About SPOKE

Theology: An initial question that any organization must give an account for to others is what they believe and hope to achieve. Churches and para-church (we are neither) organizations are particularly expected to provide such information so that those who consider them can quickly determine “orthodoxy” (or what form thereof). This is all good and fair, but in many cases this involves providing something of a long checklist of beliefs that signal the relative doctrinal safety of any given group. And then various assumptions and expectations are piled on top of these.

The result is rote and often very boring. Perhaps it is just a necessary “evil” in an age ripe with competing voices and visions…but boring all the same.

SPOKE has its root in the Word and actions of the God who SPEAKS and has SPOKEN. It is in the divine LOGOS (Christ) that the world in which we have to do life has its being: its beginning, inherent patterning and ultimate consummation (upon closer examination and study of Col. I.13-II.15).

Christology: While it would surprise no one that we start with our view of Jesus of Nazareth (for all do), our insistence on not then “moving on” to other core topics may be unusual. At the risk of being a tad “preachy” we would hazard that Christ has been made all too “commemorative” than is reasonable or wise for a deity who is a risen and currently alive. Put plainly, this Jesus the Christ is extremely active right now. To treat Him otherwise must be disconcerting to Him to say the least. We should be somewhat embarrassed by this.

So, we start and stay with Christ because this is God’s stated intent. The early Christian hymn St. Paul uses in his letter to Colossae makes the supremacy of Christ obvious:

Christ is the visible image of the

invisible God.

He existed before anything was created

and is supreme over all creation

For through him God created everything

in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we see

and the things we cannot see

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers,

and authorities in the unseen world

Everything was created through him

and for him.

He existed before anything else,

and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church,

which is his body.

He is the beginning,

supreme all who rise from the dead.

So he is first in all things.

For God in all his fullness

was pleased to live in Christ,

and through him God reconciled

everything to himself.

He made peace with everything

in heaven and on earth

by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

(New Living Translation)

SPOKE began as a theological exploration and meditation on the beauty and supremacy of the Living One (http://www.spokeblog.wordpress.com) as well as providing practical help in biblical studies for laypeople (http://www.azotusbible.wordpress.com) .  The current expansion expresses the desire to do this in community (first in Portland) and to actively use the Arts (of every kind including written) to glorify God, speak Truth authentically in the world and to encourage each members fulfilling their Holy Spirit given callings and giftedness in Christ.

As far as the “checklist is concerned, we hold to every jot and tittle of The Apostles Creed without reserve or footnote.

Vision for Community:

God’s intentionality toward community comes from God’s own nature. Our current cultural models are always at war to some degree with Kingdom life. Or, perhaps, to put it more plainly, the Gospel is always, in every time and in every place, counter-cultural. As the name of sociologist Peter Berger’s book implies we are “Against the world” yet at the same time “For the world”.

So the SPOKE community naturally finds itself within a dominant cultural milieu with the usual creative task of authentic love and expression of “good news” (as well as some forays into revealing “bad news” aka “truth-telling”). Nowhere is this practical love, encouragement and seeking of peace more important than in our very midst. Thus we adopt an overtly non-competitive and non-ego driven model for this Arts community.

Practical love and service inform how we relate to one another, how we do art, and how it is presented.

The SPOKE Co-operative is just that. It claims no particular denomination but is open to all traditions. We encourage and promote all local area churches and ask that members of SPOKE be members of a local ekklesia (gathering or church).

Depth Pluralism:

While ”pluralism” is a dirty word to many, we suggest that it is so only in the context of Modernity (and perhaps what is in it’s wake). Reflecting back on this failed attempt to reduce (and the key word is “reductionism”) all great traditions and teachings to their lowest common denominator (ethics) then find some kind of vibrant core it seems sophomoric at best (yes, I just called Joseph Campbell sophomoric). Well intentioned as it may have been in some circles, it has bore little fruit and demands a sort of intellectual suicide that one suspects none of the traditions effected would sign off on for obvious reasons.

But surely there must be a way to be more inclusive. Christians are known not for their exclusive theological claims so much as how they cut and run from one another and schism over the most paltry of issues. We assert that one crucial reason for this is the loss of the CENTER (yes…”the falcon cannot hear the falconer…” etc).

A helpful image for SPOKE is a bicycle wheel. The Center or Hub is Christ the Living One to Whom every “spoke” of the wheel around the expansive rim is fastened. While it may be true that the ground someone on the other side of the wheel covers is not the same as what befalls me, we are nonetheless related and tightly affixed to the same Hub and Center. I also (grins) cannot say “I have no need of you”.

No, the fact is I need the other “spokes” to be strong and connected to the Center in order for me to gain any ground at all.

Thus, the SPOKE community may look terribly diverse, but the Center is Christ the Living One. We do not lose sight of that. Those who see it otherwise are utterly free to pursue their own method of transport.

