Xn Praise ef Joy
Cerhe Fine Arts And The

ChristianGospelAlice Christine

Grube

Flower Arrangement Depicting the

Osaka Jo Gakuin

Pentecost

September, 1970

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IN PRAISE OF JOY

The Fine Arts And The Christian Gospel
Though it has long since becomea cliche to say that we are
stepping over the threshold of a new age, few of us have done
enough work on giving a new focus to our thinking, or on the shapeof things to come. The disenchantment of vouth with "The EstablishmenV', and the rigidities and docility of their elders are obvious

phenomena of out time. Scholars and leaders are trying to develop' requires. One of the most brilliant
new images that the life of our time'and original criticisms of our culture appeared in 1964, "Understanding

Media : The Extensions of Man", by Marshall McLuhan, who interprets

the entire process of communication from the invention of movabletype through the electronic age. It is incumbent upon us to grasp
these new images and patterns, if we are to understand and appraisethem. They are already far along in the making. Mr. McLuhan
points out that: "Art is not just play but an extension of humanawareness in contrived and conventional patterns. Sport as popular

art is a deep reaction to the typical action of society, But highart, on the other hand, is not a reaction, but a profound reappraisalof a complex state." (2) Thus the pertinence of our giving attention' us. It goes without saying
to what is going on in the world about'that the Fine Arts have 'always been among the richest sourcesof joy in human life, and the accelerated interest in aesthetics isperhaps the most appealing of the characteristics of our changing

culture, which someone has called "Contemporary", lacking a new-2-

name for the "Modern" period which is now ended. This is mostwelcome and serves to counterbalance, in part at least, the grim
confrontations and negatives of the life about us : "The real questionis whether any image of God still makes sense in the psychedelic
world of computers, media manipulation, rationalized bureaucracy,organ transplants, interplanetary exploration and environmental spoila-tion. It is almost impossible for the contemporary artist to represent

a human figure, much less divinity. The experience of our times
has exploded our ancient categories of the meaning and dimensionof both human suffering and human evil.' The biblical authors do
not fail to offer us a meaningful model because they lacked wisdom.

They were incapable of anticipating the technological revolution of

the twentieth century." (3) Those who have visited the Art Museum
at Expo '70, and other exhibitions of modern art can readily understandwhat Mr. Rubenstein is talking about. Other theologians and secular

writers are probing the nature of joy-play-wonder-fantasy in thecontemporary scene. These aspects of life have played varied rolesin the life styles of different ages. Many writers take the position

that the modern age has not permitted the individual to find andexpress himself in full measure. The U. S. Congress has appropriated$40million for the National Endowment for the Arts which is twice

the amount for the previous year. The columnist iMarquis Childs
comments: "She made the case again and again that the arts are npt
something remote and esoteric to be cherished by a special few with
rarified tastes. They are directly related to the quality of life. Oneof the chief aims of the endowment is to encourage this relationshipin every way possible-to get the arts out of the stuffy environmentof concert halls and into the parks and streets. Relieve the tedium,-3-the boredom, the emptiness of much of existence in a mechanizedsociety-that is the principal objective of the endowment today. " (4)But joy is part of the endowment of the Judaic-Christian heritage.

There was throbbing life and joy in the primitive dances of Israel,

which may have been more like the African dances of Expo'70. "Asthey were coming home, when David returned...the women cameout of all Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul, withtimbrels, with songs of joy, and with instruments of music, (5) ; "Youshall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, andgladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to

go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel."(6);"Onecannot easily overestimate the importance of temple worship for
Judaism.. .. Three times a year they were expected to go thither toattend the great annual festivals. Those 'were seasons of great joy
and festivity. On the given day the cry of the watchmen rang out,''
Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Yahweh our God! (Jer. 31 :6),

and the bands of pilgrims came from all directions. They were
happy throngs, marching to the sound of the pipe (Isa. 30:29) andoften singing as they went. We still have in our Psalter a charmingcollection of Pilgrim songs (Psalms 120-134), which had originallynot been written for pilgrimages but which were used by thepilgrims on their march. . . A solo voice begins, clear and strong,"If it had not been for Yaweh who was on our side. "This was taken up and repeated by the whole chorus ("Let Israel
now say")"If it had not been for Yaweh who was on our side,

