Commentary

A Making of Memoir: Two Music Videos for Warbler

| April 2, 2021 | Commentary | 0 comments

Back in 2014, I drove out to Opelika, AL, from Sugar Hill, GA, with sound equipment for Justus Stout’s wedding reception. There was this guy, Sean Sullivan, who had flown in to Atlanta from Oakland, CA for the occasion, and he needed a ride out to Opelika. I had heard of Sean, or at least his band Warbler, because Michael Minkoff must’ve shown me this music video some years before:

I don’t remember liking this video very much when I saw it. I wasn’t sure what I thought of the guy in it; I couldn’t tell who he was, exactly. Was he kidding? The lipstick confused me a lot, and I wasn’t sure I really understood what he was talking about.

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Renew the Arts Roundtable: Ambient Church

| June 12, 2018 | Commentary | 0 comments

Renew the Arts Roundtable is a continuing series of discussions between members and friends of Renew the Arts concerning (mostly) recent happenings in the intersecting worlds of faith, art, and popular culture. In this first installment, three staff members talk about Ambient Church, the implications this movement has for the relationship between the Church and the Arts, and how Christian art can be liberated by analyzing this issue.

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Christmas Music for a More Sober Joy

| December 9, 2016 | Commentary | 0 comments

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I used to love Christmas music. I used to love it so much, in fact, that I convinced the rest of my family that it is acceptable to listen to Christmas music on November 1st (the previous acceptable time was exclusively post-Thanksgiving). However, I’ve found myself listening to less Christmas music with each passing year.

This year, as I’ve become more vested in the philosophy of aesthetics thanks to my involvement with the Nehemiah Foundation, I’ve been pondering why I have experienced this gradual divorce from holiday tunes. What I’ve found are some serious pitfalls within the genre and some solutions to renewing the arts that surround Christ’s birth. (more…)

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Death and Electric Puritans: A Narrative Report on “Death is Their Shepherd”

| October 28, 2016 | Commentary | 0 comments

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This is a guest post by Quenton Frank Brooks, an adjunct literature professor currently living in Israel. He was gracious enough to allow the Foundation to publish his thoughts on Death is Their Shepherd. Since not much has been written on the narrative portion of the project, we’re pleased to present this report in honor of Death is Their Shepherd’s one-year anniversary coming up this Halloween/Reformation Day.

And just in case this sort of thing matters to you, consider this your spoiler alert.

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Why I Gave Up Politics for the Arts

| June 7, 2016 | Commentary | 2 comments

art and politicsWhen I was eleven, I wrote a daily devotional I imaginatively titled  “Daily Devotions.” I started at Proverbs 11, because of my age (of course). I made it as far as Proverbs 11:7—a whopping week long. Surprisingly, it never got picked up by any publishers, but my parents asked for a copy.

The unreasonable self-assurance I had then is a little embarrassing to me now, but I am proud of myself for being so dedicated, early on, to one goal: revival. Years before I could vote, I would often respond to the classic question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with “Either a pastor or a politician.” This was met with mixed responses, which I have come to understand.

With fire pumping in my young veins, I volunteered for countless political campaigns of upstanding, dedicated, righteous individuals. This turned into full-time summer work.

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