Last night, during the most recent Communitas Network event (an event focused on creativity and it's role in the Kingdom of God), my good friend Mike Ricker, who leads an inspiring effort to serve those without home in NW Phoenix, shared a phrase that has been challenging me consistently for the 12 hours or so since we were together.
Mike said something to this tune in reference to the diverse and very different forms of church that many of us find ourselves a part of:
"Sometimes what we're doing seems chaotic, which many people see as negative - something that denotes a loss of control, but I see what we're doing instead as creative"
Those who spend much time around me know that I often use the word "chaos" to describe the type of faith community I am interested in building and being a part of. I am just realizing this, but I am all too comfortable using this word to describe something as beautiful as the church - the embodiment of God's kingdom here on earth. In using this term, I have never meant to imply an out-of-control, anything-goes disfunctional group of Jesus-followers. I am interested in an organic community where diversity of ideas, perspectives, and calling are valued and where control is held loosely. I have often used the word "chaotic" to communicate this and the apparent messiness this creates when compared to the nice and neat controlled megachurch atmospheres I have experienced much of my life.
But Mike has provided an alternative to using this baggaged word in replacing the word chaotic with creative to describe what we are pursuing. I rather like the idea. Creativity is what we are after. Creative communities made up of both creative-people and people-willing-to-be-creative pursuing God in new and creative ways, acknowledging the wild creativity all around them, and applying creative solutions to the dilemmas we face as people of justice, followers of Jesus, lovers of people, and everyday people.
The conversation at last night's event that this idea created was brilliant with most agreeing that creativity was a better adjective to describe us that chaotic and that creativity is chaotic at some level. In some attempt to keep this conversation going (if anyone still reads this blog), I am wondering what some others think:
Is creativity what we are after? Does it describe our hopes and dreams better than chaos? Is creativity inherently chaotic? Does chaos breed creativity or does creativity breed chaos? Thoughts?
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jamie added these pithy words on Nov 14 07 at 4:48 pmI definitely lean towards a disciplined creative life. Less chaos, more practice. I think that describing artists’s lives as chaotic continues the myth that artists are not normal–that somehow their talents are given by the gods and overtakes them at inconvenient times. I believe that an artistic talent is given, but must be cared for and developed. I recently read a post by David Taylor the arts pastor at Hope Chapel. He argued that an artist finds freedom in a disciplined artistic life. A pianist must practice scales in order to be free to play Mozart, etc.
Zack added these pithy words on Nov 14 07 at 5:02 pmJamie,
Thanks for the comment. I have no doubt that discipline is needed to practice creativity. As we mentioned last night - applying creativity is hard because it inherently includes taking risk. So if it is always easier to take the “path more traveled” then certainly a commitment to creativity demands discipline or at least intention. But isn’t there some aspect of creativity that is uncontrollable and certainly unpredictable - a dimension of creativity that possibly does overtake us when we aren’t planning or expecting it?
jamie added these pithy words on Nov 14 07 at 5:13 pmI absolutely agree that there is an element of “getting lost” in the work, but I have experience that timelessness in other activities. I suspect those who don’t think they are artistic have experienced the same suspension in time when they do their favorite activities such as gardening, running, programming…I also would admit that there are times of inspiration when an idea hits you and all you want to do is work on the idea, but that is not uncontrollable necessarily, and a sketchbook would be an ideal companion.
John Lynch added these pithy words on Nov 17 07 at 9:21 pmSo glad it went well this week, brother! Aleta and I wanted to go and were disappointed our schedule prevented us from attending. Hopefully we’ll be there in January when you all continue this dialog.
The notion of creativity resonates deeply with me as I understand it reflecting the deep instinctual movements and longings of the heart. The rhetoric of true belief that whispers, too often, beneath the surface of our fast-paced, inattentive conscious minds.
I don’t really connect with the notion of chaos, however. Although I long for a similar kingdom-community experience that you guys do. One devoid of the trappings of human control and subtle yet still self-centered ambition. I think I hear where you’re coming from. That with Christ leading, there is no real chaos, since He is intentionally forming reality around His perfect plan; and yet to those who cannot or do not appraise such realities with His Spirit’s eyes, it can indeed seem chaotic. Am I reading you right?
Bam added these pithy words on Nov 19 07 at 10:05 pmIntriguing topic, Zack. In my mind, I feel that the word “creativity” is somewhat constrained by our English language. (in a similar way that “love” is constrained… most languages have many words for the different emotional expressions that we are forced to lump into the singular “love”)
That is to say that creativity can take on very distinct forms depending on the relevant situation. There’s creativity in love, in artistic expression, in problem-solving, in community, in worship, etc. And when I look across that spectrum, I’m not drawn to perceive creativity as synonymous with chaos in the spiritual community context. In certain situations, allowing for randomness and a lack of supporting structure can draw us out of our default actions (or at least see them for what they are) and guide us to produce an original action. Yet in other instances, I think creativity is necessarily born out of intentional, structured probing towards a specific end (similar to what Jamie said above regarding the discipline of a visual artist or musician).
To change pace a bit… when I read the word “organic” in your original post, it got me thinking a bit. For some reason I pictured a prairie field of grasses, weeds, flowers, shrubs, and trees. Entirely organic, untouched by the manipulating hands of mankind… whatever was able to grow, grew… at first blush, beautifully chaotic. Yet when as we learn more about the inner-workings of a field like this (the intricacies of soil content, the cells of the plant fibers, outside forces of the ecosystem that maintain a balance and preclude certain other plants, etc) we see layer after layer of order and structure and detail that allows the beautiful “chaos” to sustain and thrive.
Just kind of a random musing that I thought I’d throw in the pot:-)
Zack added these pithy words on Nov 19 07 at 11:35 pmThanks for chiming in John and Adam - and you’ve both got some great additions here. John, you have read my heart and intent well . While there is no question that we are on a creative edge of the Christian faith in America. We are imagining (better re-imagining) faith and the church in our local contexts. There is creativity in this at it’s core and it’s unfortunate (but true) that we find our “movements” criticized often simply becuase those who criticize fail to see the need (or freedom) to be creative when it comes to the posture of the church. It is when describing our communities to these types and when comparing our intended and pursued communities to our past experiences in the church, that we find the word chaos seeming to fit decently. Even if we accept the word chaos as an acceptable adjective for faith communities, we know better, for as you have said John, “there is no real chaos, since He is intentionally forming reality around His perfect plan”. In other words…..if God is in what we are doing, then our simple structures, our collaborative teaching/learning/leading, our empowerment of all to “offer” whatever they can to both God and community, is inevitably both creative and “orderly”.
Adam, I dig your thoughts on the synonymy of the words at hand. You have made a great point in your field illustration and it fits well the dreaming and action of our communities. The word “organic” is key, and while seemingly overused in reference to the church these days - my guess is that the full picture of how the church can assume an “organic” posture is still uncovered. There is great chaos in the prairie field and yet as you’ve said there is an even greater amount of creativity found there.
I am wondering if the field illustrates a contrast between the “micro-happenings” and the “macro-happenings”. Gazing at the field from a distance, once sees chaos. Flowers here, weeds over there, a tree sprouting next to a bubbling brook - all without anyone ordering where things go or what roles each actor should play. But up close and individually, each element of the field has a unique role to play that gives a sense of beauty to the chaos (and even provides order to it).
So how might this play out in the church? I want to consider this and add some thoughts later (maybe in another post).
Thanks for keeping the conversation alive!
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