when men rose up against us;
Then they had swallowed us up alive,-4-

when their wrath was kindled against us:"The memory of dire national peril lives in this song, but also the joyover God's help," (7) ; In his chapter on the Psalms Bewer points outthat "The whoie range of human life, its joy and its woe, its lightand its shadow and its daily routine, is treated in the Psalter."(8)The exuberancy and elated joy of Psalm 150 shows tts how different

were the worship services in those days, and helps us understandthe people who find the church services of today so boring and'uninspiring' !.
"Praise him with trumpet sound ;praise him with lute and harp!.

Praise him with timbrel and dance
praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals!
praise him with loud clashing cymbals ;"As cultures became more restrained and conventional throughthe passage of the centuries, somehow the spontaneous expression of

joy came to be frowned upon, and finally almost disppeared completely, both in institutional and individual life styles. There is no

reason for not supposing that the present emphasis upon the expe-

rience of joyand fantasy is long overdue. As man rebels at theformal rigidities of both religious and secular institutions and life

styles, he is going about the creating of what many critics believe

are authentic and beautiful forms of expression. Appraisals of the
new forms are affirmative and even enthusiastic: "An Italian groupcalled The Berets began to translate part of the liturgy lyrically andmusically into a form that would not only provide spiritual therapy

for themselves but would also be attractive to young people every--5-

where. .. It should be edifying to the Establishment to find such an

expression of faith coming from young people themselves. All over
the world adults have been busy clutching their vested interests
while viewing with alarm what they consider to be a lack of concern

with spiritual and moral values by the new generation. What adults

seem determined not to understand is that the young are trying
desperately to find new ways of expression which relate to theirown lives. With pop music has come a new spirit which proclaims
the imperative for peace, the end of violence, freedom for all people

and a struggle against injttstice... Says Mr. Pitts:"WhenI firstheard the Messa de la Pace I'
was immediately impressed with thebeauty of the settings and yet the simultaneous primitiveness of thespiritual longing present in the rock rythms and sounds" .

". .. And he is coming again in allglory
To judge the world and all men
from the beginning
His Kingdom of Perfect Love will
never end.
I believe there is a Holy Spirit

Who lives in everyone if we let

Him inWho is the same God as the Father

and the Son
And I believe in the One and Holy Church
Made up of men who live the
Resurrection
Which brings to all believing men
eternal life." (iO)

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The same can be said of some of some of the fine music being
produced by young people in the United States, where "Pop Festivals"

have become the thing. The first, attended by 450 thousand young

people, was held in Woodstock New York in the summer of 1969.
An observer comments : "There is something new under the sun-underthe moon too for that matter. It's called "Pop Festival". It burst

like a sky rocket upon this country in August (1969) when 450,OOO
people crowded Woodstock. . . The old landmarks of musical, theolo-

gical, and pthical certainty aren't quite the same now...What will

the new outlook be? A new vision of man and community growing
out of the youth subculture today. .. What is the meaning of the nevv'

experience of sight and sound, this pop festival phenompnon? I am

not sure we really know. But the dialogue must begin. Let me
make two points. First rock music appears to be not a passing fadbut a new musical idiom of depth. Second there are analogues inthe biblical (literature) tradition to the contemporary rock experience."(11)

While I was in the United States, 1969-70, I found many innovations in the form of youth services, one of which I shall describe.

This was at the First Presbyterian Church in Pasaedna, California.
Between the sanctuary and the Christian Education building there isa patio. At the morning service persons who expected to come tothe evening youth program were requested to bring a flower-just a

flower. When I arrived at the church in the evening people were
singing in the patio with guitar accompaniment. We then formed aprocession and walked in to the sanctuary placing our flowers on thecollection plates which were ready as we came into the church. The

young people who were leading the service sat cross-Iegged on the-7-platform-a couple of them playing guitars. There were pretty lighting

effects centered in the background. We were given rubber balloons

and we were told to blow them up and sail them whenever we felt
like it. After a scripture reading we were invited to come forward
and receive a flower and candy which had been placed on the offeringtable. Then when we sang "I Am The Lord of the Dance", the young
people began to skip and joining hands came to each row and had theaudience join them in the singing and dance up the aisles of the
sanctuary. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the festive occasion as

