Curious Christian

My interesting find for today is The Incarnational Actor: From Christian Theology into Theatrical Praxis by Norman A. Bert, a playwright, author, former pastor and missionary.

Here are a few excerpts:

"For the Christian actor, just as the Incarnation is central to faith, so it is central to art."

"Rather than aiming just to entertain or provide diversion, Christians act in order to call their audiences to self-examination, to the pursuit of peace, justice, beauty, and goodness. And understanding the incarnational aspect of their art, Christians know that theatre almost always does its work by enacting human fallen-ness, brokenness, rebellion, by showing human beings caught up in violence, injustice, coarseness, giving over to their worst or settling for mediocrity instead of aspiring to the best. The Christian actor does not shrink from these aspects of theatre but rather embraces them as integral parts of the art of reconciliation."

"The Incarnation also reminds aspiring actors that their art is a matter of submission and denial of the self rather than self-aggrandizement. So Christians act, not in order to reap the rewards of glory, but rather with the full realization that, just as their Lord became servant of all, so they must subordinate themselves to their roles, their art, and even their colleagues in order to fulfill their high calling."

Feel free to follow the above link to read more. I found this interesting on a number of levels, not only for how it could inform my understanding of Christian art, but also how it could inform my understanding of Christian vocation.