Creativity is a big buzzword these days. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition, Copyright 2009), creation is defined as (among other things), “the act of creating” and “an original product of human invention or artistic imagination.”

And so we hear and read about creative designers, creative editors, and even the creative arts. But in reality, as far as creativity goes, we are no match compared to our heavenly Father. Within six days, He created the world and the universe in just the right size and proportion. Too near to the sun, and we would have been burnt to a crisp; too far away, and we would have frozen to death. The Lord our God even designed the Earth’s gravitational pull to be just perfect – too strong and we risked colliding with other planets; too weak a force would send our planet careening out into space.

Mankind is only capable of making use of existing materials to fashion useful and beautiful and elegant works of art, fashion, utility or design. To date, no man (or woman) has been able to make something tangible out of nothing, like what God did in the Genesis account of creation.

The search for the Philosopher’s Stone, by which it was believed that basal elements could be turned into gold, has inspired many searches and legends – but no basis to date so far.

But God has created us in His image, and although we do not have His level of creative powers, He has blessed us with other forms of creation, like building beautiful and useful things and turning ideas and thoughts into forms like music, art, science, and literature. In that light, every profession – be that of architect, builder, construction worker, musician, writer, civil servant, domestic worker or even parent – fits in this frame of reference.

A well-known story bears repeating here: A man walked down the street and saw a construction site. He stopped and, in fascination, watched three men busily working. The man noticed that there was something different about the three workmen’s attitude towards the task at hand. One workman looked quite stoical; the second, a bit more enthused; while the third workman smiled and happily whistled. When the man approached each of the workmen and asked what they were doing, the man with the stoical look answered, “I’m laying bricks.” The second workman said, “I’m building a wall.” But the whistling worker proudly answered, “I’m building a cathedral!”

Same job, but a different mindset shaped the attitudes of the three men. As Oscar Wilde said, “Two men look out from the same jail bars. One sees mud, the other sees stars.” The creative impulse can be used for good and evil, sometimes both being part of the same coin. Antibiotics kill germs, but their overuse can lead to the formation of antibiotic-resistant organisms that are now becoming public health nightmares.

As the senior demon Screwtape tells his nephew Wormwood in C. S. Lewis’s famous novel, “nothing is naturally on our side; pleasure, reason, and goodwill were created by an all-powerful God to be used for his purpose and glory” and all Wormwood and his fellow tempters can hope to do is distort these goods and prod humans to fall for their deception.

But that does not mean that we ought to take a negative view towards the creative act. Had a certain Reverend Wright persisted with the view that “if the Lord wanted man to fly, He would have given him wings,” his sons, Orville and Wilbur, might never have pioneered aviation history. Similarly, if the US Patent Office still held the view that “everything that needs to be invented has been invented,” the computer and X-Ray machine may have never seen the light of day. The right step for Christians to take is to thus act as agents of God to “prod” the creative arts toward the greater glory of God.

When the builder or architect considers his latest project as more than a house or office block, but as a family’s place of security and dreams or as a dream workplace, then the stage is set for a higher standard of quality that will not only satisfy the aesthetic but also the safety and profit margin aspects. This will be a better result than if the project was just considered as one which had to be done in the shortest possible time, with little more to consider besides the fear of liquidated damages for any delays.

Similarly, when the journalist thinks of his story less as an addition to his growing portfolio, but instead considers the emotions and sensitivities of his newsmakers, the result will be a piece that still maintains factual accuracy but now also combines sensitivity and understanding. In this respect, the creative act has become “redemptive” by helping to change the negative perspective attached to journalism, and “rehabilitated” the craft.

But the double-edged nature of the creative act makes such results almost hard to attain naturally – choices must be made towards certain goals. And those choices may not always be advantageous to one’s inclinations. So it is also with the stage or movie actor who chooses to play nude roles (because more demand and money comes his or her way) gets greater financial rewards but has brought his or her creative art to a lower level as a result.

The tools in the creative acts do not by themselves have any positive or negative value – that is only seen in the final result of their use. So it is critical that Christians do their best in putting such tools to good use for the Kingdom of God. Journalists and writers whose main focus is putting ideas and observations in print can therefore do this by using their talents in writing articles that bring glory to God and encourage His people, e.g., writing in church newsletters or arguing the case for the existence of God. One potent example is that of Lee Stroebel, who used his skills as a journalist to craft well-thought arguments supporting the existence of Jesus Christ and why He is the Savior of the world.

