Faith in the Arts
Faith in the Arts
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A podcast about art and faith with Marlita Hill, Alastair Gordon and Jonny Mellor. How can we attend again to the relationship between Christianity and the arts? Can we fix broken bridges, re-examine sources of contention, explore new ways to co-exist for the flourishing of all? Join us to find out.
Available episodes
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Nov 30, 2023
William Blake’s Illustrations on the book of Revelation
We loved focusing on the Book of Revelation in the last episode so we decided to keep talking about it while throwing one of the greatest British artists of all time into the mix: William Blake.
Join us on a whistlestop tour of William Blake’s illustrations on the book of Revelation, focusing on the paintings The Ancient of Days, The Whore of Babylon and The Four and Twenty Elders casting their Crowns before the Throne.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
The Ancient of Days (1827) - William Blake
The Whore of Babylon (1809) - William Blake
The Four and Twenty Elders casting their Crowns before the Divine Throne (1803-05) - William Blake
Songs of Innocence and of Experience - William Blake
Compare 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1
The four horsemen of the apocalypse- Revelation 6:1-8 (Zechariah 1:8-10)
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Nov 15, 2023
The book of Revelation by St John
Today, we’re looking at by far the most popular piece of art in the series so far. It features in a literary anthology that is by far the best selling book in history. It’s the book of Revelation by John! There will be beasts. There will be dragons. There will be absolutely no controversial opinions shared of any sort… (well, two out of three of those statements are true!)
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
On Fairy Tales- JRR Tolkien (essay) (available free online- google it!)
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Nov 1, 2023
Prophecy by Peter Howson
After a mid season break, the FITA team are back, discussing the work of painter Peter Howson.
Peter’s visceral, unflinching work sparks a discussion about artistic portrayals of good and evil, how becoming a Christian affects an artist’s work and the wildness inside.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
Peter Howson paintings- Prophecy, Swarm, Barrier Sunset, The Heroic Dosser and the album cover of ‘Throwing Copper’ by Live Dante’s inferno
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Jul 12, 2023
FITA live at Hutchmoot 2023
We had the privilege of hosting a main session at Hutchmoot 2023 and here it is! Marlita, Ally and Jonny are joined by Andrew Peterson and Mark Meynell to talk about artistic community and give a bit of an introduction to their own artistic groups- Rabbit Room, Morphē Arts, Kingdom Artist Initiative and Sputnik Faith & Arts. This episode also features a live version of the song ‘Shine Your Light On Me’ by Andrew Peterson.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
References and artists
Pablo Picasso
Frida Kahlo
Vincent Van Gogh
Lucien Freud
Beyoncé
David Caspar Friedrich- Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
Bryan Eno
JRR Tolkien- The Fellowship of the Ring
Soulquarians (Inc the Roots, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu and J Dilla)
Paul Gauguin
J M W Turner
Tony Wilson (the Hacienda, Factory Records)
The Good Life Café (health food store that became known as a centre of an alternative hiphop scene in LA in the 1990s)
L’Abri (www.labri.org)
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Jun 28, 2023
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Dir. Scott Derrickson)
When you think of Christian art, what’s your first thought? Horror movies! Of course it is. Today, the team delve into the genre of horror through a conversation around Scott Derrickson’s 2013 scarefest ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose.’
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended resources and artists:
The Exorcism of Emily Rose Chicago Film Critics Association listed the film at #86 in their Top 100 Scariest Films Ever Made (2006)
The Screwtape Letter by CS Lewis
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
The Wolf of Wall Street (Dir. Martin Scorcese)
Judges 19
Revelation 14:20- blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Hieronymus Bosch
Psalm 88
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Jun 14, 2023
Songversation by India Arie
In this episode, Marlita presents the 2013 album, Songversation by India Arie and it inspires a conversation about artistic success, how we relate to our audiences and what it means to be a good guest. Before listening why not check out the album?
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended Resources and Artists:
Songversation by India Arie
1 Corinthians 9:22- ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.’
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May 31, 2023
The Sower by Vincent Van Gogh
Today, Ally introduces us to Vincent Van Gogh and Jonny and Marlita struggle with the Dutch language! Art isn’t just worth talking about, it’s worth feasting upon, so to get the most out of this episode, you should check out the two paintings ‘The Sower’ by Van Gogh and ‘The Vision’ by Paul Gauguin. (Links below)
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended resources and artists:
The Sower by Van Gogh https://tinyurl.com/ywejewra
The Vision by Paul Gauguin https://tinyurl.com/yc49894r
Still Life by Van Gogh
Colossians 3:2- ‘Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things’
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (original hymn by Helen Lemmel)
Paul Cezanne
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May 17, 2023
The Big Day by Chance the Rapper
This season, we’re going to be basing our episodes around pieces of art and the artists that create them. Today Jonny introduces the album, The Big Day by Chance the Rapper and sparks a conversation about authenticity, expectations and language. To get the most out of this conversation, it would be good to give the album a listen or two if you haven’t already.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Resources, references and artists:
Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper
Romans 7:14-25
Philippians 3:8- I consider them rubbish (NIV)/ worthless (NLT)/ loss (ESV)/ dog dung (The Message). This word is skubala in Greek. Most scholars agree that this was an impolite word that meant excrement.
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May 3, 2023
What’s been happening since the pandemic?
Ally, Jonny and Marlita are back! To kick the second season off, they catch up on how the faith and the arts conversation has moved forward in the last year, navigating AI, the London urban music scene and artistic isolationism. And there are puns. Lots of puns.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended resources and artists from this episode: JMW Turner, The Blue Rigi (1841-2) Apocalyptic Lockdown Blues- David Benjamin Blower Untitled (Black is)- Sault Raven Wilkinson
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May 25, 2022
We Answer Your Questions!