Which brings up the issue of freedom.

Freedom From and Freedom To

Freedom is, of course, a huge biblical motif. Put plainly, God is about freeing us from the penalty of sin and the lostness which is all around us. But this is not just a negative freedom. It is a “freedom from” that results in a “freedom to”!

What are we free to do? To name a few things off hand, we are free to worship unabashedly, to serve others as the hands and feet of Christ to the world, free to forgive and bless others, free to pray, meditate and intercede. We are free to discover our natural giftedness and spiritual gifts (given by the Holy Spirit) and see them bear fruit as they are selflessly pursued for love’s sake. We are free to express some foreshadowings of our final consummation in Christ, or the reality of the world around us, both holy and profane, for the sake of truth-telling or fulfilling prophetic giftedness.

It is rare to meet a Christian who does not know the Christological hymn of Philippians II.6-11. They sometimes call it “kenosis” or just end up there in a Bible study, but it is heart-warming that so many should be so drawn to this challenge to empty ourselves like Christ has done.

Thus the question of freedom immediately brings up the question of unity (see footnote for additional sociological/philosophical refection on “freedom and alienation”).

Now we should read the hymn in that light starting with Paul’s statement in vv.5.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,

He did not think of equality with God

As something to cling to.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

He took the humble position of a slave

And was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,

He humbled himself in obedience to God

And died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore God elevated him to the

Place of highest honor

And gave him the name above all other names,

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth

and under the earth

and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father.

(New Living Translation)

Both of these early hymns employed by Paul will be on large display with accompanying art at SPOKE.

St. Paul’s pastoral heart is everywhere evident on the point of unity and mutual encouragement. Not a single letter he dictated, either personal or to a community, fails to address unity or warn against division. Yet this is what we often look like to the world: divisive children.

So what do we say to children when they fight? STOP.

So stop.

In its place (all realms abhor a vacuum) we have the freedom and means to fulfill our artistic gifts and vision in a community which is non-competitive and not ego-driven. More is written on this under “About Art”.

But again for the sake of brevity and clarity of vision: SPOKE is intended to be a co-operative facility where members have art space to work, store (safely) art and supplies and explore their artistic vision alongside others in an open and encouraging way. Classes, open forums and lecture/discussions will be normative. No gallery will exist as the art done at SPOKE needs to be out in the world. Guests are always welcome accompanied by artist/members to view works in progress.

SPOKE by nature is not meant to be exclusive or elistist. In fact, it is expected that those with greater means, notoriety or experience would be first to share what they can with new and young artists in a humble and nurturing way. The goal is never self-promotion (as art is in the world. See About Art), but expressions (in a loosely held way) of “Way, Truth and Life” as found in the creation that was SPOKEN in Christ, through Christ and for Christ.

Which brings up one last issue (longer discussion at About Art). The Fall.

No discussion of art, community, faith, and certainly not about Jesus Christ, can or should sidestep the issue of our collective lostness or the problem of evil. Thus, as in all centuries and in all places around the world, artists have been called upon to use their gifts to expose both evil and lostness. This is not exclusive to Christianity by any means, but the great wealth of art from centuries past are in one form or another depictions of some aspect of this. Thus, SPOKE artists will not always be shy in the expression of this, nor should they be. As Solzenitsyn so clearly stated in his Nobel Laureate address, “art can vanquish lies!”

Our hope is that this unmasking of human pretence is not always humorless. The picture of the boy pointing at the Emperor’s New Clothes is not without some hints of possible grace. As C.S. Lewis remarks about friendship and laughter that it can be the “” (FIND), so our offer of loving friendship can say “we may be laughing, but with you and only because we have taken you seriously.”

SPOKE Membership

A membership application by an artist or theologian (lay or professional) is meant primarily as a means of exploring how a person might best fit within the community, not as a preliminary means of exclusion. The goal is always inclusion. Thus applicants are encouraged to be as honest as possible, stretch out and not be shy. All applications are private and read only by our volunteer staff.

Cost:

“Count it”. No, just kidding…sort of. Some artists and theologians have means, others do not. Most, given the nature of what they are called to, do not have means. Nether does SPOKE (we have no grants, no underwriters or patrons yet). We have building and utilities costs, equipment needs and, at some very real and crucial point, administrative/legal costs to keep everyone on the outside happy and everything above board and transparent.

Phase 1: SPOKE leadership team.

Needed: Five people, who feel called to SPOKE, to act in concert with the director (Christopher “Mac” MacDonald) for planning, revising and implementing the core SPOKE vision. These five additional people will share many things in common (a love for God, a desire to serve, some knowledge of the Arts and Theology to name a few) and then unique gifts in various areas: business and finance, logistics and planning, facility procurement and maintenance, scheduling and simple administration.

The goal is to give whole areas to each person that are then reviewed by all with grace, good humor and in a creative way.