Perhaps the strongest examples for the putting of such creative artistry to use for God and His Kingdom have come from musicians like Lenny LeBlanc and Amy Grant, two artistes well-known in the fields of Christian and popular music. Both of them have been positive role models in their fields, writing and singing songs that are good examples to their audiences and that bring glory to God too.

But man’s creativity is not limited to the starting point of ideas and thought. Creativity also has the power to repair the damaged man and woman by transforming their mental and physical being. Take the prosthetics designer who lovingly and painstakingly crafts a prosthesis for a disabled or handicapped person, taking into account the person’s body structure, limb length, etc. The designer’s efforts show the extent he or she is willing to strive towards making the disabled person’s life easier, instead of harder. That is a form of “re-creation.” The architect who designs a hospital, taking into account the needs of the patients who will be warded there, also takes part in this process of “re-creation.” But here lies a major difference. Without the power of Jesus Christ, the creative act is limited in scope. Such limited creative power may be able to transform the physical and mental aspects of our lives, but the spiritual lies outside its reach. For only the creative power of Jesus Christ can transform us. Take the examples from the Bible – Jesus gave new life to the mentally ill man in the region of the Gerasenes; He healed many who were blind; He set free those controlled by evil.

God can take any person and recreate him or her. God can take any adulterated life and remake it. In the words of Paul, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17), i.e., our lives will be totally transformed. This is the power of Jesus Christ, and it is still available to us. Without that power, our spiritual beings become dry and lifeless. But God, who breathed life into Adam and Eve, can and wants to breathe new life into us when we ask Him. When His power is infused in our music, dance and drama, His spirit connects with the spirits of the people in the audience and brings them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Black American scientist George Washington Carver was one example of what the power of Jesus could do to one life. During his lifetime, this son of slaves reputedly discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes, and also obtained three patents between 1925 and 1927. But Carver, who became a Christian when he was 10 years old, said many times, that his faith in Jesus was the only mechanism by which he could effectively pursue and perform the art of science. To Carver, God and science were both areas of interest, not warring ideas in his mind. He matured in his faith by placing his understanding of God firmly in the Bible. In attempts to teach his students, he defaulted first and foremost to making the name of Christ known. Carver taught that knowledge of God through the Bible and devotion to Jesus was paramount to what he could teach them pedagogically through numbers and formulas.

Or how about C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, the writers whose novels and fictional creations helped bring across the love and saving grace of God in ways no other medium could? Lewis’s novels like The Screwtape Letters, made the wiles of the Devil come alive, while Tolkien’s Middle-Earth tales, especially The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, is a well-crafted, subtle tale of Christ’s redemptive work in our lives.

That was what God did with the lives of three men whose hearts were surrendered to Him. We can do no less if we also surrender our lives to the living God. How can we be sure that we are agents of God’s creativity to the world? The following steps can help:

(a) Ensure that your mind is saturated with God’s Word daily.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps 119:105).

(b) Commit your work and talents to God daily.
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this” (Ps 37:5).

(c) Ensure that you feed your mind with what is pure and beautiful and pleasing in God’s sight.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Phil 4:8).

(d) Be focused on your work and do not be distracted or “double-minded” (Jam 1:8).

So what is your big idea? If it is focused on giving glory to God, and He is in the plans, it cannot fail. See what God did with Carver, Lewis, and Tolkien. We can do no less with God on our side. May God bless us as we commit our work and lives to His continuous “re-creation” for His redemptive purposes.

Arulnathan John works for Singapore Press Holdings, and worships at Acts Centre, a daughter congregation under St Andrew’s Cathedral. He loves to read, go to the movies and the theatre, chat on the Internet and keep his mind open to new experiences.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.

Challenges produce creative leaders as much as necessity is the mother of invention. When problems hem us in, leaders are forced to think of possibilities outside the box. When processes are multiplied in boring and ineffective repetitions, we start experimenting with better and more efficient ways of producing or living.

Some very lucky people stumble onto creative solutions in the debris of failures and mistakes. Roentagen was searching for the reason why his photographic plates were being ruined when he discovered radiation in the process. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M accidentally developed a “low tack,” reusable pressure sensitive adhesive while in search for super glue. This mistake was not well received by others for five years until a colleague, Art Fry, used the adhesive to bookmark his hymnbook. Discovering this effective use, 3M then marketed the adhesive, now known as “Post-it” pads to great success.

