DISQUS

Amy Lee Kemp · 2 months ago

Is there a place for “dark” art in Christendom? Sure, in the context that the darkness reveals the light of Christ. ;) I'm not a fan of Halloween at all, I guess I'm like you use to be. I despise fear! However I'm going Saturday to the Hell House with a group of 40, some are young kids, and some of older kids. Have you ever been to a Hell house? It basically takes you through accidents, life choices, and shows you what it would be like to die without Christ. Then it takes you through what it would be like to choose Christ. I don't need to be scared, I'm already convinced, just going for moral support. :) Every year is different, last year they required you to get into a coffin, NO thanks! My sis said it was really hot and you could hear screaming. The fear of God, is great for those who don't know Him. However my sis said her favorite part was when the coffin opened and a bright light came forth and an angel lead them to the throne of God. Many kids give their hearts to the Lord every year. Here's my Halloween experience. What about you??

Randy · 2 months ago

Sure, in the context that the darkness reveals the light of Christ.

Well what about the darkness that doesn't reveal the light of Christ? Isn't it biblical that there will be a prevailing darkness that carries many outside of the presence of Christ's light for eternity?

Do we have a reason to warn of that evil? ... to expose it for what it is? I am not saying to not point to Christ at all times but I see Christian after Christian who refuse to acknowledge the true nature of darkness and evil outside of slogans and cartoon characters. I have a friend who is going through a hellacious season in his drawings. DARK DARK stuff and yes he is having to process that information with godly counsel but he keeps wanting to go back to the drawings and bring some redemptive element to them and I keep questioning ... why? Let the picture stand. SURE do a follow up to it that continues the story but sometimes some snapshots reflect a very dark reality worth considering and discussing.

I am not arguing ... just pondering :).

I have been to a Hell House. Two of them actually ... in Texas. I haven't heard of one here in the Florida area but I don't know that I would go to one again. I don't need my PTSD triggered at a secular or Christian hell house :). I don't do live jumping up, screaming and confining me type of things well :).

I don't usually do anything but write silly posts and watch movies or go to dinner with friends on Halloween... OH and talk about stuff like this :).

donbeeson · 2 months ago

Talking about Halloween. The Newsboys and Seven Day Slumber are going to be doing a concert at our county fairgrounds on Halloween. I'm definitely considering going to that. For some reason, The Newsboys like Tucson and come quite often. Last year they did a free concert and traffic backed up on the freeway for miles. The concert was delayed more than an hour to accommodate everyone coming. Six hundred people made decisions for Christ.

Amy Lee Kemp · 2 months ago

Maybe your friend wants to go back to the drawing for understanding. Our words (expressive drawing) reflects our thought life. Maybe this is just a healing time for your friend or it could be Satan wanting to keep your friend locked in his past. I'll keep your friend in prayer and believe that God will shed light in his heart so he can move forward.

p.s. I don't think your new blog look is Halloween at all, it's more of a fall feel to me. :)

donbeeson · 2 months ago

When I was a new believer, I would have nothing to do with Halloween. I wouldn't pass out candy. Then a few years later, I passed out candy with Halloween tracts. But looking back, I loved Halloween as a kid. I would get more excited about it than Christmas. One year I was so excited prior to going out that I ended up with an excruciating headache and missed Halloween :( As I have become more mature(I think I have) I see celebrating Halloween as a freedom in Christ issue. As long as it does not celebrate true evil or glorify Satan, I see it as something that each person must decided for himsef or herself.
Amy, I wish we had a Hell House. I have heard of them, but I have never been to one. I wish we had one. I would definitely go check it out. Here in Tucson, there is Old Tucson movie studios, where many movies and tv shows have been filmed. Each year, they turn the studios into a Halloween themed event for about a month. They have some great effects. I have to admit it is a lot of fun :)

Randy · 2 months ago

Yeah, that's where I have ended up Don. It's a "personal conviction" issue. I know Christians who forbid any acknowledgement of it and some who let their kids dress up in positive or biblical costumes but they all agree that the pagan history and in some cases current rituals, should be renounced and that kids should be taught the proper way to view the meaning of that day. For some of my friends who are parents, they have done a fantastic job of teaching their kids the meaning of being light in darkness and combatting evil by talking about what Halloween is and what they do instead.

B.T.Carolus · 2 months ago

I like Halloween. Because I like to dress up: always have, always will. And Halloween is of course the only excuse adults have for doing so.

Dark Art: Heironymous Bosch, Dante's Inferno, Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Triumph of Death, The Screwtape Letters (?).

Randy · 2 months ago

...Halloween is of course the only excuse adults have for doing so.

That's true but it would be fun to think of other reasons to do so. Masquerade ball? ... themed parties? That could be a lot of fun.

Very good examples of dark art. I also like the demon baby in Gibsons "The Passion." Do you remember that scene? Gives me chills to think of it ... scared the crap out of me. Also, there was a horror flick called "Event Horizon" that literally scared the hell out of me. I don't know why I watched it but I am almost 100% convinced that the literal "Hell" is a black hole at the point of the singularity where all the laws of physics give way to the absolute definition of chaos.

I recommend seeing the Passion (full of dark dark imagery but leads to the resurrection) but I do not recommend seeing Event Horizon... Just take my word for it.

B.T.Carolus · 2 months ago

I didn't see the Passion, and will not see Event Horizon. I do not take scary/gory stuff that well. In small doses, it's ok, but a whole movie worth will make me have bad dreams (or not sleep at all). Personally, I love CS Lewis's picture of hell in "The Great Divorce" just a big boring grey city where everybody is miserable. Forever.

It would be fun to have some sort of themed party with dressing up involved. If we lived close to each other, I would totally want to host one with you. :)

Randy · 2 months ago

AWESOME... Yes! I have a drawing that was inspired by the movie Constantine and part of it is my little abstract rendition of hell based on Lewis' description in "The Great Divorce." NOT kidding... if I can find the .jpg of it I will put it up.

I thought about trying to organize one of those online meetup type of thing with all my friends at some point. Not that I am any big deal but ... a lot of my online friends met through a bunch of my online shenanigans and I think we could pull it off somehow... Maybe next year around the time we are all in Southern California for the freedom conference? I am planning on staying longer for vacation....

Hmmmm... you wanna help plan something :)?

B.T.Carolus · 2 months ago

That drawing sounds cool. I hope you find the file, because I want to see it. Also, did you ever put your blog post from when you published "Body Art" on Boundless onto this blog? Cheryl and I had a good conversation going on that one.

Remind me, are the conferences in the spring, or the fall? Because by fall I'll probably (crossing fingers) be at a grad school in a non-Californian environ.

Randy · 2 months ago

I look for both the picture and the old post. It isn't currently up but I have the back up of the original blog to pull from. I can't remember, did you both have the conversation in the comments on that post or privately? It might be a trick to install the comments too. I can try :). But not tonight. I am pooped.

B.T.Carolus · 2 months ago

It was in the comments. They may be stored in Disqus? I don't remember. I think that was pretty much where Cheryl and I met.

B.T.Carolus · 2 months ago