did I. Youth services are much more joyful than they used to bewhen they were limited to discussions!
There is no little interest in Play on the part of serious theolog-

ians. Professor Neale who teaches Psychiatry and Religion at Union

Theological Seminary in New York City has written "In Praise of
Play: Toward A Psychology of Religion." (i2) Tom Driver who alsoteaches at Union (Theology and Religion) reviews it and says in part:"Neale praises play in two fundamental respects : first, by telling us

what it expresses of psychological wholeness; second by declaring it

to be the fullest manifestation of genuine religion. According to
Neale, play is the result of harmony between the two basic psycho-

logical needs of man:the need for the discharge of energy and theneed for design. Most of the time these two desires are out ofbalance. The self is then in conflict, and whatever it does is work,

if not a perversion of play. Sometimes, however, the two needs are

in harmony, both being met at once. The result is play...The
second major contribution 'Neale makes to the praise of play is The
assertion that play is 'the proper expression of religion. I take thisto be a very important insight, a healthy corrective to the tendency-8-

of religious people to turn their worship and faith into matters ofhigh seriousness, a tendency by which they corrupt the authentic
character of faith and its encounter with the Holy...I have barely
begun to scratch the surface of this book,' which has many exciting
implications for modern culture, religion, and theology. It takes its

place in a growing body of literature which begins now to beckon
us toward realms of consciousness that have largely been excluded

from modern experience. We have come to the end of the "modernera" and have entered into a new one, for which as yet we have noname but "contemporary". One of its characteristics is that it finds

in immediate experience deep grounds. for hope, joy, and ecstasy,
while at the same time it is not blind to the perils that increaseabout us. It is aware, as the "modern period" was not, that religion

is openness to experience. We are being called to take ourselves
less seriously than before, yet to experience ourselves and our world

more fully than we have recently done. Professor Neale suggeststhat in the recovery of a high estimation of what it is we are doing

when we play we may be ready to discover surprises in existencethat point us beyond the profane toward the sacred. Without thisquality, Christianity becomes a deadly form that makes its participants dull and obscures the radiance of the divine." (i3) This is exactly

what is involved in the life of the church today. Other theologians

are realizing it and writing about it. For one, Harvey Cox of the
School of Theology at Harvard University, .who has written a bookcalled "The Feast Of Feols. (i4) Of it he says: "The Feast Of Fools"

is normative theology of culture. It criticizes the catastrophic
decline of festivity and fantasy in a civilization that has enthroned

production, performance, growth, competition and instrumental'-9-values. It represents a kind of "catholic" input into my system fromsuch diverse sources as Corita Kent, a summer in Mexico studying
folk Catholicism, Johann Huizinga, the Esalen thing, Ivan Illich andprimitive religion....Religion began in the same crucible withtheater, dance, mime and contest. The only reason that calling
theology "play" seems insulting to us is that our culture has wrofigly

assigned play such a low place. But in this respect we are very

ProvinciaL"(i5) . .
In a review of Cox's book James Mc Graw has this to say:"Thetitle of the book derives from a medieval celebration of the same
name, during which both church and secular rituals and leaders were

playfully mocked and parodied. Such parodies were never popularwith those in authority; they were constantly condemned and criti-

cized until eventually the Feast of Fools disappeared. The churchbegan to take itself much too seriously for that kind of nonsense,
became inextricably woven into the social and political fabric, andbegan to justify, rationalize, and bless national power plays. No

place for jesters in pulpit or pew when you are engaged in thatkind of serious business. Harvey Cox insists that the church reallylost something when the Feast of Fools disappeared. Festivity andfantasy are vitally important to man's total being, but current
festivities and rituals have become functional and compulsory rather
than celebrative. .. Cox makes a good case for the place of festivity

in church, society, and politics..."The festive spirit," says Cox,

"knows how to toast the future, drink the wine, and break the cup.
They all belong together.'' (i6)Another profound interpreter is the theologian Langdon Gilkey

who has written "Naming The Whirlwind: The Renewal Of God-10-

Language." (i7) Tom Driver who reviews it has spotted the references

to joy, and finds Gillkey too pessimistic: "The reader begins towonder if there is any joy in Mudville. Or does Mighty Casey always
strike out, then manage to carry on anyhow, even get a little hope?

