Greenbelt Arts Festival Report

I had a great time at the Greenbelt arts festival this last Saturday. It was good to finally get a chance to experience it for myself. It’s definitely a more ecumenical kind of gathering, though drawing “artsy Church of England” types more than anything else. I think the best part about it for myself was that it’s different than the usual evangelical subculture that I’ve been immersed in all of my life. It’s so refreshing to be exposed to different perspectives and viewpoints on the Christian faith and to have the freedom to think for myself. I think a lot of conservative/fundamentalist Christians would probably frown on something like Greenbelt, but I’m increasingly of the opinion that God’s truth can stand on it’s own. Yes, we need to address false teaching (Col. 2.16-23; 1 Tim. 1.3-4; 6.3-5; 2 Peter 2.1-3), but I have seen so much arrogance and theological ego demonstrated in the name of “protecting against false teaching” in the evangelical church. This kind of thing often results in an atmosphere of suspicion, paranoia, and mistrust amongst God’s people. (See this blog post by Rhett Smith for a great discussion on the crucial role of humility in theology.)

One of my favourite talks/seminars that I attended was by Steve Stockman, author of Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2. In particular, he talked about how Desmond Tutu’s “abuntu theology” influenced Bono and his song writing. Stockman summarized “abuntu theology” as a theology of human interdependence: “we are human only through the humanity of other humans.” As you might guess, it was essential theology in the context of the fight against South African apartheid, as well as in the continued reconciliation efforts there. I may not be totally on board with all of Desmond Tutu’s theology, but this bit of it I can roll with. It’s essentially a result of a high view of imago Dei (people are made in the image of God) and an accurate depiction of how Jesus treated people during his life and ministry on the earth.

Stockman didn’t go down this particular path, but I think it has staggering implications. Though Jesus was fully God, could it be that He chose to be interdependent on other humans in His full humanity? Was He not in fact even dependent on his mother to feed and clothe him as a child? Of course, it was his connection with and dependence on His Father that Jesus modelled most profoundly for us. How does this dependence on God fuel our interdependence on other human beings, both outside and within the Church?

There were a few other thought-provoking panels and seminars that I went to, as well as some inspiring art exhibitions and concerts with the likes of Kendall Payne, John Davis, and Tree 63. I also ran into Chris Curtis (LCET) and hung out with him during one of the panel discussions. We had a great conversation afterwards as well. We seem to share much of the same thoughts and struggles and questions about the church, so it’s always refreshing and even clarifying to be able to talk to him and get his feedback on stuff.