ABOUT THE ARTS

An ARW Theology of the Arts
We live in a world that places great value on science, technology, facts, and proof. We are encouraged to function on tight schedules, calendars in one hand and cell phones in the other. We learn at an early age that “success” means making good grades, following the rules, and not “wasting time.”

However, as the children of our Creator and “creative” God, we are told we are made in God’s image. As such, we are also called to create and be creative. And for those who are willing to step outside the box that our culture would call normal, there is an entirely new experience of joy and discovery to be had engaging in the arts.

Whether it is through dance, song, drama or visual artistry, there are incredible things we can discover about ourselves and our relationship with God and others that CANNOT be found in facts and science and cellphones. Discovering the childlike joy that comes with creating something uniquely our own gets us in touch with God in a way that reading an entire shelf of theological journals will never do.

As we dance in a circle, hands held with our neighbors on either side, we experience community rather than just talk or read about it. As we interpret the words of Scripture through drama, we experience and understand their meaning at an internal rather than academic level. As we join voices in song to create a unique harmony, we experience the joy of being part of something much greater than our own lone voice allows. As we create visual art using any and all mediums available to us, we bring to life longings and knowledge and questions too deep and big for words.

But BEWARE!!! Once we experience the community and joy and wonder that the arts provides, it is hard to slip out of that artistic mindset and comfortably fit back into culture’s mindset of facts, science, and efficiency.

ABOUT COMMUNITY

An ARW Theology of Community
Community is “a BIG YES to life.” It gives freedom to experience the love, acceptance and encouragement of the people of God. Indeed, God didn’t make just one or two of us. God made a whole bunch of us and said “All that I want you to do is to love Me, love each other, and ENJOY!”

ENJOY? – You mean by tweeting and facebooking, friending and liking, emailing and iPad-ing?
Nope, not connecting through “gadgeting”.

You mean ENJOY by comparing, competing, producing, achieving, and winning?
Nope, not community through being better than.

You mean ENJOY by zoning out watching TV, playing video games, going to the movies?
Nope, not community through passive entertainment.

You mean ENJOY by lubricating your spirit with fine wine or altering yourself with chemicals so that “I love you man” becomes your mantra?
NOT!

Genuine community as it is experienced by the ARW community is about affirming oneself as a person created in God’s own image – special, unique, and equipped with gifts for sharing with the rest of God’s image, the Family of God.

As we acknowledge the miracle of our existence, and celebrate together, there’s an intangible something ( a numinous experience, if you will) that recharges the body and renews the spirit – A BIG YES to life.

Community, as it is known and experienced at ARW, is reflected in that collective joy that expresses itself in dancing, creating, worshipping, playing, and in just being! Then the magic really happens – the walls of fear, and distrust, and feelings of inferiority melt away and, surrounded by that affirming love, an attitude of freedom says YES to life and invites others in, encouraging all to risk being their best selves.

And low and behold, that answering love within explodes into something new and dynamic - a contagious wave of love that reflects heaven on earth, the family of God joyfully connected to God and to one another. That kind of love is the real deal. That’s what we call community.

ABOUT CREATIVITY

An ARW Theology of Creativity
Creativity permeates every corner of ARW. It isn’t just that standard definition of creativity that first comes to our minds, you know the one where creativity is for “artsy people” or “inventors”. Rather, ARW infuses creativity into our everyday world and sparks innovative thinking in all aspects of our lives...working, teaching, playing, studying, exploring, imagining!

Outside the box thinking is encouraged and wonderful things happen as people let their inner child out, allowing the creativity of “childlikeness” to emerge. The lines inside which we’ve been taught to color disappear, and all the pieces of our lives are touched. We begin to think about how to twist a game to make it work with a smaller group or at a family holiday gathering. We modify a lesson plan to include an artistic interpretation. We re-engineer the “normal” and get energy from exploring the new inside of the everyday.

Some come unsure of their creativity, some come with confidence, but all who come leave knowing that their creative soul has been set free and that we have collaborators all over the country who will continue to nurture our creative side.

ABOUT RECREATION

An ARW Theology of Play
Even our old catechism writers knew that enjoying God is basic and of priority - it was the FIRST question:
Q. What is the chief end of [humans]?
A. To glorify God and enjoy [God] forever!"

God created us and our world and God expects us to enjoy God and live a life that is glorifying to God. There's something deep within us that knows when we are glorifying God in our work, our pastimes, our interactions, our play, and this too is renewing. We are re-created in these moments and this is real recreation.

As we recreate, or play, we are transformed. You can see it in young children and people of any age can experience the renewal that happens when we truly enjoy ourselves. When we have these kinds of experiences, we are re-created - re-created and renewed to serve our generous God.

Stuart Brown's book PLAY from the National Institute of Play talks about the necessity of play - it is inborn, basic, primal, and foundational! He states that pathological damage can be done to children who are consistently removed from or prevented from playing. Play and the joys and challenges it brings us are how we explore and experience our life as young children. As we grow older, how we play and our attitude toward play can change, but its value for us does not. We all know the value of a good puzzle solved or a great book read, or sharing a good movie with someone or a good campout, or a healthy run, or whatever that place of renewal might be. Without these outlets and places of being re-created, we are less than who God created us to be.

ABOUT WORSHIP

An ARW Theology of Worship
Even our old catechism writers knew that enjoying God is basic and of priority - it was the FIRST question:Why do we worship at an event specifically designed to teach leaders about play? Perhaps a more appropriate question is why do we separate our play and our worship?

Community, laughter, inspiration, interaction, peacemaking, creativity, godliness are all at the core of our healthy playfulness. Should we expect anything less from our worship? Like our play, worship can be a time of deep discovery of "God among us"! How much more meaningful is it when art gives vision to our faith, when music shows us a God who moves in rhythm with us, when play reminds us of the creative God who imagined us and then breathed us to life, when our words join with all of these and we begin to describe our journey with God in transformative ways! Let us worship...playfully!