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How to Improve Christian Movies Without Bigger Budgets

| April 25, 2015 | Resources for Artists | 5 comments

Christian Movies header

Have you ever wondered why most Christian movies fall so flat? The vast majority of the Christian films produced in the last few decades rank among the worst movies ever made. In fact, at least one of them, Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas, had the dubious honor of being IMDb’s worst-rated movie of all time. (It’s currently tied for last.) It nearly swept the Razzies in 2014 too. One of its wins was for Worst Screen Combo: Kirk Cameron & His Ego. Ouch.

Some of the mockery and scorn leveled at Christian movies certainly stems from ideological differences. Most of the people who call Christian movies “lame” and “preachy” don’t belong to the choir. But as I’ve written before, much of the criticism leveled against Christian movies is completely legitimate, and we should take it seriously.

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Three Stages of Learning: How to Become a Master

| April 11, 2015 | Resources for Artists | 0 comments

Durer Master Three Stages of Learning

If you’re anything like most artists, and you probably are, you have a desire to become a great artist—a master. I have found very little information on how one goes about doing that. Most people talk like you either have genius in you or you do not. Though there may be some truth in this idea, mostly in terms of God’s discretionary privilege to grant gifts as he wills, this article will lay out the three stages of learning that every virtuoso without exception has had to attain. What God has given each of us in terms of raw talent is his business. But your self-awareness, discipline, and commitment to growth is your business. Let’s get to it.

Imitation

Imitation is the beginning of any learning process. The first step in becoming a master is imitating the masters. If you are a painter, that means trying to mimic the methods, subjects, and styles of famous paintings. You find out what you can about how the masters used light, color, brush types and strokes, formats, and media. And you copy them.

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Beauty is in the Eye of Which Beholder?

| March 17, 2015 | Arts & The Bible | 0 comments

beauty eye of beholder

This is the fifth installment in the “Whatever” series on a biblical view of the arts, drawn from Philippians 4:8. If you missed the last four articles, you can read them here: Whatever is True, Whatever is Honorable, Whatever is Just, and Whatever is Pure.

Whatever is Lovely

It would be easy to assume that no one needs instruction in what is lovely. Many consider this to be a matter of personal taste without any need for study, discipline, or assistance. This perspective is, however, not biblical. While no particular human aesthetic can claim to have a corner on loveliness, Paul would not have included this phrase in Philippians if loveliness were entirely arbitrary. If anything could be lovely depending only on your taste, what would be the point of directing people to lovely things? We already like what we think is lovely—no instruction or commandment required.

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2015 Dinner and Artist Showcase

| January 28, 2015 | News | 0 comments

2015 Artist Showcase

Dear friends,

With great joy and anticipation, we cordially invite you to the Nehemiah Foundation for Cultural Renewal’s very first Dinner and Artist Showcase!

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Support Our New Kickstarter: Fiery Crash – In Clover

| January 10, 2015 | News | 0 comments

Kickstarter In Clover thicker letters

The Nehemiah Foundation for Cultural Renewal has completed recording and mixing our sixth studio album: In Clover by Fiery Crash, and we need your help to get it out into the world.

Visit the Fiery Crash In Clover Kickstarter page to watch the video, read the story, hear some clips, and pledge your support. Unless we reach our entire goal by January 18, this project will go entirely unfunded. We have a little over a week left, and we are just over halfway there.

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Review: Zach Winters – Monarch

| January 5, 2015 | Reviews | 0 comments

Zach Winters Monarch

And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12; KJV)

In its best moments, Monarch, by Zach Winters, effortlessly creates silence. That music can create silence is one of many paradoxes you are going to have to get used to if you want to get to know this record. In the violence and foment of our instantaneous age, there are few things more alien than quality silence and intentional waiting. In all the hot noise of our weird, wired, wide, webbed world—noise which we often mistake for information and connectedness—our inner ears have become accustomed to ignoring the still small voice of God.

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