We asked for your questions and you sent in some crackers. Today Marlita, Ally and Jonny round off our first season by dealing with questions ranging from creativity, to art and culture, to personal humility.
Although Season 1 is now finished, we are planning a podcast party soon, so follow us on Twitter or Instagram to hear more details.
Resources and references:
Morphe Arts (Ally)
Faith and Work Mentorship for Artists (Marlita)
Sputnik: Faith & Arts (Jonny)
Renew the Arts podcast
Peter and unclean food - Acts 10:9-23
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May 11, 2022
Why is Jonny Mellor still a Christian?
Deconstructing faith is a contentious topic. Some see it as highly destructive, others deeply enlightening and, for others, it is an inevitability that every person of faith will have to face at one time or another. As we continue our episodes asking 'why we’re still Christians?' Jonny opens on why he is still the type of Christian that he is and how his faith has changed in the last few years.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
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Apr 27, 2022
Why is Marlita Hill still a Christian?
There can be a real tension between being an artist and being a Christian. An easy way to relieve this tension might be to stop being a Christian! So, today we ask Marlita why she is still a Christian. Prepare to have your heart warmed as she talks us through her faith journey, how she hears from God and why she wouldn’t be able to know art without God.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website, www.faithinthearts.show.
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Apr 13, 2022
Why is Ally Gordon still a Christian?
There can be a real tension between being an artist and being a Christian. An easy way to relieve this tension would be to stop being a Christian! However, none of our hosts have taken that option. In the next few episodes, we ask them why, starting today with Ally.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show.
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References in this episode:
Hans Rookmaker, 'Modern Art and the Death of a Culture'
Francis Schaeffer, 'The God who is There'
Radio 4 series: 'When things Fell Apart'
Mark Noll, 'The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind'
Robert Hughes, 'The Shock of the New'
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Mar 30, 2022
What is a Christian imagination?
Could it be that imagination is not only something that is important to artists, but is actually something that we all need: to be human, to live out our Christian faith and even to have any sort of understanding about God at all?
In today’s episode, Marlita, Jonny and Ally continue their exploration of the imagination, asking the questions: what is a Christian imagination and why is the imagination important?
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you like what you’re hearing, please consider enabling us to make more episodes by donating to us directly through our website ’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website, www.faithinthearts.show
Artworks mentioned:
Thomas Aquinas (on religious language as analogy)
The Pogues, Fairytale of New York
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Mar 16, 2022
What is the imagination?
The imagination is a vitally important human faculty, but it is little understood, and often greatly marginalised in society and in churches. Ally, Jonny and Marlita start exploring this topic by asking: what is the imagination, and how can you develop it?
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you like what you’re hearing, please consider enabling us to make more episodes by donating to us directly through our website, www.faithinthearts.show.
Resources/artists mentioned:
Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit
Nederlands dans Theater (NDT), or The Netherlands Dance Company
JRR Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings
Flannery O’Connor, Wise Blood
Basil Spence, Coventry Cathedral
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
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Mar 2, 2022
Fixing the church/arts relationship: a non-artist's guide
Last time, Ally, Jonny and Marlita explored how artists can help the church thrive in its relationship with the arts. This week they turn their attention to those of you who wouldn’t consider yourself to be artists. How can we best make space, not just for the arts, but for artists themselves in our churches?
If you’d like to join the conversation or to help us make more episodes like this, check out our website or email us at hello@faithinthearts.show
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Visual commentary on Scripture — https://thevcs.org
The Human Library — https://humanlibrary.org
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Feb 16, 2022
Fixing the church/arts relationship: an artist's guide
How can churches thrive in their relationship with the arts? How can they become communities where artists can thrive too? In this week’s episode, the FITA team explore ways in which artists can help churches towards this goal. And guess what - maybe it’s not just about playing in the worship band!
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website.
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Feb 2, 2022
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: The last 100 years of Christian art (Pt. 2)
Marlita, Ally and Jonny continue their survey of art from the Christian imagination in the last 100 years, crashing into questions like: Is the church vitamin deficient? Does God care about how a film is lit? And why has almost every musical innovation in the last half a century come from a particular section of the Christian church (and why doesn’t anyone talk about this)?
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. We mention Patreon in this episode, and we've actually decided to go a different route for now - but if you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website.
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Jan 19, 2022
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: The last 100 years of Christian art (Pt. 1)
Marlita, Ally and Jonny survey some of the art that has been fuelled directly by the Christian imagination in the last century. Is Christian art more about fuzzy felt and kitsch, or Kieslowski and Denzel? And what does that tell us about the church’s relationship to the arts?
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. We mention Patreon in this episode, and we've actually decided to go a different route for now - but if you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website.
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Sep 29, 2021
Why does the world need another podcast about Christianity and the arts?
The relationship between Christianity and the arts has always been one of extremes. For long periods of time and in different cultural settings, the two parties have got on fabulously: strengthening faith, promoting beauty, booming out an arresting prophetic voice and working for the common good. At other times… well, it’s been a bit of a car crash. Recently, there has been a growing feeling that it’s time to attend to this relationship again. Fix broken bridges. Re-examine sources of contention. Explore new ways to co-exist for the flourishing of all.
Faith in the Arts is a new podcast that wants to move this conversation forward. And this is our pilot! We're raising money on Kickstarter to record, produce and promote the first season.
In this first episode, we introduce the team: Marlita Hill, founder of the Kingdom Artist Initiative as well as a choreographer and author, residing in Southern California. Alastair Gordon, co-founder of Morphē Arts, painter and art tutor a…
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