was this described? Respondents were asked if they have characteristics that reflect God. The majority felt as though they do in fact reflect at least some of God's characteristics. Respondents saw qualities that they listed about God and applied them to themselves. For example, respondent 7 felt that God has lots of energy, and so does she; thus she reflects a characteristic of God. This question was asked so as to provoke participants to think about how they may reflect the image of God. For respondents such as participant 25, he felt that he mostly does right things like God, but "sometimes does ungodly things." As this respondent saw the gap in his life as it compares to God, he saw that his major failing is that he does "not realize everyone is equal in God's eyes." This same respondent continued this self reflection after interacting with the art by saying, "I am not off of a base anymore though...I feel connected to God right now." Respondent 42 also felt that she was made in the image of God because she, like God, "can experience love, anger, joy, etc." Several other respondents expressed some level of self-discovery. Respondent 4 offered confession and remorse prior to experiencing the art by saying, "I have not loved my neighbour as myself" and "I have not [ Page ] 107 loved the sick, those in prison, or hungry and thirsty." Yet afterwards realizes his capacity to be a blessing by first asking, "am I a blessing to others?" and then, "I am learning to bless others." Even in writing their thoughts, it is evident that some respondents were working out the implications of what they experienced in the art exhibit; at times asking questions of themselves and at times offering pithy statements about their nature or status before God. This, however, was not universal. Some participants expressed very little by way of self discovery. Participant 14 said that she "thinks God sees me as a child," is "made in the image of God" and is "beautiful" in God's eyes, yet was honest in saying, "I don't think I discovered much about God or myself." On Mission The respondents were asked to offer their feelings or insights about God and themselves. Although this feedback plays an important role in interpreting the phenomenological process, the core of this study is to see if art could actually inspire participants to see themselves as part of the mission of God. In the first part of the questionnaire, participants were asked to express how they participate in God's activity; similar questions [ Page ] 108 were asked after viewing the art. Many of the participants offered creative and innovative visions of how they ought to respond to what they experienced. Respondents came into the mission-related questions with a mixed language. Where there was generally common language for describing self, and even more for describing God, it was a broad range of expressions that came together to define perceived participation in God's mission. Prior to viewing the art, respondents described their mission in several general ways. Respondent 10 said that her mission was to "love others" and to "work with immigrants." After viewing the art, her mission was described in more immediate terms saying, "I need to call a friend who's very ill," and with a goal to do so with God saying that she wants to "spend more time with God," and to "listen for opportunities to work with God." Initial data showed that 79.6% of participants felt that they heard from God. For some, this came as a specific call to participate in God's work. Respondent 47 said she felt God calling her "to do his work, even if only small things." God told her that it was not the size of things, but just that she "listen, love, and do his work with him." Others heard very specific calls to participate in God's work. Respondents 57 and 18 felt God [ Page ] 109 call them to build closer relationships with people at church. Respondent 27 felt God tell him he should "Go to a hockey game with some bros" while respondent 43 felt the specific call to "love my wife more" and "spend more time close to her." These specific actions are found throughout as people reflect on what the Spirit of God was compelling them to consider. Where some people felt that they ought to engage in specific action, others expressed a change of alignment towards God as the starting point of entering into God's mission. Some felt like their first step was to give up control; respondents 7, 8, and 31 expressed this desire with respondent 31 saying repeatedly that she wants to "give up control of my life" and to "stop trying to take control." Respondent 26 had a poignant change in language as he moved from "try" to "trust" over the course of the evening. Before viewing the art his mission was to "try to forgive," "try to care about people," and "try to live like God wants me to." But his whole perception changed when after experiencing the art his mission became to, "trust him" by "doing small things with heart" because he felt "God takes every step with me." Some expressed a deep desire for intimacy with God. For respondents 14, 17, 28, and 58 the longing was to "walk with God in a [ Page ] 110 beautiful garden," "sit in his lap" or "play 'I Spy'" with Jesus. These simple expressions of personal relationship with Jesus are also reflected by respondent 34 and others who felt called to simply worship and pray. For most, however, the call to join in God's mission came out in general actionable desires. Respondents 9 and 13 wanted to take more risks with Jesus. Respondents 13 and 29 wanted to evangelize. Participant 23 felt the urge to hurt with hurting people and respondents 15, 16, 22, 24, and 34 expressed strong desires to serve, some in global missions. Respondents 9 and 13 wanted to partner with God somehow while dozens generally wanted to love their neighbours more. Although the large majority of people expressed some language about transformed desires regarding their place in the mission of God, some did not. Respondent 18 was uncertain about being part of the mission of God and respondent 19 said he is already doing what God asked him to do and thus is called to do "nothing." Interestingly, Respondent 60 was eager to do something for God, but added, "I must work to live up to that love so as not to disappoint God." [ Page ] 111 Experience Another key area of data was related to the experience of the participants after going through the art gallery. It was important to capture these thoughts because it reflects how the participants felt beyond just what changed in their beliefs. The feelings felt by the participants might indicate some other kinds of changes that will be further discussed later in this chapter. Many of the participants offered several one-word descriptions of their feelings such as, inspiring, interesting, informative, fabulous, pleasant, uplifting, moving, beautiful, painful, professional, wonderful, big, important, amazing, humbling, restful, unique, good, wow, emotional, calm, comfort, fulfilling, touching, peaceful, enjoyable, and surprised. These simple words were the most common kinds of responses. Others reflected more deeply upon their experience in trying to make sense of their emotional responses to the art. Respondent 8 after seeing paintings of people he knew said it felt, "like seeing these friends for the first time." Others echoed this love for the people in the art, respondent 60 said she was "touched by a sense of awe and respect for those