Some psychologists posit that early experiences predispose people to be interested in a certain range of problems. Physicists like Viktor Weisskopf, Max Planck, Werner Heisenbery, and Hans Bethe claim that what inspired them to seek to understand the movement of atoms and stars was the exhilaration they felt at the sight of mountains and the night sky. Curiosity is the indispensible ingredient for creativity. Its nature is not only intellectual but rooted in deep feelings borne out of experiences that require some resolution or a new way of understanding. This appears to point to curious people as the likely candidates for creative leadership.

A deep understanding of a domain is necessary if we want to transform it. It is not possible to be creative without learning what others know; yet creativity arises only when there is dissatisfaction with the knowledge. The Russian composer, Igor Stravinski, understood the fundamentals of classical music intimately, but moved dissonantly away from what was accepted to new and creative contours of music. When he debuted his now famous ballet score, The Rite of Spring in 1913, his dissonant, pulsating and unpredictable music was so offensive that his Parisian audience drowned out the orchestra with their hisses and heckles. Yet, Stravinski’s creative music inspired many twentieth century composers with his radical use of rhythm. Curiosity has to be coupled with discipline for any significant creative contributions to be made. Leaders I know to be creative are absorbed by a domain that they effortlessly navigate and re-interpret the fundamental blocks of the chosen discipline in insightful ways that create previously unthinkable new dimensions.

Howard Gardner, in his study of the major creative geniuses of the twentieth century indicates a proficiency in an ironic blend of convergent and divergent thinking. Convergent thinking is the rational ability at analysis and the cognitive agility to solve problems that have only one correct answer. Divergent thinking is the flexibility that throws up a range of possibilities to resolve a dilemma. It is a creative ability at perceiving unusual associations and to swirl around different perspectives to arrive at an ingenious solution. It is not surprising then, that many creative leaders tend to exude a mischievous playfulness that belies a disciplined and inquiring disposition.

Historically dark epochs, like wars, are the crucibles of creativity. Some have argued that the outstanding breakaways from classical literary, musical, and artistic styles in the twentieth century were an indirect reaction to the disillusionment people felt at the inability of Western civilization to avoid World War I. It is no coincidence that Einstein’s theory of relativity, Freud’s theory of the unconscious, Eliot’s free form poetry, Stravinski’s twelve-tone music, Martha Graham’s abstract choreography, Picasso’s deformed figures, James Joyce’s stream of consciousness prose were all created – and accepted by the public – in the same period in which empires collapsed and belief systems rejected old certainties. It is not surprising then that many creative leaders are tortured in their souls, seared in their memories and scarred in their experience.

Robert Sternberg asserts that creativity is a form of leadership that propels a field forward and influences others, hence his “propulsion model.” In his model, he identifies eight types of creative leaders:

Replicators are those who maintain the status quo. The larger proportion of leaders in human enterprises is in this category.
Redefiners are those who tweak and put a new spin on existing leadership or innovation. This is true in tightly controlled organizations, or in companies with a long history or tradition, where it is difficult to break out of entrenched molds.
Forward Incrementors move the organization further in the direction it was going. Software companies that release improved versions of their existing programs is a sterling example.
Advanced Forward Incrementors refer to those who push the envelope in a field, going further than others are ready to go. The earlier example of Stravinski’s music is a case in point.
Redirectors introduce new and more effective ways of achieving established goals. Henry Ford, in introducing the constant-motion assembly line to manufacture the Model T, is a classic example of a redirector.
Regressive Redirectors or Reconstructors reinvent a previously successful product like Coca Cola’s decision to revive Classic Coke or fashion designers going back to narrow neck ties for men.
Reinitiators who initiate a fresh start for an organization or field that has seen better days.
Synthesizers integrate best ideas from different industries to produce something that meets present needs. The electronic book is a great product that is gaining popularity. It assembles the best ideas from unrelated industries to create something new.

Every leader’s dream is to stimulate creativity in the organization so Gordian knots can be broken and problems resolved. Richard Woodman makes three proposals that leaders can implement to create an environment friendly to creativity. Firstly, he proposes that because “creative behavior… is an interaction of person and situation… norms supporting open sharing of information… (and) risk-taking behavior will enhance creativity… Creativity is reduced by rigid norms that create high conformity.”

