Small Group Breakout Sessions - "Joy Through the Arts"

4:00-5:15 pm, Sept 15, 2007

Declaring the Gospel (and when necessary using words) – Byron Spradlin

This session will focus on three elements: a Biblical reminder of what the Gospel is; the Biblical view of the artist in human community; and the responsibility of each believer to develop a lifestyle of companionship with God. A special interview segment will be held with artist and pastor, Joe Castillo.

           

Joseph Pearce: My Quest for Joy – moderated by Stan Mattson

An opportunity to hear first-hand the riveting personal testimony of Joseph’s journey from angry agnosticism to joyful Christian faith; from a radical activist, skinhead, and editor of two hate-filled, extremist magazines to the author of several critically acclaimed, best-selling biographies of great nineteenth- and twentieth-century Christian authors.

 

The Joyful Business of Songwriting and Recording – Ron Jagger and Jeff Kepple.

Music producer/engineer Ron Jagger and singer/songwriter Jeff Kepple will host a question and answer breakout session on the Joys (and Sorrows) of Songwriting and Recording.  With an emphasis on the realities of working as independent artist and producer/engineer, Jeff and Ron will share from their experiences to help light the path for those who might find themselves in similar callings, and to increase understanding for those who are simply curious.

 

Storytelling: The Oral Tradition – with David Sawyer

Whether it be by bedsides, campfires, or the shores of Galilee, we have always used stories to find comfort, entertainment, and truth. This workshop, led by veteran teachers Cindy Lovell and David Sawyer, will be a hands-on exploration of the power and potential of storytelling. The emphasis will be on stories for our lives, and not merely stories as a diversion for children. 

David Sawyer originally set his sights on working for the National Park Service so he could be one of those storytellers in the wide-brim hats. Twenty-seven years and three degrees later, David is now the head of the English department at Brentwood Academy. He doesn’t wear the big hat, but he still tells the stories.

 

Finally Finding Joy: Till We Have Faces – with Andrew Lazo

Many Lewis scholars contend, and many other readers agree, that Till We Have Faces is his greatest fictional work.   However, the novel is often confusing to readers because it is so different.  This session will provide some keys to unlocking this work and seeing how it best demonstrates Lewis’ central message of the Joy to be discovered in the love of God.

“Joy and Desire in Postmodernity” – with Aaron Simmons and John Simmons

In this session we will wrestle with the question of whether Christianity and Postmodernism are compatible with each other.  Working with the hypothesis that a Christian Postmodernism is possible, we will focus specifically on dimensions of Postmodernity that resonate with the work of C.S. Lewis: namely, joy, desire, and creative subjectivity.  By looking at philosophy, literature, and art, the session will foster a discussion on what Lewis might say regarding the promises of, and problems faced by, contemporary culture.

J. Aaron Simmons (Ph.D. Vanderbilt), is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Hendrix College.  Simmons works primarily at the intersection of contemporary continental philosophy of religion and political philosophy.  Simmons has been on faculty at Vanderbilt University and The University of the South (Sewanee) and his publications include articles in such professional journals as Symposium, Philosophy Today, The Journal of Religious Ethics, The Journal of Cultural and Religious Theory, and Soundings.  He is currently finishing a co-edited volume (with David Wood) on Levinas and Kierkegaard, a book (with Beth Conklin) on Evangelical Environmentalism, and also a manuscript on Deconstructive Politics.

John Simmons (M.A. Louisiana State University), is an Assistant Professor of Art at Lee University.  In addition to his academic work in Art History (primarily specializing in the art of the Northern Renaissance – especially Albrecht Dürer), Simmons is an accomplished studio artist and works mainly in the mediums of oil and acrylic.  Simmons’s professional accomplishments include numerous awards as juried art shows, individual exhibits, and a summer fellowship with the National Endowment for the Humanities.  He is active in with Christians in the Visual Arts and for more than twenty years has organized the Nellie Bipper Festival of the Arts in Cleveland Tennessee (an annual festival that draws thousands of attendees every year).    

To register, please click here.