portrayed," 62 said, "it made me treasure these people," 10 said, "like walking in heaven's art gallery," 24 said, "I felt love for the people" and 41 said, "I felt a stretching of my sense of community." Conversely, [ Page ] 112 respondent 9 said that while he was impressed with the portraits, he "engaged deeply with the write-ups." Respondent 45 reiterated this by saying, "I felt touched not so much by the paintings but by the write-ups, constantly driving home the fact that I was carefully and wonderfully made." There was also a sense of surprise by some participants. Respondents 42 and 49 both expressed surprise; 49 said, "Seeing people I know as creation and reflection of God is not the usual way I think of them...This was unlike any gallery showing I've ever experienced, I was moved to tears." For others, there was an acknowledgement of learning and discovery as respondent 38 and 47 felt that they walked away with new ideas about God's mission that they did not fully know before. Still others felt deeply moved by these discoveries; respondent 12 said, "The art and text combined to influence me more than I expected" and 20 said "it was as if looking at a precious gift." However, the largest body of similarly expressed responses came as people explained their encounters with God and a re-orientation towards the world around them. After experiencing the art, respondent 17 said he experienced "a firmer reality of who God is," for respondent 25, "the art became real; it had a glow," and for 27 the art brought about a drastic [ Page ] 113 change, "the paintings made me...feel. Never has this happened before." This sense of new reality was further expressed in how people felt God. Respondent 27 said, "I felt like I was just with God," respondent 35 said, "I felt like I was entering a room in God's heart," and 42 who said, "I can feel the spirit bubbling inside, surprised." Not only did some sense God differently, but they felt encouraged as respondent 26 said "the experience reaffirmed by relationship to God." Lastly, a few participants expressed their thoughts about the personalized nature of the experience. Respondent 12 said "familiar faces were more powerful than if they were strangers" and respondent 25 said, "it would not have worked if I did not know the people." What do all these experiences mean and how does this help gauge the kinds of transformation that is possible through an intentional art experience? The following section presents interpretation and analysis of the findings of this study. Analysis and Interpretation Paul Ricoeur, in building a case for Hermeneutic Phenomenology, the philosophy upon which this study is based, says that "Phenomenology begins when, not content to 'live' or 'relive', we [ Page ] 114 interrupt lived experience in order to signify it" (Ricoeur, 1981, 116); put another way, phenomenology, "renders thematic what was only operative, and thereby makes meaning appear as meaning" (Ricoeur, 1981, 116). This study seeks to do just that - to pause and reference the significance of the experiences of participants in the Imago Dei to Missio Dei art exhibit. Every effort in presenting the data was made not to attribute undue significance to the data, but rather to point to data that in themselves are meaningful. In section two of this chapter, analysis and interpretation of the data continues to make sense of the lived experience of the participants and draws some conclusions about the findings of this study. In the following sub-sections, different themes emerge where both analysis and interpretation are offered. Movement One purpose of this study was to discover the ways in which movement, or shifts in values and paradigms, occurs. These movements appeared in three general expressions. Firstly, how participants who engaged with devotional art expressed their relative "closeness" or "distance" from God. Secondly, how participants saw themselves in new ways. Thirdly, how participants expressed the advancement of their [ Page ] 115 participation in God's mission in the world. The data show that movement did occur in the experiences of many participants. The quantitative data show that participants expressed movement as they responded with a 14% change towards feeling closer to God as a result of the experience. Similarly, an increased number of participants said that they felt that they were made in the image of God (from 43 to 54 participants) after engaging the art. In their written responses, participants expressed positive changes about how they felt about God, themselves, and their place in the mission of God. Whether they simply felt better about God, or expressed tangible changes in what they believed, what they desire, or what they see, there was a clear directional movement towards the intended purpose of the art experience. Several movements were expected, and others were unexpected. The intention of the art experience was that participants would see God, themselves, and their purpose in God's mission differently. The data reveal that many people experienced movements in all three areas. Some declared that they discovered God to be a loving father and friend, not a CEO as they first thought. Others revealed that they felt they were a disappointment to God, but later discovered that God loves them and has a purpose for them. In regards to mission, respondents offered rich and [ Page ] 116 varied language that revealed a newfound desire for intimacy, partnership, outreach, and trust as they seek to follow Jesus anew. These outcomes were expected in the creation of this study and in the analysis it would appear to be true. Unexpectedly, however, were several movements, or lack of movement in some respondents. It was assumed that the art experience would move participants from seeing themselves as made in the image of God to actively consider what it would mean to join in the mission of God. In many cases, participants were so touched by the fact that God made them and loves them (Imago Dei), that they did not proceed as expected to reflect deeply on the mission of God in their lives (Missio Dei). It was assumed that most participants already knew they were made in the image of God, but for some, this was a brand new revelation and the art experience was an opportunity for them to embrace this idea for the first time. This appears to show that people come to these kinds of experiences at different stages of theological reflection, and it is important that the art experience offers these participants various connection points at which to enter and proceed. Does spiritual transformation happen slowly or suddenly? Consider that Leslie Newbigin felt that the role of intuition and imagination took time to bring about the formation of new theoretical [ Page ] 117 patterns of thinking. He says, "there is often a long period of brooding reflection" (Newbigin 1989, 59). The results of this study, however, might show that although an "imaginative leap" may take time to foster before it occurs, that at least for some people in this study, there was demonstrable change in their theoretical patterns of thinking in a short (2 hour) timeframe. Even if the movement was from general knowledge or belief to specific action or function, there is clear evidence that movement can happen suddenly. The Imagination The imagination is a powerful tool that God uses to connect with his children. Throughout the responses from participants in this study, there were frequent