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Book Description
Whether you are an artist whose talents are an untapped source of energy for your church or a ministry leader wanting to involve artists and the creative arts in your outreach efforts, Outreach and the Artist will renew your vision. Musician and biblical scholar Con Campbell offers encouragement, wisdom, and practical tips for evangelism with, through, and to the arts:
Evangelism with the Arts – While the abilities of Christian artists may serve the church internally, artists within the church usually have enormous untapped potential for outreach.
Evangelism through the Arts – People’s natural love for various artistic mediums provides a connection-point to exploring life’s big questions with unbelievers in non-threatening and engaging ways.
Evangelism to the Arts – Christian artists are uniquely positioned to make an impact in artistic networks, which often have no Christian witness or presence and tend to be shut off from conventional methods of outreach.
Spreading the gospel is a task worth every God-given resource we have, and artists and their creative gifts are no exception.
My Thoughts
When I saw this book listed as an option to review, I couldn’t wait to read it! As an amateur artist trying to figure out how to use my God-given talents to further the Gospel, this book was a God send, and not a disappointment.
It’s a short book (116 pages) and an easy read.
The writer, Con, speaks from his personal experience as a jazz musician and minister. He shows how God brought him where he is today, successful in both areas. But he’s not bragging on himself.
He gives insight into the artist community, one that is commonly misunderstood.
The artists’ profiles were interesting too. They show how people in different genres within the artist community have dealt with being Christians in a secular arena. So you don’t only get Con’s point of view. I found them balancing to all the jazz talk! (I really like jazz, don’t get me wrong)
This would be a great resource for church leaders looking to reach an unreached people group right under their noses, and for the Christian artist trying to figure out where they fit.
God gave us the arts. He’s the best artist of them all after all. He creates, and since we’re made in the image of God, we’re creators too. We can, and should, use those talents to speak the Gospel.
Bragging on the Lord 