Secondly, he suggests that leaders enlist as diverse a team as possible and build participative structures in the organization. He contends that homogenous composition, autocratic leadership and rigid structures tend to suppress creativity.

Finally, he proposes matrix, networking, collateral or parallel structures instead of bureaucratic or mechanistic systems to increase the probability of organizational creativity.

What seems to be the fundamental requirement in increasing the creative amperage in an organization is the wisdom to balance behaviors and motivations of stakeholders. Every leader needs to discern between diversity and self serving individualism, restrictive homogeneity and serving a common vision, corporate success or self promotion. What is most critically required in leadership that will enhance creativity in the organization is wisdom. There is no better place to secure this wisdom than to heed the Wisdom writer, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding…”(Ps 110:10) We can find the means to resolve the most intractable difficulties from the Original Creator who alone brings something out of nothing.

Peter Chao is the Founder-President of Eagles Communications.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.

References:
Chamberlin, Jamie. 2003. “Considering Creativity: Inspiring the Masses through Creative Leadership”. Monitor on Psychology Vol. 34, No. 10: 50.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.
Gardner, Howard. Creating Minds. New York: BasicBooks, 1993.
Woodman, Richard W. 1995. “Managing Creativity.” In Creative Action in Organizations, ed. Cameron M. Ford and Dennis A. Gioia, 60-65.Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Our calling is to “… become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor 9:22). I believe that “all possible means” refers to the same creativity that God employed in our amazing creation. God created monochromatic zebras and vibrantly exquisite Quetzal birds. He did not break the mold, He simply had no mold. When Jesus healed the blind, He used a variety of methods. One time He spat into a man’s eyes, another time He created a mud compound to rub in the guy’s eyes, and several times He simply spoke the word to heal the blind. Jesus was divinely creative.

We are created in the image of God. Part of the image of God is not only choice, but creativity. Just as God gave Adam dominion over the birds, the cattle, and all of creation, so Paul charged his protégé Timothy to “preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim 4:2). God did not prescribe the method of dominion, nor did Paul prescribe a system or method of evangelism. In Acts, we see that Paul used whatever touch point he had available to connect with his audience. On Mars Hill, it was popular Athenian poetry and an altar to an unknown god. When presenting the Gospel to the Jews in Jerusalem, he took a much more different approach.

Since we serve a creative God, we must remember that creation requires change. Unfortunately, the history of the Christian Church is one of creating immutable monuments to the men and movements that dramatically changed the direction of the church. We then systematize and venerate the methods used by these movers and no longer look for the movement of the Spirit to bring creative methods to reach a new generation. We become old wine in old wineskins, irrelevant and unable to adapt and adjust to a changing culture. Those chosen few saints whose eyes are open to see the movement of God in their life, see that God moves in a new direction in a new way, a new wineskin. Meanwhile, the church is content to “sing an old song,” doing things like we have always done. Change implies an unknown, a sense of being uncomfortable. We like the familiar. We tend to share the Gospel the same way that we came to faith, thinking that it is the “right” way to evangelize. God never restricts Himself to formulas, traditions or human laws. He will communicate His message through a donkey or a daffodil (Num 22:30; Rom 1:20).

I also believe part of the reason we “sing an old song” is that we remember how God moved in the past. We are encouraged to remember the Lord and what he has done and celebrate it, but we must be careful to worship only our Maker and not His methods or His means. In the wilderness, God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent so that anyone who would look to the serpent could be healed from the plague. Centuries later that bronze serpent was being worshiped as a relic and had to be destroyed by Hezekiah.

When Moody Bible Institute began broadcasting on radio in 1926, over 80 years ago, many Christians said, “You can’t use the devil’s tools to share the Gospel.” A full-time Christian radio station had never been attempted. The visionary founders moved forward undaunted, and decades later millions had been reached with the Gospel broadcast around the world. Many Christians opposed presenting the Gospel on TV in the early years, but no one can deny that countless souls have trusted in Christ for salvation from a televised Gospel presentation.