references to metaphors that were used to describe experiences. From "seeing" the Holy Spirit move as fire along the wall, or to "feel" the Holy Spirit "bubbling" inside, respondents offered creative language to describe the lived experience. It was the hypothesis of this study that it is through this imagination that participants could grasp the obvious and more subtle aspects of joining in the mission of God. And, thus, it was important to observe the ways in which the imagination was engaged by the art and the ways new values were adopted. Charles [ Page ] 118 Taylor suggests that "aesthetics is primarily concerned with refining the means by which we can best frame our understanding of the concept of perfection, or of the ideal" (Taylor, 2008, 42). This art presentation was aimed as helping participants engage in reframing their lives by God's perfect vision for them and their mission. Respondents demonstrated in many cases that the art did in fact refine their understanding and instilled a clearer vision of the "perfect" or "ideal." Consider, for example, the respondent who said that the art left him with "a firmer reality of who God is." That art, which is in itself a representation, could actually present a more perfect reality, is evidence of Taylor's assessment of the value of aesthetics and is thus an important tool for use in spiritual formation. The data demonstrate that participants did in fact value the opportunity to engage with God through their imagination. Consider the addendum that participant 42 wrote at the end of her questionnaire. She writes "Communication is so much more than a conversation with correct language tone, eye contact, etc. A picture is worth 1000 words. You've captured and conveyed God's love in such a non-threatening un-preachy way. People have been preached at. God is love, God loves you, this exhibit expresses/communicates the same words in God's beautiful way." This participant saw God anew by seeing God through a new medium. [ Page ] 119 Where formerly she wrestled with hearing from God through sermons, she responded enthusiastically to the art and says, "I've experienced God's riches through [the art]." In Christian cultures where the theological imagination is engaged in limited ways, there may be doubts that an aesthetical approach is effective or desirable. However, the data show that even those who were surprised by the art, that is to say those who have little exposure to art and felt this to be a "different" experience, were deeply engaged and demonstrated no signs of missing the point of it all. In fact, there is evidence that those who have had little exposure to creatively engaging the theological imagination in this way were pleasantly surprised and eager to share their delight. A great deal of reflection in the missional conversation is about imagination. From living as missionaries in our own land, to being a church "in between," to embracing the scriptures as narratives of God's work in the world and our lives as stories that are intersected by God - these are all the domain of the imagination as we seek to allow the Holy Spirit to draw us into new ways of living in His Kingdom. [ Page ] 120 Living Missionally Upon analysis, it is demonstrably evident that movement happened as participants experienced changes in beliefs, feeling, and attitudes towards themselves, God and the world around them. It was also evident that it was by engaging the theological imagination through artistic means that even the previously uninitiated experienced some level of positive movement towards seeing themselves, God, and the world around them differently. But does an analysis of the data reveal that participants truly began to see themselves as missional disciples of Jesus? The intended movement through this art experience was that participants would journey from discovering that they are made in the image of God towards seeing themselves as part of the mission of God. It was earlier referenced that some participants did not move far past the discovery of being made in the image of God. For them, it was a delightful discovery and their responses revealed that they dwelt primarily on this fresh idea without moving further along in their reflections. Consider respondent 44 who responded at length to her experiences. She wrote very little about a newfound purpose or mission, but dwelt upon how happy she is that she "is not junk" but that her identity is as one "belonging to God." Discovering that one is loved by [ Page ] 121 God is a beautiful realization and should not be diminished at all. It was assumed that in a short time, people could move further along in their reflections from discovering their identity to exploring their participation with God, but this was not the case for those for whom the very idea of being made in the image of God was something exciting on its own. For others, however, the missional thrust was not lost on them. There are several examples from the respondents that there were sudden discoveries that led people to a hone their call and vision. From "try" language to "trust" language, some participants discovered a personal God who wanted to share mission with them. For others, they realized that God offered specific tasks, such as calling a friend or engaging a specific neighbour. For others, first steps in the missional journey came as a call to intimacy and giving up of control, while a few had a renewed perspective on how much God wanted to share his mission with them. There is an important connection between the experience and the call to mission. Respondent 47 summarized these feelings well as she said, "talking about doing God's work made me feel called to small things." It was through the expression and engagement with the art that mission was discovered. Similarly, participant 50 recognized the shift in missional thinking and attributed that to the art experience saying, "my [ Page ] 122 eyes have been turned towards others, my family, my body of Christ." The medium, again, was identified by participants as being key in helping them "feel" or "see" their actions differently. It opened doors to start missional reflection and living. One important observation is that many respondents did not often have the language to speak about spiritual things and often used cliché statements such as, "he likes me for me," or "because the Bible tells me so," or "be all that I can be," or "I am a work in progress." Although these are popular phrases that come from church culture, pop music, or army recruitment commercials, they nonetheless show that participants experienced a desire to envision themselves engaged in renewal activity. Another important discovery is that participants shared several examples of poor theology. From praying to deceased relatives, to unorthodox views of self and God, there is occasional evidence that respondents were not always clear on what scripture, classic Christian or Lutheran views would support. However, it appears that in spite of this poor theology, movement towards missional reflection and desire for new living was possible. The evidence shows that participants who engage in this kind of art experience, who come with diverse language informed by pop-culture, or [ Page ] 123 with little knowledge of scripture and orthodoxy, can still be deeply engaged and inspired to consider important and transformative theological ideas. In fact, some who came with unorthodox views left with transformed