Worship as Art: Art as Worship
By David Williams
“Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator's love.” — Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, 1.
Our good God of love delights in beauty. At the culmination of His creative work, He declared all things good. This goodness of God reflects His artistic heart: the beauty of the lofty hills, each delicate flower, the diversity of every creature, and the sculpture of humanity in His image. God manifests His love for humanity through creative art.
In return, humanity naturally responds through creative expression. Through visual art, speech, music, architecture, liturgy, and beyond, we pay our homage to our Creator. Every aspect of human life reflects the artistic imago Dei within each person: how we dress, do our hair, the wall-hangings in our homes, the design of our automobiles, our communication, languages, rhetoric, dance, tastes and textures of cuisine, and the sound of music. All give expression to our innate desire and aptitude for art.
Some suggest that art is unimportant and inconsequential. I would suggest they lift their gaze and consider that everything around them made by God or humanity reflects art. Form and function unite pleasure and efficiency.
Rather than considering art as additional or supplemental to our worship as Christians, it invites our contemplation of the profound essential nature of art in our daily worship and liturgical gatherings.
We need to consider worship as art, and art as worship.
In a world marred by war, disease, and injustice, the contemplation of beauty engages our craft to the betterment of society, and a deeper expression of love and service to God. When purposed as worship, art subverts our selfish desires, offering our best to God and others.
This February 13-15, 2025, the Andrews University Music & Worship Conference will explore art in Christian worship. We call for papers exploring this theme from any discipline.
Proposals must be received by November 25, 2024. The conference committee will confirm acceptance by December 6, 2024. Please send paper proposals to icwm@andrews.edu.
Paper proposals must be submitted in MS Word, no more than 300 words, without self-identification of the author in the proposal.
Accepted papers must be written in Chicago/ Turabian Style, with footnotes.
Papers will be a total of 40 minutes: Presenters will be given 20 minutes for presenting their paper (reading, multimedia).
A respondent will be given 10 minutes of scholarly feedback on the paper.
The remaining 10 minutes will be given to open discussion between presenter, respondent, and audience.
Average paper length is 10-12 pages.
Paper drafts must be submitted by January 31, 2025.
Papers will be published in conference proceedings.
The conference committee reserves the right to approve or deny publication as it sees fit.
Contact: 269-471-6021| icwm@andrews.edu