In today’s media driven culture, the Gospel is being presented through drama, dance, video, mime, debate, music, radio, TV, podcast, blog, SecondLife, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and a whole host of other mediums. Each of these media platforms can be transformed into pulpits to share the truth. Some pastors today are turning to movie clips for sermon illustrations. A brief sixty to ninety seconds scene from a movie may provide a powerful word picture that emblazons the message or point upon the heart of the listener. Once again, the critics claim that such multi-media illustrations are an endorsement of Hollywood or carnality. But this is no different than verbally telling a story or other sermon illustration or even the actions of Paul on Mars Hill. It is simply using the tools of the world to connect lost people to the truth of the Scriptures.

Creative illustrations help the listener realize the Word of God is “living and active,” applicable to life today. There are times where the message and illustrations simply flow. When I was a youth pastor, I observed unchurched kids in the neighborhood having a shaving cream fight. The Lord prompted me to invite the kids to our youth group the following week for a “massive shaving cream fight.” Out of curiosity, many of the kids came. I incorporated a few other messy games and called it “Slopfest.” We had pudding slip and slides, Jello wars, shaving cream fights, and the messiest stuff imaginable. At the conclusion of the chaos, I pointed out our disgusting stickiness and filthiness. I compared it to our personal moral failures and how we were dirty in God’s sight and needed to be cleansed. We brought out the hose and cleaned everyone off, pointing to the Gospel and how Jesus can cleanse us from our sins. A simple illustration that connected with the hearts of the hearers.

Numerous times I have had people talk about an illustration I used years ago and how they still remember the message; yet, they may scarcely remember what I taught on last week, because the illustrations used last week did not provide the “Aha!” moment. Is this because the earlier illustration was divinely inspired or divinely connected? There are times where the preparation of the message is a wrestling match, a constant struggle for position and points, exhortation from exhaustion. God can divinely inspire and move in the flow or in the struggle. We are simply called to be obedient, following the example of our Lord, who poured himself out as a drink offering. We may not connect with everyone all of the time, but as we yield ourselves to Him, He can accomplish much.

Our commission as ministers of the Gospel is to share the Good News “by all possible means.” We are called to a high standard of creativity. The message doesn’t change; the methods do. We can creatively share the Gospel, but we cannot touch what is the Gospel. Paul rebuked the Galatians for “turning to a different gospel” (Gal 1:6). Some people today, in an effort to be creative, are preaching a different Gospel, one that they have created. Their creation is a cheap imitation of what the Lord handed down, and it has departed from the essentials of the faith. We must be careful that in our creativity, we do not play with the essentials. That creativity was seen in the early church and warned against by Jude, “… urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). The substance of our faith was handed down “once for all,” not to be recreated, upgraded or improved. The methods and means are up to us, using the creative ability God has given us. “… I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor 9:22). Are there “means” you need to explore?

Tye Riter is Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel West Boca in Boca Raton, Florida. He and his wife Lori have had professional careers in classical music, performing in orchestras in the United States and with musical missionary groups. Tye also teaches music at Palm Beach Atlantic University, a Christian liberal arts university in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.

Creativity fuels the changes we see all around us. The rapid rise of computers that once filled an entire building to ones that now fit in our hands is just one example. The newest airliner will be made of carbon fiber, not wood or metal of previous eras.

Graphic programs, web pages, video productions, and digital photography have unleashed color, combinations, and images not possible just decades ago. We all benefit from someone’s creativity on a daily basis.

We recognize the results of creativity but where does creativity come from? Does everyone have it? Can we nurture it? If we do not have it today, can we generate it in time? If we have it now, can we lose it? In this approach to the topic of creativity, I will examine a number of components that contribute to or take away from the river that flows toward the never before seen or done: the result of creativity.

First is the element of need. Without that thread, creativity is seldom woven into anything. But need comes in many different colors. Need may be the doctor who is faced with an accident victim and utilizes an ink pen and a plastic bag to perform a tracheotomy and apply a lifesaving tourniquet when there is no doctor’s bag. Need may be an empty page with a deadline for a book that becomes the next bestseller.

Whatever the shade of “need,” it is one of the necessary components. Thus those with the deepest sense of need can be those with a seeming fountain of creativity if the other parts of creativity are also a part of the puzzle. Creativity generally does not flow from those who are satisfied with the way things are.

But need without hope produces desperation. Hope is a bit more elusive than need. Hope by definition says there is an answer to the question even though it is not known as soon as the need is. This hope factor often grows from previous needs that found answers. Thus hope can grow out of need.