perspectives. For example, those who viewed God as distant and managerial left feeling God was immanent and loving. So although this art experience does not purport to be a lesson in systematic theology, the net result is that participants often demonstrated a change that could be characterized as theological and spiritual development. Even more so, it is not simply a deepening of theological cognition, but of spiritual affections that bring about desire to join God in his missional endeavor. It is my view that this is the better kind of theological development as it engages both the mind and the desires of the heart - thus shaping the missional reflection in a way that takes root. In the final analysis, I would contend that this art experience served to place the participants of this study in the heart of the missional conversation - opening their eyes to the participants themselves as people loved and created by God. It further drew participants into reflection of their place in the Kingdom and mission of God. Although not every participant expressed movement in this direction, the majority of [ Page ] 124 respondents demonstrated a measurable level of discovery and delight in finding themselves placed in the midst of God's mission. Further exploration of the implications of this study on the missional conversation are explored in the last chapter. [ Page ] 125 Chapter Six Conclusion Imago Dei to Missio Dei, was an art experience born out of a love for Lutheran Church of Our Saviour and a desire to show my church family just how much Jesus is already reflected in them. God has been shaping this church and is calling them to live out his mission of redemption in all areas of life. Jesus is inviting Lutheran Church of Our Saviour into a future lived out of that mission. This invitation to new life could not simply be analyzed or studied, but must be imagined, experienced, revealed, and enjoyed. A specific art project was created to help this church engage with Christ through a prayerful and insightful experience. The art was a collection of portraits of members of our church painted by me over the course of a year. Each portrait was accompanied by written reflections, scripture, and the last "portrait" was a mirror that asked participants to consider their own place in the mission of God. Imago Dei to Missio Dei was designed with the particular purposes of revealing to my community that which was intrinsically true about them (that they are made in the image of God and are loved) and to expand their vision for what God's call may be for them (to consider the mission of God and their place in it). [ Page ] 126 The art became an important opportunity to study how guided missional reflection, devotional art, and the theological imagination all interplay to bring about spiritual transformation. The question that guided this project was, how does an art installation engage the theological imagination so as to inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples? The assumption of the study was that art had a particular role to be played in transforming followers of Christ; that an art experience holds special potency to engage the imagination and inspire the adoption of new cognitive frameworks and values. The thesis of this study is that art can in fact engage the theological imagination and inspire participants to see themselves anew, as missional disciples of Christ. Summary of the Findings The results of this study support the thesis that art has a particular role to play in engaging the theological imagination, evidenced by the number of participants in this study that demonstrated a change in values and beliefs about being part of the mission of God. This study was not based on a large sample population since this study was contextually specific to a particular church, and the art was produced as a custom response to the needs of a particular group of people. However, the [ Page ] 127 results show that in this group of respondents, there were notable and surprising changes. Fully 79.6% of respondents felt that they heard God speak to them during the experience; from a whisper to visions, the majority of participants expressed some form of engagement with God. Similarly, participants expressed, on average, a deepening sense of God's "closeness" as a result of the experience; moving from 7.5 to 8.9 out of 10 when asked how close God feels to them. Respondents also demonstrated changes in attitudes, values, and beliefs as a result of the experience. Many changes were noted: from participants formerly viewing God as distant to feeling close, from a vague sense of mission to a specific purpose, and from uncertain self- image to embracing God's given identity. All of these changes were observed in the data. Although less than 10 of the 60 respondents expressed few notable changes in perceptions, values, or beliefs, over 50 of the 60 respondents expressed changes consistent with the hypothesis of this study. The goal of the art experience was to act as an engaging journey that ushered participants through a series of reflections. From considering themselves as made in the image of God and then imagining how God might be inviting each person to join in his mission. The results show that [ Page ] 128 whereas 43 of the 60 participants understood themselves as being made in the image of God, after viewing the art as many as 54 of the 60 participants now saw themselves in this way. This change would suggest that the art played a role in helping 11 of the 60 respondents come to a theological and personal discovery about themselves. However, the move towards discovering a missional identity or calling was not universal. Many of those who discovered that they were made in the image of God were excited by this discovery and did not express further changes, but dwelt upon it. For the other respondents who discovered that God's missional work extends to them and the specifics of their life, there was evidence of joy, new purpose, and expressed desire to follow Jesus in new ways. Salient Discoveries In the final analysis, it would be reasonable to suggest that an art experience that is intended to take people on a reflective journey may not bring every participant to the intended destination. The levels of engagement with the art may be limited and not everyone may connect in the same way. If the goal of spiritual transformation through art is that all people arrive at a conclusive discovery or theological belief, then this [ Page ] 129 study would demonstrate that this is likely not possible. From this, it could be suggested that art has a niche role in assisting spiritual transformation. However, this study shows that art has some particularly remarkable attributes that could place artistic experiences such as this at the forefront of effective approaches to spiritual transformation. Although not every participant arrived at a fully formed theology of mission, the overall direction of growth was positive. Participants expressed vibrant and varied language as they discovered their identity in Christ and there were vivid expressions of God's invitation to mission. Even for those participants who shared their lack of appreciation for art in general, there were notable levels of enjoyment and insight as even these people experienced God's presence. For others who had expressed a frustration with God or the traditional means of communication in the church, there were many words of thanks for new perspectives and personal discoveries. This art experience was a brand new model of spiritual reflection for Lutheran Church of Our Saviour and there existed the possibility that it would be poorly received. In fact, some respondents initially expressed that they had no real expectations for what an "art experience" really is about. Some offered reservations about what they would see or feel. [ Page ] 130 However of the 60 respondents, there was no negative feedback about the medium and even those with reservations wrote extensively about their discoveries about God, themselves, and the mission that God calls each person into. This project has demonstrated that art created with the intent to teach, inspire, and call people to action is well received at Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. It demonstrated that art has the capacity to lead people into a time of deep reflection and through it, God's voice and call is heard by many people. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that people can in fact experience varying degrees of spiritual transformation in a short period of time as they engage with God through participating in the art. Lastly, this study recognizes that the world is rapidly and constantly changing but the hope of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and God's mission to redeem the world and call people back to himself has not changed. The Gospel message can be expressed through art and hearts may be softened to not only hear from God, but deeply consider joining in his mission. This discovery opens doors to consider that through the imagination God can show us a future that is fully his. [ Page ] 131 Additional Avenues of Exploration Jesus summoned the imaginations of his followers and critics as he told stories and parables of the Kingdom of God which is like a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31-32), a treasure (Matt. 13:44), and leaven (Matt. 13:33). Yesterday as today, Jesus is calling people to follow him and see their world through Kingdom lenses. Art has the capacity to invite people to consider God's call in ways that other forms of communication may not. The imagination is opened to art and hints of new God-realities and Jesus- possibilities have a chance to surprise as the Holy Spirit whispers his Truth into softened hearts. At present, Theological Aesthetics and the Missional Theology seldom intersect in the literature, yet they must converge as we reflect on how to communicate the Gospel in a post-Christendom, post-modern context. Possible next steps would include a further exploration of how to better communicate Missional Theology to a culture that is skeptical of God's mission to redeem humanity through Christ. How do we convey the truth of the Gospel with mediums that effectively subvert the inner skeptic and surprise the imagination? Visual art is one possibility and is demonstrably effective at this task. Other possible alternatives may include theatre, literature and music. I would contend that the future [ Page ] 132 confluence of Theological Aesthetics, Missional Theology and Spiritual Transformation must come in the form of new innovations that the church may have not yet seen. Based on the related literature and the findings of this project, it is reasonable to suggest that these innovations should have several particular characteristics. Firstly, the innovation should engage the imagination and whatever is created ought to be experiential. The goodness and beauty of God cannot be merely observed but enjoyed and "tasted." Secondly, it ought to be contextual. God is at work in the here and now, with me, with my friends, in my neighbourhood, and in my church. The mission of God, although vast, is rooted in real time and place. Thirdly, any innovation ought to be collaborative. The goal is not to create a new program centered on a particular leader, but is the work of the community of God shaped in partnership with the Holy Spirit. Fourthly, it should be rooted in biblical and orthodox Christian theology. The Gospel has not changed, and the message of Jesus does not need to be watered down, cleaned up, or straightened out. The paradox of love and sacrifice, humility and joy, and Immanuel and the Trinity are all important and should not be lost. The imagination cannot easily comprehend these things, but it can hold them and be transformed by them. [ Page ] 133 At Lutheran Church of Our Saviour this project has been part of an ongoing process of discovery. Although 60 people participated in the study, about 800 people have seen the art exhibit and have shared how they were touched by going through it. The missional conversation is a growing and generative discussion that must be nurtured in a community. Our goal is to discover the mission of God and live it out. Since this art experience there have been a number of exciting stories about how God is calling people to live as missional disciples in their own contexts. Each Sunday morning we share "God Sightings," places where God is at work around us. Small groups have formed with this purpose in mind, and our church is cooperating with the City of Calgary to love our neighbours by throwing a block party for them. My long-term hope is that Lutheran Church of Our Saviour would be a place where God's mission is weaved into the fabric of our community, where we are attentive to God's voice, and follow him into the places where he is at work all around us. Summary An art installation can in fact engage the theological imagination and may inspire participants to see themselves as missional disciples. Art has the potency to transform attitudes, values and beliefs in ways that [ Page ] 134 surprise participants and awaken them to new God-realities. Furthermore, art can be used to shape disciples by turning their imagination to see both their identity as God's beloved and God's invitation to join in his beautiful mission to draw his people back into right relationship with him. [ Page ] 135 APPENDIX A Imago Dei to Missio Dei Art Experience Imago Dei to Missio Dei was created as the focus of this study. Below are the portraits and write-up used in the gallery experience. Imago Dei to Missio Dei An Art Experience by Preston Pouteaux Introduction This series was created out of love for Jesus. God came to us, people made in his image, and he showed us what it meant to live as God's people. Jesus showed us how to love the good, the bad, and the ugly. Jesus showed us that we were beloved children of God, who brought great joy to the Father. Jesus showed us how to work with God in his great mission of love and redemption. Jesus may not be here in the flesh, but people made in God's image are all around. Through others we might be able to learn of our identity as children of God. Through others we will learn to love. Through others we are invited into the mission of God. This art series is more than a set of portraits. I am not a trained artist. These pieces are a means to help you see yourself, others, and God in a fresh way. This series is part of a Doctor of Ministry study through Tyndale Seminary entitled "Imago Dei to Mission Dei: Art as Invitation to Missional Transformation." I hope that through this series you will hear God's voice. - Preston Preston Pouteaux is the Director of Discipleship Ministry at Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Calgary, Alberta. [ Page ] 136 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Reiko