Christ-Centred Worship and the Arts

　　Christ-centred worship and the arts are the vehicles of the Word and the medium of God’s grace, testifying to the power and truth of the Gospel of Christ.

　　Worship is a sacred time and space in which God’s presence is here and now, as if the gates of Heaven are open. God’s intangible grace is made available to us through the means of hearing, touching, and even eating (the Lord’s Supper) and through communal reception so that we can partake of the taste of God’s grace together, which is so good and pleasant.

　　In worship, music and hymns with lyrics are the “art of time,” while architecture and the layout of the worship space are the “art of space.” Through these art forms, we worship and serve God in fear and joy according to the truth of the Bible. The Word of God is living and active, penetrating our hearts and minds (cf. Heb 4:12). Therefore, Christ-centred worship through the arts can lead us to respond to the love of the Lord and turn us to God the Father with all our hearts and souls. It can also help us discern with heavenly wisdom how to walk on the path of blessing in our worship life.

Proverbs of Wisdom on Worship and the Arts

　　With reference to the document “Worshiping the Triune God: Receiving and Sharing Christian Wisdom across Continents and Centuries” (2010 edition) published by Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, I would like to share three proverbs of wisdom on worship and the arts as a guideline and a direction for the seminary to build up Christians and churches in this aspect.

1. Life-Transforming Worship

Wise is the church that seeks to be “in” but not “of” the world (Jn 15:19), resisting aspects of the culture that compromise the integrity of the gospel, and eagerly engaging its culture with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ who comes to each culture, but is not bound by any culture.

　　The Gospel of Jesus is at the same time transcultural, contextualizable, cross-cultural, culture-resistant, and challenging believers to live transformed lives, influence the world, and act as culture transformers. The arts should be based on God’s revelation and the teachings of the Bible, guiding people to think rationally, playing an educational role, and deepening people’s understanding of God, the world, and themselves.

2. Faith Integration Not Limited to Verbal Expression

Blessed is the congregation in which the Word is proclaimed and prayers and praise are offered not only through words but also through artistic expression: through gifts God has given to each local community in music and dance, in speech and silence, in visual art and architecture.

　　This kind of multi-dimensional and multi-level expression makes worship colorful and allows Christians to establish a deeper relationship with God in different ways. Art should not be seen as a domain entirely separate from faith; instead, Christians should integrate art into their lives of faith, so that art can become a means of proclaiming the gospel and witnessing Christ.

3. The Image of God and the Second Commandment

Wise are artists who are grateful both for the limitations offered by the second commandment, and also for the example of the biblical artists called by God and equipped by God’s people for service according to God’s commands (Ex 35:30ff.).

　　Human creativity is a gift from God and reflects the image of God (Imago Dei). In art-making, Christians endeavor to reveal God’s wisdom, goodness, and glory so that the arts become a form of worship and praise to God. The commandment, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image,” points ultimately to the promise of Jeremiah 31:33: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” The true ministry of the arts is to allow the Holy Spirit to shape our lives into the image of Christ (Gal 4:19) so that what our hands make is but a natural outpouring of a graceful heart—like a stream reflecting the light of the moon, which, though it is not the moon, testifies to “the true light” in the darkness of the world, making people long to draw near to the Lord.

Bible-Centred, Interdisciplinary Worship and the Arts Education

　　The Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary (HKBTS) always seeks to promote worship and arts education and has been providing training programs in these areas. Our Edna Wong Christian Worship and Arts Education Centre was established to “provide Christians with a renewed knowledge of worship by seeking wisdom from the Bible, theology and church history, and then coming to a correct understanding of genuine worship,” and to “provide a combination of diversified training in arts to widen the scope of students’ ministry and to enrich their experience.” ^* Over the years, the centre has been offering courses conducted by lecturers who have rich knowledge and practical experiences in the field of worship and the arts. These courses have been of great help to Christians who wish to equip themselves in this field. In addition to education programs, the centre also provides a resources centre for our students and offers classroom and venue rental services for them to practice and perform.