Those who have the highest levels of hope are not afraid to attempt the seemingly impossible because of the creativity that has answered the need before. Their previous success also builds the persistence factor that can ultimately produce the creativity.

One of the key enemies of hope is the worry and fear that often march together, destroying everything in their path. These two have often combined to produce “writer’s block,” or a giant blank instead of a creative answer. These also drain the creative juices and leave nothing for the answers that “need” requires.

Worry and fear can also be accompanied by sorrow or guilt. These are also effective enemies of creativity. Many an artist, writer, or inventor has had a creative streak ended by a personal tragedy or experience. In fact, any intense emotion that overwhelms a person can silence the creative voice within.

In one sense, creativity can be a long term attribute of a person if they have developed enough life skills for stability. It does not mean that their life is easy, just that they have developed disciplines that safeguard creativity. Creativity needs dedicated worry-free time. Last minute, rushed results seldom reach the creative heights that worry-free time makes possible.

Discipline also enables creativity to go from mere words to results. I have visited numerous people in jail who had a creative capacity but no discipline in their lives. Their art, songs, poems, and other creative adventures (gifts) will never be seen because they lacked the disciplines in key areas of life. For some of them their creativity had been their ticket through the early years of life. At some point the free pass ended and without any disciplines in life they fell into an easy way to make a living: crime.

Tying creativity to a gift or talent someone may have is another concept that needs to be examined. As has already been discussed, a gift by itself would not survive the enemies of creativity. People can also mistake someone’s ability as a gift when in fact it was through hard work and dedication that they nurtured the ability people now see.

So what is the point of the issues we have examined? You. Your place, position, and purpose in life will include some areas where creativity will be needed. If you can answer the call for creativity, you can turn a problem into progress or a dead end into an uncharted path.

To know where you stand, we must ask some key questions:

Do you see needs that are not being met? Do you think about them enough to explore some possible solutions?

Do some of those needs move you to action? Have you ever experimented with some new possibilities?

Is there enough hope in you to attempt to be a part of a creative solution to the need or do you want to give up before you start?

Can you take a disciplined approach to the need and provide yourself with worry-free time to work on it? If you do have an idea, can you take the seed of creativity and bring it to its full fruit?

If you have been creative in the past, have obstacles gotten in the way? Has the previous discussion helped you to recognize some of your enemies to creativity?

With a disciplined approach, could you see yourself being more creative? What might be your first project?

Lastly, I believe there can be a spiritual element that impacts the direction that creativity can take. Being a firm believer that history can teach us, we see that new areas of expression can be extremely positive and admired for generations (Leonardo da Vinci) or abhorred with equal intensity (Adolf Hitler) forever. An honest look at the words of Jesus will show us why we can see these two extremes of creativity.

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:9-10, emphasis mine). This helps us to understand why we see such a range in people’s “creativity.”

Jesus’ teaching can impact creativity in another way. Putting his ways into practice gives us a stability that can protect whatever creativity we currently have. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Mt 7:24-25).

Christ’s teaching can also raise the level of need if we adopt his passions and concerns. The first item printed on the newly invented printing press was a Bible. My most creative endeavors in the teaching/preaching realm come from a passion to see people understand and be able to apply the teachings of Christ. Thus I have broken, built, and displayed countless “items” while teaching or preaching, hoping that they will take the words and make them real to the listener.

Now it is your turn. We each live in a specific location with unique opportunities for something “new and different.”  It could be a cure, a humorous relief, or a project that is someday admired in a museum that is birthing in your heart right now. Go create; we may all be glad you did.

Mark Schaufler is an author and the founder of Finish-the-Race.org, a youth ministry training program in the United States. He also started and is the CEO of MST Ministries, providing evangelistic preaching, training, and resources; leading over a hundred short term missions on six continents since 1984. Visit www.mstgo.com to find out more about Mark’s ministry.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.

Immediately after that “out of the norm” concert, we received some flak from church leaders who accused us of being “worldly.” “They were bringing the nightclub into the church,” was their allegation against us. Those really were the days.

Yet, it is ironic that most churches today would not conduct their services without a band of musicians playing electronic musical equipment and worship leaders imitating what is current in Gospel music.