A few pages later the term "joy" appears, but even then you can't
feel the emotion. In fact, the absence of feeling seems to be Gilkey's
point' : ". . . secularism leaves significant and real areas of experience

ignored. The deep sources of joy and serenity in kife...are unthe-

matized and uncelebrated" (page305)...I cannot imagine where
Gilkey got such a notion (has he never heard of the Beatles) unless,of course, he is a modern and not a contemporary. In "modernism"joys tended to be muted, for that was an angst-ridden desperate
culture, shoring fragments against its ruin. I.ts back was to thewall, and for it ultimacy did tend to appear,if at all, in corners, on
crevices, and at the edge of bottomless voids. The miracle of contemporary culture is that it has learned to feel, express, and celebrate

joy while remaining as secular as its predecessor. You have only tolisten to the music of the age (soul as well as rock) to discern this.
It is a playful age (while being also serious and revolutionary), andI suggest that its play is not just "escapive" but it is close to thecenter of its experience. " (i8)These exciting, timely books help us to begin to think abottt ourexperience of the past and present in a new way, and we are able
to feel the new future breaking into our midst. Granted that now,
if not all, most concerned persons are urging upon us more adequate
ways of experiencing joy in our churches, and in our culture, it iseven more to the point to take alook at what is actually being done.

We have already mentioned Youth Worship services. Many do find-11-

worhip and joy through forms which have not changed for centuries.

There are others who reject the old forms and welcome change.
Asian and African Christians are frustrated by imposed forms ofworship which do not accord with their culture. I have been toldthat drums were not permitted ln African worship. This must havebeen a great sollrce of frustration, if the Expo '70 African dancing
and drums are as great a source of joy to the people as they seemed

to be to those participants. New musical forms based on national

forms are now being created and used in most of the younger'

churches. •Document V of the Fourth Assembly of the World Council ofChurches which met in Uppsala, Sweden, July, 1968 was "Worship
In A Secular Age".. Harold E. Fey reports on it: "Continuity inworship is found in Jesus Christ and Christian worship worship inevery age, culture and situation is always "through Jesus Christ ourLord". Since we ask for and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, thegiver of new life, "old forms can suddenly come alive in unexpected

ways and new forms can emerge. From its Jewish historical setting

and the synagogues, the Church began with elements adapted fromthat heritage. It has used art, drama, and bodily postures, gifts ofpoets, and composers, to reach the depths of man's being to bring
him to know God and his Son. Christian worship should be related
to culture to help persons be truly Christian and truly persons of
their own culture." (i9) Though this has been understood, generally, it

is a wonder that, thought the Fine Arts have always contributed sogreatly to the air of joy and festivity in the Christian Church
through the centuries, there is no greater use of them in the averagechurch, though for some time it has been the concern and the work-12-

of the Church at administrative levels. One of my friends has been

the Secretary of Fine Arts for the Commission On Ecumenical
Mission and Relations for some time until her her retirement in June.

In a recent letter she writes (June 15, 1970):"It is entirely appropriate that a pioneer Christian voice speaking about arts and religion

from a world perspective should come from Mexico and that it should

be strenthened by close proximity to a theolgical seminary thatis already interdenominational and rapidly becoming international.

One of the convictions I brought back from Latin America is theurgent need for serious theological thinking on the relation between

the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the arts, not only contemporary
expressions but also those from earlier civilizations. Some groping
toward the light is going on but unless every part of the ecumenical
Christian world contributes significantly, we shall not come up withanything that can satisfy the yottnger generation in every country
who must take over from us in a world that is hanging in space.
Mr. Kennan spoke about an entity with an organizational personality.

