A very good reason of the quick expansion of the earch church is the perperct message and its universality. Examples can be seen below.

Acts 13:47-48Paul and Barnabas' preach: For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.(The message was received by Gentile)

15:8Peter's preach:God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.(The message about Holy Spirit delighted people because it would reach universally without biase.)

15:19-20 Jame's preach: It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.(The gospel is made easier for gentiles to obey)

16:5-6 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.(The message is obeyable and the number of people who got salvation increased.)

17:16 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.(Paul reached the Greek, targeting people who are idol-worshiping and considering themselves philosophers.)

According to the examples from Acts, the Gospel message is widely-inclusive and made for people to obey and the most importantly, targets for both Jews and Gentiles including Greeks, Samaritan and some others.

Autonomous = Preposterous?

Can images be made that don’t express any values? Can the artist remove their own values from their art making process? Can an artist make religious artwork that does not express some type of value about that very religion? Can artwork be autonomous? How does an artist do this?


Well, i always think that nothing can be created without meaning. Images cannot be without meaning, let alone images created by artists. It's like man is created either man or woman (or sometimes neutral if sombebody wants to...at most 3 choices.)Images are too. foley_samantha mentioned in the former posts that "the only way that an artist would have artwork that is autonomous would be with photography."But I think even the photography has to be with  meaning as long as it's created. Taking picture of the same scene, different artists will come up with different pictures with distinguished angel and stress on different things. All kinds of value are exhibited in the created works, telling audience which is considered important, whether in a tangible way or intangible way~

Additionally, however, we presume that images themselves are without any value. The audience, who have to see and interprete and fulfil the prosedure of vision, are people with certain values. Thus the result of seeing is to add value to the certain artwork.

Rhema, I AM BACK

Lying on the sofa of Mom Jenn's house, praying in Lord's name and chatting with Melody about God and all kinds of stuff. It's just felt like home here in the student housing of Rhema, where the name of Almighty is easily seen around and gospel music are easily heard through the window, where people are from around the globe, up from Norway Sweden, down from Columbia, Brazil, and passionate and love-driven and devoted to the Lord, where church service is with life and passion and very importantly, spirit-driven. Here I am again, Broken Arrow. Here I am again, Rhema.

It's quite worth hours' drive and an overnight stay in an unkown town and 5 hours flying in smallest size planes and the the most valubally, the 6 days' stay in the tourists-unfamous town.

All thankful for Yoram and Jordan who welcomed me and drove me and found me free accomondation to stay. Thank God for Mom Jenn and Melody who accepted me and Yina travelling with me. Thank God for everything, without whom all these seemed impossible. God is good, all the time! Last night party was wonderful. It reminded me of Friday fun night when I was in freshman year when I know nothing about God, the Almighty. It's just that amazing that now I, as a child of Him, enjoyed the other fun night with Christian fellows, in another country, but doing the same thing as years ago.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.(Ephesians 2:8-9)

Hallejah! Glory to God! Time to sleep and expect great time tomorrow.

Art is a Joke

"Exit Through The Gift Shop" - Official Trailer [HD]

Play Piano Lessons: The INGENIOUS new way to learn Piano & Keyboard chords

Who makes the rules? Who breaks the rules? On "piss christ" by Andres Serrano

The first glimpse of the artwork has actually made no difference to me compared with other works.It's no more than a blur picture of Christian icon until I got to know what has been used to create the blurry. I admit that the material is really "creative" but I can only accept it as another blizzard piece of art and no more other situation can make me accept it, but the explanation soothes me by saying "it is what people have done to Christ."

The art itself without explanation of the author is tricky. It can, on one hand, be advocating and defending, and on the hand, be explained as opposing. There might be no right or wrong. From the same artwork, different people will generate different conclusions and sometimes opposite conclusions. Frequently, even the artist himself doesn't have the final say for its real meaning. That might be the interesting characteristics of art, the privilege it's enjoying. 

Simulacra

http://www.freeweb.hu/tarrdaniel/documents/Transzhumanizmus/simulacra.htm

Something from him and Him

因为肉体是走向败坏的
自然就灭亡
永生
很多人不明白他的意思
神就给我一个比喻
他说
当你接受耶稣的时候我就给你一块田
你一生的年数就是耕种的期限
你可以收获这一切在今生富足 且预备其中的粮食在永生的生命中
但是
在这以外播种的都不能进入天国
只有他是合法的
就像国家说了算一样
更详细的说
我们不是欠着肉体的债
向肉体活着
我们是欠着圣灵的债向神活着
所以神会收取田里出产的分给那些 新来的人
这就是我们献的爱心
但天上有更大的赏赐
因为地土是神的
对吗？
其实后面的意思就是
你在圣灵里
必须
这是我们欠神的债
因为神先爱了我们
神爱世人甚至将他的独生子赐给我们，叫一切信他的不至灭亡反得永生。
所以我们常常觉得宝贵的要付出
神为什么这么要求我们
因为我们有圣灵
有永生的产业所以要这样
不光吧爱心献给主内的还是世界的
神不是在利未记 申命记中说
恩
收葡萄庄家都不能收尽
要留给贫穷的嘛？
所以
神吧
我们圣灵内发出的一切美好称为果子
只有在这土地中才孕育的出
并且是叫众人品尝的初熟的果子
首先要怎么样
爱神
敬畏他
所以十分之一要缴纳给神
并且是最好最美的那部分
亲爱的
我说完了
这是罗马书的肉体和永生的理解

The Annunciation From the National Gallary

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/fra-filippo-lippi-the-annunciation

When we see, is it the outside world coming to us, or us going out to the outside world?