Well, it seems that there is today a “nightclub” (to use the same analogy) in almost every church and that is perfectly acceptable? Modern worship music is not just the norm. It is the key to survival for most churches. Who would stay with one that is not singing the latest worship songs? And the latest and greatest worship songs today are those that sound like the hits of the 80s and 90s. Hey, we are still ten years behind!

It used to be that in medieval times, the Church led in music, art, literature, and the aesthetics. Those great composers, artists, painters, sculptors, poets, and authors were creating for the glory of God and pushing the envelope. The scene somehow changed with the Enlightenment and the Reformation and we became more rational, intellectualized, and cerebral in beliefs and behaviors and less emotive, imaginative, and creative.

We are ministering in the 21st century – a time of sound bytes, images, amusement, experience, and feeling good. How embarrassing that a people and an institution that worships the Creator is often devoid of creativity. The Church should be the world’s most creative organization. Yet, “We’ve never done it that way here before” seems to be our mantra when it comes to ministry expressions.

Why are we not creative anymore? Perhaps in doing church and ministry, we need to overcome some mental blocks.

Mental Block #1 Fear of Change

Like any other institution, we have the tendency to slip into a maintenance mode. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” seems to be the course of least resistance. I recall that for the longest time, a certain denomination was holding its traditional Sunday evening Gospel service every week. It became apparent that most of the people who showed up were the converted and even they grew tired of it. But as we all know, sacred cows are hard to remove. That weekly Sunday evening Gospel service eventually died a natural death when attendance kept dwindling.

Coupled with this fear of change, we tend to suspect those who are gifted, imaginative, and creative. They are seen as different from ordinary and normal people. They appear to be somewhat eccentric. And in our church mentality, what is weird is to be avoided.

We live in a world of exponential change. Society and culture are changing. Values are shifting. People are changing. To be sure, we have the same unchanging mandate to go out and preach the Gospel. Jesus did not specify how we should do it. In response to changes and challenges that are molding how the postmodern person is like, we must adjust the how we should do it. We die for the message but not for the method. Change does not destroy tradition. In fact, an institution guarantees its continuity by adapting to changes.

We all “do church” following a series of procedures and prescriptions. Most of them are assumptions, not written down anywhere. If it is a tradition, is it valuable, meaningful, or just the way it has always been done? Remember: tradition is suggestion, not law.

Mental Block # 2 Fear of Failure

Any church or organization with a reputation for innovation will readily admit that not everything they have tried worked. A church I worked with in Amsterdam many summers ago tried to reach out to the immigrant restaurant workers in the city with the idea of opening a coffee house for these workers to hang out. The church social hall was transformed into a makeshift coffee house during the day. That was before Starbucks became a global brand. It was a cool idea but the opening hours were not conducive for these people. We discovered later that the best time was midnight after the restaurant closed. That was when they would spend their time in gambling or other nocturnal activities. Of course, running a midnight coffee shop in church was not everyone’s cup of coffee (tea). But at least the church had that innovative idea. When you try something new, there will be failure. But there will also be discovery. If the church, group or team works together enthusiastically on anything, they will at least learn teamwork.

Failure should not deter us from trying something for which we are not certain of the outcome. Taking risks (sensible ones) means just that. As corporate gurus are telling us, the key to success in today’s world is innovation and we need creative leadership. One “risky” event we tried was to hire a pub for a night and let Christians invite their colleagues and friends to an event featuring Christian rock bands. Everything else was normal for a night out in the pub – drinks and chatter except that the bands played both Christian and secular songs. It was a huge success in terms of the turnout. The yuppies, the young, and the hip were having a great time. The challenge was in sharing the Gospel to the bunch of noisy and busy revelers. I tried my level best to engage them but realized that it was not the most effective way for that occasion and audience. Did we fail? Well, not really. The non-Christians enjoyed the rest of the evening and probably went away with the impression that Christians were not boring and dull people! We could have communicated the Gospel through a more appropriate medium than having a speaker on stage (unless he is a comedian).

Mental Block #3 False Dichotomy between Secular and Sacred

This perception has led the Church to be suspicious of expressions that are considered secular and therefore “worldly.” After all, we are exhorted not to “love the world” (1 Jn 2:15). Many of us boomers grew up with that false dichotomy.