and Yuta In the Bible, right from the beginning, God is introduced as Creator. In creating the world, God takes great delight in making light, water, plants, birds, and cows; the last and most beloved creation was a person. After each creative day, God looked around and, "saw that it was good." But it was the person, his final creation, that had a special place, a special identity, a special role. This person reflected something wonderful about God because the person was made in the image of God. This painting of Reiko and her son Yuta says something special about God. God, this joyful Creator, gives his creation the ability to create; to have children that look like their parents as they reflect something wonderful about God. Author Mike Mason says, " A child is a revelation from God. Prophets may receive visions, mystics ponder the ineffable, great preachers deliver God's word. But the greatest revelation comes through flesh and blood. Every child is a fresh, unheard-of image of God, and children keep coming and coming because the world has not yet conceived of all the fullness of God's glory . If God were a painter, He would paint not with brush and oils but with babies." Right from the beginning of your life, God has been joyfully revealing himself to the world through you. You were made to be a glowing reflection of his image. [ Page ] 137 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Robert Imago Dei is a Latin term that means, "Image of God." The idea shows up in the first chapter of Genesis, "Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them..." Genesis l:26-28a God created people in his image for a reason, he blessed them so that they might work alongside God. Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch say that, "W e, of all creation, are the creatures through whom God's plans and purposes can be made known. In other words, when Christians acknowledge the image of God in us, we can see ourselves as participants or partners with God." God created Robert to be his partner, to participate with him in a special way. It's not his age, experience, strength, education, or skill that make him right for the job; it's God's image reflected in him that make him perfect for God's wonderful plan. You are also made in God's image, and God is inviting you to work along side of him too. [ Page ] 138 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Annabel I've always known that Annabel's strength is not her own. Her character, authenticity, love, and delight in God is not something she mustered up, it's something she received from God and it shows. She knows who she belongs to and since her identity is firmly in Christ then she's happy to let go and let God do something new in her. "This is what it means to "put on" Christ: It is to assume His strength and purity and goodness, recognizing that we have none of our own. Such an actual transfusion of character is possible only in the depths of loving intimacy with God in Christ." - Mike Mason "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 When you embrace God's identity for you and when you "put on" Christ, you become the true you, alive and free; unencumbered by your own fragmented self-perceptions. It's freeing to see yourself as God does. [ Page ] 139 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Carl I knew Carl for about five years before he passed away. Carl delighted in talking about his Father in heaven, and that through Jesus he could be God's son. This identity, as God's beloved child, gave him peace and hope. These were some of his last words to me, "Get to know God through his son. You're not in charge, that's the tough part. All your life you're taught that you got to work for it. I just put myself in God's hands, he's in control. I can let go." "Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. God's love for you and his choice of you constitute your worth. Accept that, and let it become the most important thing in your life... The basis of my personal worth is not my possessions, my talents, not esteem of others, reputation...not kudos of appreciation from parents and kids, not applause, and everyone telling you how important you are to the place...I stand anchored now in God before whom I stand naked, this God who tells me 'You are my son, my beloved one.'" - Brennan Manning God calls you his beloved child. Do you see yourself like God does? [ Page ] 140 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Ron Ron has dozens of tattoos. Often he'll wear sleeveless shirts so that others can see his unique collection of Hebrew words, scripture, animals, and designs - each clearly has an important meaning. A few years ago I preached a sermon about how as we move through life, from one stage to another, God marks us as his own. Events, good or bad, become opportunities for God to reflect his glory and love through us. Ron took those words seriously, and so the collection of tattoos began. They tell a story. Ron says that the tattoos are, "reminders of events with which God has marked me. Baptism, being sealed with the cross, a shattered relationship, friends, pets, gifts and blessings from a loving Father, meaningful scriptural passages, the full unified beauty of His Word. All acts of love by God. And all with stories. Invitations to others to ask and talk about God, His Love, His Mercy and Grace and their faith. And all intended to the glory of God." "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit," Ephesians 1:13 You may or may not have tattoos, but God has marked you as his own; you're made in the image of God. His love is imprinted on your life, God is always with you, you are never lost. [ Page ] 141 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Kennan As we come to see that we're made in the image of God, something changes inside of us. Greg Ogden says, "To be made in the image of God is to be made for love relationships. To be made in God's image is to be made from the motive of love and for love. To be like God is to put our priority time and energy into loving God and others." Being made in the image of God (Imago Dei) means something very important for how we live and what we do with our lives. Missio Dei is another Latin term that means mission of God; each person made in the image of God (that's everyone!) is invited into the mission of God. God is on a mission to love and redeem a broken world and your place is right beside God, elbow to elbow, loving "the least of these." Kennan knows she's a daughter of God, loved and embraced. This identity has shaped the way she sees other people and motivates her to love others as God has loved her. She's joining in God's mission and she's excited about it! You are invited into God's mission in the world; working alongside God to bring healing and love to a hurting world. Jesus is working in you. [ Page ] 142 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] John John once told me that he can't do big things tor God, but he can do lots of small things - and he does! God is not looking for the strongest or fastest or most able people to work with him, he's looking for the most willing and most trusting. Mother Theresa said, "God has created us so we do small things with great love. I believe in that great love, that comes, or should come from our heart, should start at home: with my family, my neighbors across the street, those right next door. And this love should then reach