In a time when so many Christians consider a piece of dribble such as "The Shack" a wonderful piece of literature it did my heart and mind good to be there.


Baptizing The Imagination
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Presbyterian Church of Manchester, Ct.

A conference on "Christianity and the Imagination" was held at the Presbyterian Church of Manchester, Ct. on a recent Saturday much to my delight. The event ran from 8:30 am until 5 pm and since it was a 3 1/2 hour ride from Long Island I got up at 4am and hit the road at 5 am. Was it worth the early rise and the resulting lack of sleep, oh yes, absolutely yes. Although I wouldn't want to do it on a consistent basis.

The conference was sponsored by Christ Community Church, The Presbyterian Church of Coventry, The Presbyterian Church of Manchester, Backyard Shakespeare & The Edwards Institute in cooperation with "Touchstone Journal" & "Mars Hill Audio". Why does it seem that the Presbyterians seem to have to best grip on faith and art? The two speakers for the day were: Ken Myers of "Mars Hill Audio & "Touchstone Journal" And Dr. Matthew Dickerson a Tolkien scholar and professor teaching at Middlebury College in Vermont.

The morning opened with the "Old Hundredth Doxology" and a responsive reading of Psalm 104. the day was then broken into 6 lectures or sessions with Messrs Myers and Dickerson each leading a segment.The lecture topics were:
1 "Christianity and the Importance of Art and the Imagination"
2 "Imagination and Modern Culture'
3 "From Beorn the Were-Bear to Aragorn the Healer: The Pagan Imagination and the Christian Imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien
4 "Creativity and the Human Mind: Are Humans More Than Computers"
5 "Imagination and Everyday Life"
6 "A Mars Hill Style Interview with Mr. Myers questioning Dr. Dickerson.
There was also an audience inclusive Q&A session at the conclusion of the lectures.

An hour long lunch break between segments 3 and 4 was followed by a musical interlude in Middle English presented by a female trio who by the way sounded extraordinary.

The segments were not only inspiring, they were informative without going over the heads of the various audience members. Although due to the nature of the conference I tend to suspect that the audience could handle it. Both Mr. Myers and Dr. Dickerson were able and well qualified to speak and teach on the conference subject.

In a time when so many Christians consider a piece of dribble such as "The Shack" a wonderful piece of literature it did my heart and mind good to be there. Hearing these two men was like a breath of fresh air on a hot arid day. To me at least it was a perfect day. The only thing that could have made it better would have been the inclusion of Stephen Lawhead on the panel. But that is only my opinion.

To find out more about the various speakers and sponsors check out these web sites:
www.EdwardsInstitute.com
www.MarsHillAudio.com
www.TouchstoneMagazine.com

A fine time was had by all, lets do it again next year!!!
Chris MacIntosh aka Grandfather Rock

{module Possibly Related Articles - Also search our Legacy Site}