to the dance of life
This is the fourth and final part of my interview with Dr. Glenn
Kreider of Dallas Theological Seminary. In this conversation, we talk
about the importance of the physical redemption of the earth to our
theology of art.
This video runs under four minutes.
This is the third segment of my interview with Dr. Glenn Kreider,
professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, about art and Christianity.
In this part, we talk about facing the evilness in this world and
bringing in the hope of the day when God will set everything right.
And we talk for a moment about Sweeney Todd, my favorite musical!
The podcast runs under 6 minutes.
This is the second part of my interview with Dr. Glenn Kreider, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. The interview is about beauty and sentimentality, and this segment looks specifically at the cross and resurrection.
The video runs about 5 minutes.
Related quotes from "Beauty, Sentimentality, and the Arts," an essay by Jeremy Begbie in The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts:
"In a nutshell, Christian sentimentalism arises from a premature grasp for Easter morning, a refusal to follow the three days of Easter as three days in an irreversible sequence of victory over evil" (p. 61).
"Easter does of course throw its light on the ‘renting’ of Friday (to use Yeats’s word), but not a soothing glow so much as a white light that exposes the rupture between Creator and creature, the depths to which the human creature has sunk and the depths to which God’s love is prepared to reach" (p. 62).
"This is emphatically not to say that the crucifixion as an event of torture and death is really beautiful and not ugly, if only we would change our perspective. That would be gross sentimentality (and, of course, opens the door to sadism or sadomasochism). But it is to say that in and through this particular torture, crucifixion and death, God’s love is displayed at its most potent" (p.63).
You can see part one of the interview here.
A month or so ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing three professors at Dallas Theological Seminary who’d influenced me.
Dr. Glenn Kreider was one of them.
I only had Dr. Kreider for one class, but in that class, he raised questions that made me think differently. Incidentally, Dr. Kreider introduced me to Chagall’s White Crucifixion. Dr. Kreider used art in his teachings and allowed me to write songs instead of papers.
I broke up the interview into a few parts. This is part one. We talk about how Dr. Kreider came to realize the importance of art and the dangers of sentimentality.
This podcast runs approximately five minutes.
It happened one night, it was a dark and stormy night, it was the best
of times, it was the worst of times. No matter how it begins, everyone
has a story to live. This series looks at the story of the Christian
life. Part Nine talks about The Road Back, or intigrating The Reward
into your everyday life.
This video runs about 4 minutes.
It happened one night, it was a dark and stormy night, it was the best
of times, it was the worst of times. No matter how it begins, everyone
has a story to live. This series looks at the story of the Christian
life. Part Eight looks at the Reward earned after the Ordeal–when you’ve finally found what you’ve been looking for.
(You know a girl’s gotta quote U2.)
Part Eight runs five and a half minutes.
It happened one night, it was a dark and stormy night, it was the best
of times, it was the worst of times. No matter how it begins, everyone
has a story to live. This series looks at the story of the Christian
life. Part Seven looks at The Ordeal, the part of the story where the
hero is cornered. It’s the death scene.
The video is four and a half minutes.
Yesterday was a treat. The hot fudge sundae kind (with extra whipped cream).
I went to Dallas Theological Seminary to interview three professors (two of whom are also artists) for upcoming art and theology podcasts (keep a weather eye out for ‘em!). These three people have influenced my life, my theology, and my art (in other words, me–if you can find the separating line between those three aspects, let me know). We had great conversations, the kind that makes you feel like home (and red ruby shoes).
Then writer/professor/editor (and thirty other roles) Sandra Glahn and I headed over to the Women’s Museum. I thought the museum a well-balanced meal. The history of women, folklore, stats, and attributes. They focused on the career woman, the mother, the comedian, the athelete, and the politican. They looked at ideas of beauty, womanhood, and sexuality throughout the ages. Good stuff. One film included a bit about Japanese-American women in the WWII US internment camps. Most shocking moment for me: the interviewed woman said her son’s teacher didn’t believe him when he wrote about these camps. She didn’t know they existed!
Then, and here’s the most shocking part, I learned that I’m a more productive writer without Internet. Gasp. I had an hour and a half before meeting a friend of mine (who I hadn’t seen in 7 yrs! how did that happen?). I sat in the DTS library. And was denied Internet access on my laptop. Double gasp.
Not only can I not have Internet, but I’m expected to be inspired while surrounded by reference books?
I forced out a word, my fingers acting unfamiliar on the keyboard. Come on, guys, I said. Perk up. Stop acting like children. Then another word came. And another. Before I knew it, I had 1500 words done, and it was time to leave to meet my friend.
Maybe twhirl isn’t such a good thing in my life.
To top it all off, I had dinner with a friend I’d known since seventh grade. (We were also college roommates for a couple of years–someday I’ll tell you about the mean practical joke I pulled on her once.) Our conversation was full of remember when’s and what’re you doing now and have you seen so-and-so and opening up our hearts. It was lovely. She’s lovely. Sometimes you forget how much you miss a person.
It happened one night, it was a dark and stormy night, it was the best
of times, it was the worst of times. No matter how it begins, everyone
has a story to live. This series looks at the story of the Christian
life. Part Six talks about our allies and enemies and how we are to react to them as Christians.
It happened one night, it was a dark and stormy night, it was the best
of times, it was the worst of times. No matter how it begins, everyone
has a story to live. This series looks at the story of the Christian
life. Part Four is about Meeting the Mentor. It challenges Christians
to find and be mentors along the journey.
This podcast is just over 8 min.
I tell tales--tall ones, short ones, fat ones, skinny ones. Some call it compulsive lying. I call it writing.
