Christian Artists Seminar
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Renaissance

Roughly two years ago (around 1984-1986) God started to speak to the leaders of CS/CA: a change is possible. If the situation mentioned above can be changed, this would create openings for the promised revival, for a new search for values and purpose. God turned our attention to the Renaissance. The Reformation was its direct consequence (as well as Christian humanism, e.g. Erasmus). Renaissance is the discovery that man, being created by God, has value, is unique, can be pictured dynamically, and received creativity from God. So Renaissance is a form of thinking and a way of expressing; the arts. The Reformation adds one sentence to this: man is also the object of God’s mercy. If we wish to have a new reformation, a revival, we have to work on the cultural landscape ( a way of thinking and a way of expressing; the arts) from the beginning - besides what we do already at the basis through (musical) evangelizing (like the immense impact of The Continentals in so many nations) - and start a Renaissance (a way of thinking and a way of expressing; the arts). This call for a Renaissance is a completely different message from the ‘negative art’ in present-day culture. Step by step God revealed to us a plan, until in the summer of 1986 all the pieces fell into place. In the subsequent months the plan left our prayer rooms and drawing boards and was put into practice. The ancient Renaissance started with a few people who discovered truth. The rest was a matter of communication to pass on this discovery. It was a slow process, so the rise of the Renaissance also was slow. However, nowadays communication is faster. That is why our organisation transformed all of the computer systems into international networks. Moreover, the annual Christian Artists Seminar started to function as a kind of generator and meeting point (now for all forms of art), to communicate the challenge for change. Here the key people of the following networks meet: festivals, publishers, mass-media, artists, activists, ministries, creative thinkers, etc. And the message that is communicated is one of Renaissance and Revival. The goal of the networks is to join the forces of all positive powers. The second step was to develop a strategy to change the direction of art, by empowering for the greatness of values. What this really means is that a new dominant factor, stronger than the one already existing, has to be created. This can only be done if a few Christian artists produce better and more beautiful art, dynamic and fantastic - better and more dynamic than the present-day avant-garde. Besides presenting another message the battle has to be won through the quality of the art; uniting with the battles over the minds by the concepts of a true society: values.