EMQ Volume 61 Issue 1

By Heather Pubols | The arts have long been an important part of missions. Yet a historical preference for importing Western art forms into non-Western contexts left Christianity feeling culturally foreign. A shift towards encouraging local arts is inspiring authentic global Christian expressions across cultures and transforming missions.

By Héber Negrão | The landscape of global Christianity is shifting, and this is impacting global mission. The arts have always been critical to mission, but how we use them has changed from a bring it – teach it to a find it – encourage it approach. As engagement with local arts are embraced, Christianity is becoming more deeply rooted in the world’s diverse cultures.

By James R. Krabill | Artistic expressions are reshaping Christian mission and worship globally. As global churches increasingly contextualize their faith, the arts emerge as a powerful tool that increases spiritual depth and provides a more holistic understanding of the Christian experience.

By Lydia Hreniuc and Robin Harris | Studies in neuroscience and adult learning affirm the value of cultural, relational, and emotional means of knowing that extend beyond rational cognition. The arts are therefore a potent form of communication that allow all of us – not only those with special training as artists – to construct concepts and narratives that shape our lives and reflect the truth of the gospel. They provide a more holistic approach to gospel transmission that propositional telling strategies on their own miss.

By Roch Ntankeh | Is the future of mission work painted in the colors of cultural diversity? The arts are are gaining recognition as a powerful tool for Christian mission worldwide, but training in the arts remains scarce. Yet if training in the arts and mission can be developed to be flexible to varying contexts, the resulting shifts could revolutionize the spread of the Gospel.

By Laura Roberts | Engaging with local arts opens doors to encourage cultures to use their own resources in the world of the church and mission. The Creating Local Arts Together (CLAT) approach offers a practical method for anyone to engage with the arts in their own culture or across cultures.

By Elsen Portugal | About 50 years after evangelical missions started among the Xerente people of Brazil, singers and other musicians started composing their own songs. These compositions blended traditional Indigenous elements with aspects of popular music typical of the region. This fusion is a result of the cultural shifts that occurred over many years

By Bronwen Cleaver | The Altai people of southern Siberia have a rich artistic history. A local Bible translation team studied local art forms to see which ones could be used to convey passages of Scripture from the Psalms and Judges. The result was a worshipful rendition of biblical passages performed using local arts. This deeply resonated with local audiences while also affirming the value of the Altai culture.

By Juan Arvelo Montero | After repeatedly failing to communicate the gospel to the Basque people, God showed me that the arts offer a key to open hearts. The arts are a crucial form of gospel communication that move people’s emotions in a way that only sharing information does not. This makes it a powerful discipleship and evangelism tool.

By Rocelyn A. Madinger | After personally experiencing the power of the arts in my own life, I’ve discovered how the arts can be helpful and transformative tools for workers to bring the good news to oral cultures. The arts reflect the values of and dynamics in a community, bridge generations, and aid in discipleship. They also provide avenues for the hearers of the gospel to creatively and meaningfully express their understanding of the gospel, their growing faith, and their worshipful response to God.

By Jhonny A. Nieto Ossa | Finding and encouraging Indigenous cultural expressions that harmonize with Christian faith rather than bringing in and teaching established Western cultural expressions has proven to be a far more effective means to spread the gospel. As Indigenous arts are encouraged, they are reshaping global Christianity and fulfilling God’s diverse, multicultural vision of the body of Christ.

By Steve Taylor | Contextualizing theology is challenging, and discernment is needed to know the difference between biblical truths and cultural beliefs. Local and outsider perspectives can benefit these discussions. A three-step framework used by the Thai Christian Thinkers group offers helpful guidance on how to do this well.

By George Dumitrascu | Over two billion people identify as Muslims worldwide. Due to globalization, they live across the world and are our neighbors and co-workers. This makes it even more important to understand their context. Approaching Muslims with the gospel from an individualist perspective is often unsuccessful. A shift in approach to a family-based incarnational ministry using a contextualized house-church model could improve missions outcomes.

By Abel Stewart | Worshiping outdoors offers rich possibilities to deepen faith, care for creation, and transform spaces into sacred places. It has a long history starting in biblical times and continues through modern movements like Forest Church. Intentionally participating in outdoor worship provides a way for any Christian community worldwide to rediscover God’s first sanctuary and its profound impact on our spiritual lives.

By Matt Connor and Rachelle Dell | God continues to work in the lives of the Waorani people of Ecuador. Recently, the community participated in a songwriting workshop to create new worship songs. Through translation challenges and cultural discoveries, we learned that authentic worship often means returning to traditional tunes while creating new meanings. Watch how God works when we let indigenous voices lead the way.

By Jaewoo Kim | The arts of hospitality and shared meals offer a warm welcome to a global community into the church while sustaining the relationships of those already following Christ. Yet to do this well requires intentionality.

By Geinene Carson | When my daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder around a decade ago, my life changed radically. An abrupt introduction to the demanding world of caregiving disrupted art making and ministry as I had previously known it. However, I eventually discovered that this environment I now found myself in was an unanticipated source of inspiration.