　　Looking ahead, the Edna Wong Christian Worship and Arts Education Centre will, on the one hand, continue to offer different types of courses on worship, music and the arts to enrich believers’ understanding of worship and the arts, and to enhance participants’ related skills and broaden their horizons. On the other hand, we will actively develop more Bible-Centred interdisciplinary courses that integrate different fields to better enrich the preaching in the worship of the Chinese churches and to help Christians integrate the Word, worship, the arts, spiritual practice, and Christian life. Our “Drama Art at Church” series (e.g., “A Mindset for Drama Writing” workshop, “Bible Study through Drama” workshops) and the Postgraduate Certificate Program in Worship and the Arts, conceived in collaboration with the Lay Theological Education Department (LTED) last year, are a few examples of our endeavors in this regard.

　　Take the Postgraduate Certificate Program in Worship and the Arts as an example, this masters-level degree program provides believers with more systematic and comprehensive training in such areas as worship theories, church music, the arts, practical application, theological reflection, etc. The existing courses on worship offered by other theological seminaries in Hong Kong are mostly focused on worship studies or worship services, without much emphasis on cross-disciplinary integration. The integration of the arts into worship is what the centre has always strived to promote. To this end, our program provides worship art training, including church music, worship and praise, spatial arrangement, drama, painting, and other diversified elements as well as theological reflection so that students can better integrate biblical teaching, worship, pastoral care, and the arts.

　　On the one hand, the Postgraduate Certificate Program in Worship and the Arts emphasizes giving students a solid grounding in the Bible and theology that strengthens the foundation of truth for their worship ministries, helps them to understand the spiritual origins of worship, and explores how the arts (e.g., music, drama, and visual art) can be brought into dialogue with the theology of worship. On the other hand, it emphasizes the integration of artistic practice and pastoral care in response to various contexts. The program breaks through the traditional framework of worship studies and highlights the concept of “art as pastoral care.” Students not only learn practical skills such as worship leadership, spatial arrangement, and liturgy design for various feasts but also reflect on how to respond to believers’ life stages and social contexts through the medium of art in worship. For example: How can the message of salvation be presented through drama during Lent? How to use visual art to create an atmosphere of hope during Advent? These topics integrate theological interpretation and creative practice so that students can become “pastorally minded ministers of worship and the arts.”

　　One example of pastoral integrative courses is “Funeral Design and Pastoral Theology” offered in this quarter. It incorporates life and death education as well. (For example, it examines such questions as “How can the design of Christian funeral services inspire us to express our personal and communal grief and hope to the Lord in times of loss?” “What are the principles for the use of laments and hymns in worship and funeral services?”) We combine insights from the Bible, church history, and pastoral care to explore how worship can be centred on the Triune God. From meditating on the laments in the Psalms to lifting our voices in praise, we can show how the Church is redeemed by the Christ event and express this hope of passing from death to life in Christ in funeral services.

Cross-Departmental Integration

　　In addition to actively organizing Bible-Centred interdisciplinary integrative courses, we have also been actively collaborating with other departments of the seminary in recent years. The Edna Wong Christian Worship and Arts Education Centre and LTED have not only collaborated on program development but have also made some of our courses compatible with each other, thus providing a better and more convenient learning experience for students. For example, students who have completed two designated four-session courses (each course with a total of 18 class hours and an attendance rate of 80% or more) and who subsequently register for the LTED’s Lay Theological Diploma/Certificate Programs are exempted from taking one elective subject.

　　Finally, we will perpetuate the Baptist tradition of upholding the foundational importance of the Bible and further the integration of the arts and worship, cultivating the spiritual soil of the “people of the Bible” so that they can holistically worship, witness, and serve God, who is good. Whether you think you “know about art,” as long as you are willing to open your heart for the Holy Spirit to work in your unique life, you will be an indispensable piece of the puzzle of God’s mission, completing a picture that testifies to the love of God.

　　May all glory be to God, the Creator of Heaven and the Earth, who does not stop revealing His goodness in our lives!

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^* Please see our website https://www.hkbts.edu.hk/waec