Can artists and churches learn from each other?
That’s what the series “The Artist in the Church: Observations for Christian Artists and the Churches That Love Them” hopes to promote at the Salvation Army’s 614 Corps’ ReCreate Café today and the next two Saturdays.
“Churches have had a love-hate relationship with art throughout the centuries,” said Tenika Dye, event coordinator for the ReCreate Café.
“Oftentimes, artists feel unwelcome in the church for various reasons,” she said. “Artists don’t always fit the mold, and they may be off-putting to the very religious. Instead of going through [a time of] understanding, artists just avoid the church.”
On the other hand, Dye said, “churches don’t know what to do with artists. They march to their own drumbeat. They have a different perspective. [Churches] are not overtly, blatantly malicious. They just don’t know what to do with [artists].”