everyone." In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord says to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The size of your service to God does not matter to Him. Y our weaknesses do not ever faze Him. What matters is your willingness and trust. God will take your offerings and by his might, God will do wonderful things in you and through you. [ Page ] 143 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Michele Michele is a beautiful person. The last few years have been hard while living with cancer, and although Michele carries this pain in her body, she is not alone with it. In watching Michele, her family, and close friends, I've learned something important about God. I've learned that Jesus lives up to his name, Immanuel - God with us. Remember the Christmas story? "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means "God with us")." Matthew 1:23. Jesus is known as "God with us" because he is always near, he knows our pain and holds us close. As people made in the image of God, we join with God in coming to one another in our sorrow, grief, and pain. W e, as beloved children of God, become the presence of Christ to one another. Henri Nouwen expressed this well, "What really counts is that in moments of pain and suffering someone stays with us. More important than any particular action or word of advice is the simple presence of someone who cares... By calling God Immanuel (or God- with-us), we recognize God's commitment to live in solidarity with us, to share our joys and pains, to defend and protect us, and to suffer all of life with us. The God-with-us is a close God, a God whom we call our refuge, our stronghold, our wisdom, and even, more intimately, our helper, our shepherd, our love." God has always stayed close to you, through it all. Is there someone who needs to have you close to them? By simply embracing another person as Jesus embraces you, you're joining in the beautiful mission of God. [ Page ] 144 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Aase When you embrace Jesus, he does a wonderful thing in your heart. Aase is a beloved daughter of God who has allowed Jesus to work in her. "We love because he first loved us" 1 John 4:19 Because Aase has allowed Jesus to shape her by his love, her life looks more and more like his; full of grace, patience, and love. Simply by enjoying the love of Christ, Aase shines for Christ. "For people are the consciousness of God in the world, the closest thing to Him in the physical realm, and a more vivid reminder than anything else in creation of His existence, His mystery, and His creative power. If a person really is fashioned, more than anything else, in the image of God, then clearly if follows that there is nothing on earth so near to God as a human being...we cannot really love a sunset; we can love only a person." - Mike Mason Let Jesus fill your life with his love, enjoy him. [ Page ] 145 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Larry Larry reflects the goodness of God. He is a beloved child of God, and God delights in working with Larry. On warm summer evenings Larry can be found mowing the lawn in front of the church. On quiet afternoons Larry might be helping a neighbor fix an appliance, or mending a fence. Larry knows that he does not do his work alone. Jesus is right along with him, speaking with Larry, sharing his life and love with him. Maybe that's why Larry enjoys working, building, mowing, and fixing - he's enjoying the presence of God. God calls you to join him in the work he is doing. He's inviting you to work along with him, to learn from Jesus, to hear his voice, and to be the presence of Christ to everyone you meet. The best place to be is beside Jesus; working, creating, mending, and loving. [ Page ] 146 [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] Chris Chris was a man of gentle faith, he trusted God's goodness. Chris passed away shortly after I started his portrait. Through Chris, God taught me that his work, his mission, in us lives on. God's enduring love and presence is unfazed by death, for Jesus gave us the great hope of the resurrection. "I know that one day, when God's artwork in me is finished, I will join him - and you will too. Those who have gone before us are eagerly awaiting the art show God is preparing...even now I can almost hear heaven cheering us on as God completes his work in us. One day the lights will go up and the curtain will rise, and we will take our place forever in the incomparable gallery where the Creator of the universe keeps his greatest works. Then we will know that our time on earth was well spent, the sacrifices well worth it, because the Master took the materials of our lives and made us into masterpieces." - Bob and Joel Kilpatrick Chris is one of God's great masterpieces. His great joy. You are too. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18 Will you give the material of your life to God and ask Him to make you? [ Page ] 147 You [standing in front of a mirror] "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" Ephesians 2:10 "God is not trying to solve the problems we call 'ourselves.' He is not attempting to repair us. God is more than a mathematician or mechanic. God is an artist...He's not out to rebuild us but to remake us. God wants us to die and to be resurrected. He desires to lead us unto new life, to make us new creations. God looks at us as an artist does his favorite work of art... God wants to tell a story in you - the Story of You - that is unlike any story ever before or to come...God is calling you to the greatest adventure known to mankind - being a living work of art in the hands of the Master Artist." - Bob and Joel Kilpatrick Will you then live as God's beloved child, reflecting his love? W ill you embrace the wounded and see others as Jesus does? You are made in the image of God, made with a wonderful purpose. W ill you then join in the mission of God and live out that purpose with him? You belong to the Father, Son and Spirit. You always have. You always will. He loves you and likes you. You are his beloved child. Now look at this portrait. This one is hand-made by God himself. What do you feel? Are you pleased? Because God is. [ Page ] 148 APPENDIX B Questionnaire The following is the questionnaire that respondents filled out on the evening of the art experience. Participants were asked to respond to part one prior to viewing the art and part two after viewing the art. Note that spaces for written answers were removed for reproduction here. Imago Dei to Missio Dei: An art experience by Preston Pouteaux Welcome! Tonight you’re about to experience an art exhibition, created by Preston Pouteaux about people from Lutheran Church of Our Saviour and God’s invitation to us. It was created as part of a doctoral study through Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. You’re invited to be part of this study by offering your thoughts before and after experiencing the art. Below are two series of questions, created simply as a framework to gather your thoughts or feelings about what you will experience here tonight. [ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for figure details ] This evening will consist of three parts: 1. Fill out Section 1 of the questionnaire in classroom A/B (15 minutes) 2. View the art display, enjoy some refreshments and reflect on what you’ve experienced with others. (30 minutes or as long as you’d like) 3. Fill out Section 2 of the questionnaire in classroom A/B (15 minutes) Before you begin: Please read all the instructions and follow them carefully. Please answer each question, as much as you are able. Please answer honestly; simply share what’s on your mind and heart. Take a pencil or pen and find a space to write in classrooms A/B Note: The information you are invited to share is part of a theological study done by Preston Pouteaux. You are not required to submit any personally identifiable information [ Page ] 149 (such as your name), so feel free to answer as freely as you are able. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to Preston Pouteaux this evening. Ready? Let’s begin! Section 1 : Before you go and see the artwork 1. Age (please circle one): 10-20; 20-30; 30-40; 40-50; 50-60; 60-70; 70-80; 80+ 2. Gender (please circle one): Female Male 3. What are your expectations for this evening? 4. What are some words that describe how you think God feels about you? 5. How close does God feel to you right now? (Circle a number) Not very close 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very close 6. The Bible says that people are “made in the image of God.” What does that mean to you? 7. Do feel like you’re “made in the image of God?” Why or why not? 8. If God had a job description, what would it say? 9. How is that description similar or different to the way you live? 10. If God asked you to do something with him, what do you think God would ask you to do? Thanks for answering these questions! Next: Please keep this paper with you and head to the art gallery. In the gallery you’ll see some artwork and a writeup with each piece. View the pieces in order and spend at least 2 minutes with each piece of art and think or pray about what you see. After you’re done, you may visit with other people and enjoy the evening. After that, find a quiet place [ Page ] 150 where you can answer the questions in Section 2. Please don’t peek below until after you’ve seen the art. Thanks! Section 2: After you’ve experienced the artwork Please find a quiet place to answer these questions... 1. What was the experience like for you? 2. How did you feel when you stopped at each painting? 3. Was there a certain painting that caught your attention? Which one? 4. Why did it catch your attention? 5. Is there something you discovered about yourself or God when you stood in front of that painting? 6. What are some words that describe how you think God feels about you? 7. How close does God feel to you right now? (Circle a number) Not very close 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very close 8. Do feel like you’re “made in the image of God?” Why? 9. At anytime tonight, did you sense God speak to you? 10. If so, what did you hear? 11. If God asked you to do something with him, what do you think God would ask you to do? [ Page ] 151 12. After your experience this evening, what is one thing you will “take home” with you? A thought? Feeling? Hope? Desire? 13. Any other remarks: That’s it! Your responses are very helpful, so thank you for participating and taking the time to do so. Please drop off this survey at the welcome table before you leave tonight. Thanks! If you would like to talk more about your experiences or thoughts, please leave your name and email below, I would like to hear more from you. __________________________________________________________________________ ______________ [ Page ] 152 APPENDIX C Human Subject Consent Form The portraits created for this project were made from human subjects in the church. Each subject was asked to sign a consent form to use their likeness in the creation of this project. Imago Dei to Missio Dei: Art as Invitation to Missional Transformation Human Subject Consent Form Imago Dei to Missio Dei is an exhibit of original watercolour portraits created by Preston Pouteaux that depict people as reflections of God's image. Each portrait will be accompanied by a written reflection about the subject as a prayerful guide for others. This portrait exhibition is part of a Doctor of Ministry project through Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. The project aims to create an art installation to be viewed by various participants; it is a contribution towards understanding how art helps people grow deeper in their faith and service to Christ. This art installation will be viewed in church and seminary settings, with potential for reproduction in print or digital form. The portraits will be used respectfully and only with your express permission below: In consideration for value received, receipt whereof is acknowledged, I hereby give Preston Pouteaux the absolute right and permission to copyright and / or publish my likeness (as a watercolour portrait) and written reflection, in conjunction with my own or a fictitious name, or reproductions thereof in color or otherwise, made through any media at his studios or elsewhere, for art, advertising, trade or any lawful purpose whatsoever. I also give Preston Pouteaux the absolute right and permission to copyright and/or publish the written reflection that is associated with my portrait. I hereby waive any right that I may have to inspect and/or approve the finished portrait and written-reflection or the advertising copy that may be used in connection therewith, or the use to which it may be applied. I hereby release, discharge, and agree to save Preston Pouteaux from any liability by virtue of any artistic alteration, or use in composite form, whether intentional or otherwise, that may occur or be produced in the creation of said portrait, or in any processing tending towards the completion of the finished product. [ Page ] 153 I understand that this consent is perpetual; I may not revoke it and that it is binding on my heirs and assigns. I warrant that I am at least 18 years of age* and that I am competent in my own name insofar as this consent is concerned. I further attest that I have read this consent form and fully understand its contents. In lay language, this consent means that you give Preston Pouteaux the complete right to use your likeness for this portraiture, your first name, and written reflection as is necessary for this project. You give him permission to publish or use this material for the purposes of this theological project in all its forms. You don't have the right to review the portrait or the written material before it is used. Finally, you will receive one copy of this portrait should it be reproduced in print form. Date _________, 20____ Participant's Name_________________________________ Age*___________________________ Date of Birth________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________ Telephone Number ________________________________ Email ______________________________________ Permission to use given (first) name (Y) (N) Use Pseudonym (Y) (N) If Yes, what Pseudonym____________________________ *I am the parent or guardian of the minor named above and have the legal authority to execute the above release. I approve the foregoing and waive any rights in the premises. Witness_______________________________________ Parent or Guardian_____________________________ Address_______________________________________ Date _________, 20____ [ Page ] 154 References Alkire, Kjellgren. 2009. In, of, and under. Lutheran Forum 43, no. 1 (Spring): 62-64. Baxter, Richard. 2000. The practical works of Richard Baxter. Morgan: Soli Deo Gloria Publications. 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