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| Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Issue 06.2008 > Nature Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2, NIVI have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20, NIV When we believe in Jesus, our nature is exchanged for his. In that moment, we are justified by faith in Christ, having put on Jesus Christ as our new skin. This theology has much implications for Christians in the arts. When we imagine ourselves doing things unto the Lord, for his name, are we working out of our new nature, or simply trying to keep a holy thought in mind, while endlessly stressed on fruitless, laborious efforts? Freedom comes from the law of the Spirit of Life, namely that we are alive in Christ, no longer bound by our past nor our mistakes, no longer condemned but redeemed for eternity. The nature of God is one of freedom, of following the Holy Spirit to experience life abundantly that overcomes problems in the world. In the same way, we in the arts ought to walk by the Holy Spirit. As new creations in Christ, we operate on a different dimension and we are free to indulge in a Christ centred, unhurried lifestyle - one marked by grace, salted conversations, influx of creative ideas and a consciousness that this nature is supernaturally exchanged. This month, we investigate and interpret the theme, Nature, through the forensic lens of our faith. The Bulb dissects the dual meaning of Nature - creation and origin. In The Development of the Garden Trope in the Bible by Annabelle Bok, we are reminded that the first understanding of Nature is as a setting of the redemptive work of Christ, "The result is the elevation of man, a journey that led out of the garden, into the tomb (death), back into the garden; and a reopened, free access to the same Tree of Life that was in the Garden of Eden." On the other side of the coin, A Fleeting Thought on Nature by Ronald Wong is a lighthearted apologetic framing the question of origin - "it seems more ludicrous that an entity can create the entire universe from mere nothing" - begging the current beliefs of philosophy entrenched in materialism. Focus' Easter Thoughts by Rui He returns us to the glaring disjuncture of our fallen state judging the ideal. By examining the idea of "Good" in Good Friday, we question the protocol of justice via Jesus' trial. Indeed, "So much for all our meliorist optimism about human potential, our trust in the systems of law and governance we have set up through the exercise of our reason. What happened on Good Friday is a humbling reminder of human fallibility, of our tremendous potential for turning good to evil and messing up even the best of what God gives to us." Our closing notes feature Our Corner's The Nature of Things by Annabelle Bok which shows us observations that "well we would do to remember" on this side of earth while A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You by Ng Xiao Yee suggests the yearning of God's love amidst a heartfelt desire. Listen to Journalogue's Behold Your Beauty by Pauline Phoon. The modern palmist ministers to an ancient longing, one which is made possible in eternity because of our new Nature. Don't miss our Christian arts report : Spotlight Remember The Eagles Singing Team, Starfish and Sonic Festival? The CreateLeVoyage.com editorial team brings you A Brief History of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) in Singapore and survey with local songwriters Backstage Film > Yang Ming reviews Secret Sunshine directed by Lee Chang-dong > Anne Law and Charis Ng share about working on, and watching, Leap Years by Mediacorp Raintree Pictures Music > Dawn Fung reviews CSMusic's first Songwriters Showcase Theatre > Referencing Jesus Christ in Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" by Aaron Lee > Yang Ming's review of Colour My World by Tapestry Playback Theatre > Ronald Wong's Reflections on Lift, the production by Closet Pulp Theatre Whats On recommends some of the latest happenings in the local arts scene, from Dr Stan Lai, Yeo Shih Yun, Paul Humes and more...
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