Art, Christianity reunited

Craig Detweiler is hoping for a modern-day renaissance of the arts. He dreams of the day when members of the Christian church will again be the primary patrons of respected artistic endeavors, as in the era of Michelangelo.

As a filmmaker and student at the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., Mr. Detweiler, 40, says he believes the renewal is happening, slowly but surely. He also is the author of “A Matrix of Meaning, Finding God in Pop Culture.”

“We want to reclaim that grand lost heritage,” he says. “We want to not only be a place where artists gather, but encourage the next generation of ministers to integrate the arts into the worship experience.”

The Brehm Center is a division of Fuller Theological Seminary that aims to better equip artists with a theological education and better inform clergy about the arts. The Brehm Center collaborates with Fuller’s graduate schools of theology, intercultural studies, and psychology to develop curricula.

William K. and Delores S. Brehm of McLean, Va., first pledged $2 million in 1999 for the center and increased the amount over time to $15 million total. Mr. Brehm is on the board of directors of SRA International Inc. in Fairfax, Va. The money endowed by the Brehms provided funds for new classes to be offered at the seminary.

The center was authorized officially by the Fuller Board of Trustees in the spring of 2001, which supported the creation of six new degrees, says the Rev. Clayton Schmit, academic director of the Brehm Center.

“Those artists who are Christians that come to Fuller Seminary tend to want to inform their art by studying faith,” he says. “They tend to be people who do not want to be known as Christian artists, but Christians who are thoughtful artists whose faith informs their work.”

Students can now earn a doctorate in theology with a concentration in theology and culture; a master’s degree in theology with a concentration in theology and culture; a master of arts in theology with a theology-and-arts format; a master of arts in worship, theology and the arts; a master’s of divinity with a concentration in worship, theology and the arts; and a master of arts with a ministry focus in ethnomusicology in mission.

Starting in the fall of 2005, students will be able to earn a doctorate in theology with a concentration in worship and culture or a master’s in theology with a concentration in worship and culture.

“Bill Brehm realized there was a poverty of imagination and thought we needed to affirm the faith-filled artist and equip the next generation of ministers to affirm the artists in their midst,” Mr. Detweiler says. “We need about 10 or 20 more Bill Brehms all over the country and around the globe to affirm the faith-fueled art. We have to rediscover that art is not frivolous. It’s essential to the human journey, to humanity’s deepest longings, needs and questions.”

As a student, Mr. Detweiler is earning a doctorate in theology with a concentration in theology and culture.

“I’m learning how to create, express and interpret more creative metaphors for the glory and splendor of God,” he says. “Unfortunately, Protestants have done a lot of telling in their art, as in more overt movies. I’m more interested in showing and demonstrating in my art.”

As part of the Brehm Center, “Reel Spirituality: An Institute for Moving Images” (www.reelspirituality.org) provides educational programs about film, says Justin Bell, assistant director of the organization. On Oct. 22, “Music to Our Eyes: Music, Film and Theology in Dialogue” will be held at the Director’s Guild of America in Los Angeles.

“We’re trying to give artists better tools to do their art,” says 25-year-old Mr. Bell, who is earning a master’s in divinity with a concentration in worship, theology and the arts. “We’re rethinking inside the church how we communicate theology. … It’s not just preaching from the pulpit.”

However, the main goal of the faculty is not to teach the students to create evangelistic art, says Fred Davison, executive director for the Brehm Center.

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