The Annunciation

about 1450-3, Fra Filippo Lippi

This painting is part of the group: Medici (Overdoor?) Panels

View the group of paintings

Explore the paintings

Go to Artist A-Z

This panel, together with the 'Seven Saints' by the same artist, was bought in the 19th century from the Medici Palace in Florence. Obviously a pair, although not necessarily designed to be viewed together, the pictures were probably once set into furniture (perhaps as bedheads, or more likely, overdoors). 

They were almost certainly commissioned by a member of the Medici family, since the Medici device of feathers in a diamond ring is shown below the urn of lilies in the 'Annunciation' panel. This may have been commissioned to celebrate the birth of Lorenzo the Magnificent in 1449. 

The 'Seven Saints' panel represents male members of the Medici family. These same seven saints appear in an altarpiece for the Medici by Baldovinetti. 

Paolo Uccello's 'Battle of San Romano', also in the Collection, came from the same Medici palac

On the Painting the Holy Virgin Mary by Chris Offili---something added

What is profane? What is the standard? It is always a question. The standard of human being is always changing, including the mores and rules. That's one of the reasons why religion stands firm and is of great need. Bible-----the words of GOD, the origin of standards by which man should live----never change year after year. What changes is the interpretation of the words in which lies the standard. It's just like the amendments of American Constitution which is followed by amendments several other years with more detailed or different interpretation of the original.

Another question coming from the painting is what art is. Lots of my friends always jokes around art----something that you don’t know what it is or the purpose of it or something you cannot give a good reason for its being like that, you can always offer a good excuse by calling it art, like a rock lying on the ground, piles of messy paper, or even, piles of dung that is not specially shaped, like dirty things being worshiped and unorganized being considered beauty. Most of the time, anything placed in the museum, whether decent or indelicate, can be called art and the only reason you don’t find it appreciable or beautiful is that you lack the knowledge or you are not of good taste. For example, a nude appearing in the museum, like the famous David (Michelangelo), is art; however, unfairly, a naked showing up on the street or the subway, no matter how beautiful he poses himself, will be considered obscene (at least in China) and may be brought away by police and end up in detention under the name of “destroying the harmonious society”. Both images are on actually on display in the public and it’s very likely that both of them are eye-catching and will be stared at for long. The essence and nature, as far as I can see, makes no difference, but people react different. So I am thinking what conclusion can be drawn from the phenomenon: is art challenging the tradition or people have conscience of the standard of what to appreciate or not. In reality of cultural development, another interesting thing is a new term coined by people---Action Art of Performance Art----to comfort those on display but sometimes ignored being art.

Come back to the topic of art and religion. When art meets religion, whether the standard also the essence of art will be limited to fit in the religious standard? Does art have to record history? If art tries to record history, is it involuntarily turned into documentary rather than art? As I've touched in class, again, is Chris Offili' s Holy Virgin Mary still the Virgin Mary or not? Is the figure still the figure it should be when it's re-presented or dismantled? Now the question becomes even more philosophic, is the thing remaining the same thing if copied, moved or re-interpreted?

Well…..after the lengthy words, questions are not answered yet. Last thing, to satisfy the teacher, I have to answer the question rather than raise more. Honestly, as a Christian myself, I am not insulted or offended at all by the elephant-dung painting. The reason is not because I like the artistic dung, the idea or the painting, but rather, in my simple brain, that’s exactly what I expect of art, to paraphrase, that’s what I think art will one day turn out to be although it sometimes should not be. And also as a Christian, I would like to remain open-minded for the challenge of common belief from all-aspects because that’s also what human beings tend to be.

Well....to conclude, I still come up with nothing. I don’t know. After thinking and pondering, my limited mind with limited wisdom and knowledge cannot figure out any answer. The more I think, the more questions I find out. Well, why not take a cup of coffee and take the common action of the majority---Just let it be. I don’t know...Since nobody agrees with each other on the standard...I simply don't know what better idea I can think of or what better change I can make. Just to make a good essay? Is that all the reason and purpose that I ponder upon these complicated issues? If the answer is yes, then let it be and I won’t say whether it is the art that is flourishing or corrupting or the mind of human being is prospering or declining....Just let it be…and someday, I will know, or my son will know, or my grandson, or great-grandson, or great-great-grandson, or great-great-great-great…..grandson will know, if they still get chance to be born into this complicated earth……