There can be no valid expression in ecumenical circles uuless eachregional or national assembly of artists has an organizational personality

and is able to articulate clearly. This is where you come in. There
are Christian artists and architects, musicians, poets and playwrights

in your part of the world and Christian educators, art critics andhistorians. There are also those artists and others who are notmembers of a church but who are clearly identified with whateverthings are "true-honorable-just-pure-lovely-gracious." How can their

voices be heard and examples of what they have created be experi-

enced by the rest of the world?In every country the way to get
together will be different and only those who are on the spot can-13-decide what form a cohesive group should take." (eo)Who in Japan will respond to the challenge Mrs. Carruthers haspresented for the future? Is it one of the obligations to which Christi-

ans are summoned today, in this new age-the "Contemporary". Muchcan be learned from those who have been pioneers in the field of theFine Arts and the Christian Gospel. In India the Rev. Darius Lee

Swann and Mrs. Swann have initiated trainining in and wider useof drama and the classical Indian dance forms in evangelism, Here in
Japan there has been a special contribution in almost every field of

the Fine Arts; The Hanayanagi Dance Group has made very beautiful

and creative use of classical Japanese dance forms in producing
Christian interpretive dances; An Osaka pastor, Mr. Nishihara of the

Shimanouchi Church, was so impressed with what be saw being
done with Christian Drama in the United States that he has intro

duced a drama program in his church. Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin,

former President of Union Seminary in New York City said hebelieved that dramatic performances had equal power to the sermon
in creating spiritual experience. Many churches have used classicalftower arrangements effectively to bring joy in worship services, andsymbolic flower arrangement with Christian motifs have also beenused. Both Christian, and non-Christian choral groups are enjoying

the rich musical heirtage of the Christian Church; There has also
been a great interest in organ music, and NHK has a regular programof organ music which has featured splendid progams of the musicof Bach and other Christian musicians with commentary. All theseart forms have a great potential that has hardly been tapped by the

local churches and lay people. One hopes that there will be much

more openness to experimenting with these and other branches of-14-

the Fine Arts for they havealwaysno contributed to theof joy insecular life.

both Christian and-15-

experlenceBibliography
In Praise Of Joy'

The Fine Arts And The Christian Gospel
L McLuhan, Marshall, Understanding Media: The Extensions Of Man,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 19642.
2.

Ibid p. 241.

3.

Rubenstein,"Job And Auschwitz",'Richard L.,

Union Seminary Quarterly Review,Vol. XXV, No, 4, Summer, 1970, p 436.

4.

Childs, Marquis,"Washington Calling",
Mainichi Daily News, Aug. 25, 1970.

5.

The OldTestament, I Samuel 18:6.

6.

Ibid, Isaiah 30:29.

7.

Bewer, Julius,

The Literature Of the Old Testament,

Columbia University Press, New York, 1947,

p 347.
8.

Ibid, p 340.

9.

The Old Testament, Psalm 150.

10.

Moore, Trevor"Sardinian Hippsters"
Wyatt,

11.

Christian Century, May 13, 1970, p 608'9.

Editorial, Christian Century, Oct. 15, 1969,
Evans, J. Claude,p. 130312.

]NTeale, RobertIn
E.Praise of PIay : Toward A Psychology of

Religion. Harper and Row, New York, 1969,
187 pp.

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13.

Driver, Tom,

"Major Book Reviews,,
Union Seminary Quarterly Review, Vol. XXV.
No. 4, 1970

14.

Cox, Harvey,

The Feast Of Fools,.
Harvard University Press.

15.

Cox, Harvey,"Tired Images Transcended",
Christian Century, April 1, 1970.

16.

McGraw, James,"Major Book Reviews"-The Feast Of Foods,

Harvey Cox. Union Seminary Quarterly
Review, Vol. XXV, No. 2, Winter.

IZ Gilkey, Langdon,

Naming The Whirlwind: The Renewal Of God
Language, Bobbs Merrill, Indianapolis-New
York, 1969.

18.

Driver, Tom,

"Major Book Reviews"-Naming The Whirlwin-d.i. Langdon Gilke Union Seminary
Quarterlly Review, Vol. XXV, No. 3, 1970

19.

Fey, Harold,

Life: New Style,

A Forward iMovement Minature Book, p 91.
20.

Carruthers, Jeanne,

Consultant in the Arts,

Federated Theological Seminaries of Mexico
From a letter dated June 15, 1970.

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