As young Christians, we were taught that movies were the source of immoral influence and therefore going to the cinema was not a spiritual thing to do. It was a place of abomination and by just being in there would be contaminating. A pastor we knew at that time was even reprimanded for making references to Charlton Heston’s movie “The Ten Commandments” in his teaching. What became confusing to us was the arrival of the TV set into our homes. How was it that watching TV was not sinful but visiting the cinema was?

Leonard Sweet in his book AQUA Church writes, “… many of our religious communities find visual delights highly suspect and murky.” In his words, we are “image-averse communities,” and as a result become unimaginative and uninteresting whereas the postmodern mind perceives in images, metaphors, and stories rather than theories and propositions.

Another example of this false dichotomy between the secular and the sacred is in the area of music. Barely twenty years ago, rock music was termed the “devil’s music.” The problem was not the music but the values and lifestyles of its purveyors. Rock music was associated with the drug-crazed culture of the 60s and therefore was an import from hell. Probably the now elderly British pop star Sir Cliff Richard helped to clear the air with his song, “Why should the devil have all the good music?”  Now we have Christian rock, rap, metal, country, blues, etc.

I am not advocating that everything different and out of the box is acceptable for ministry in the name of creativity. As the famous dictum of Marshall McLuhan states, “The medium is the message.” Expressions that are immoral, offensive, defamatory, and discriminatory are certainly out. But there is so much more we can do to articulate the Christian message and demonstrate the Christian life in creative, exciting, and meaningful ways.

The challenge before us is how to make the Gospel attractive without sacrificing its strict demand for obedient discipleship. How do we help Christians work out the multiple ramifications of following Jesus Christ in the postmodern world? Sounds impossible? Walt Disney said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Did not God say that with Him, nothing is impossible?

Michael Tan is the Executive Vice-President of Eagles Communications. He likes to preach, write, play the guitar, and manage his staff!

References:
Sweet, Leonard. AQUA Church. Loveland: Group Publishing, 1999.

Pathfinder of the Seas

Matthew Maury was a man of science who believed in the Bible. Oftentimes in modern life, Scripture and science seem incompatible; but Maury was inspired by the truths he found in the Bible and did not think that these truths were irrelevant to his career.

So seriously did he take God’s Word that one day, as he listened to his wife read from Psalm 8:8 about the “paths of the seas,” he thought perhaps the seas could have paths rather than being just enormous expanses of random water. In his own words we gain some understanding of the importance he placed on the Bible: “You ask about the ‘harmony of science and revelation,’ and wish to know if I find distinct traces in the Old Testament of scientific knowledge, and in the Bible any knowledge of the winds and ocean currents. Yes, knowledge the most correct and reliable.” Being an experienced sailor (he had served in the US Navy), his conviction coupled with a dedication for discovery led him to a lifetime journey of mapping the various channels of currents in the seas and oceans.

As we now know, there are definite paths in the ocean that have become great aids to generations of seafarers – after Maury’s creative endeavors to explain this natural phenomenon. Sailors in many industries today depend on Maury’s contribution to marine navigation. By following these “paths of the seas,” ships can move more quickly from one destination to another – similar to how cars that travel along expressways arrive at destinations faster than cars that navigate through a myriad of smaller roads. He has even been called the “Pathfinder of the Seas.” The idea that one could map the oceans, something that would have seemed crazy in 1864, is now taken for granted and marine transportation depends on understanding which route to take across the vast seas.

An avid learner, Maury also used his God-given gifting to play a role in setting up institutes of education (Virginia Tech), as well as to make contributions in the field of geography.

May we also be encouraged to be inspired by the Scriptures in whatever type of career or pursuit we are called to. Our faith and our career need not be separate and there is more than one way the Bible can inform our daily life.

Blazing a Trail of Revival

Described as “the greatest evangelist China has ever known,” ask any elderly Chinese Christian in Singapore who John Sung is and chances are their eyes will light up as they recall childhood memories of the passionate preacher. In the 1930s, Chinese churches throughout China were going through a difficult time due to persecutions, the Sino-Japanese conflict and the impending rise of communism. Into this chaos steps a man who was not particularly large in size; but when he spoke, no one else had the heart to talk.

Although he observed the methods of other capable preachers, Sung was no imitator. Led by the Holy Spirit, he developed his own unique method of delivering the Gospel. During his sermon, he could be seen rushing back and forth on the platform, or even jumping over the Communion rail to stand in the aisle. Once in the aisle, he could point his finger at a face in the crowd (who could even be the church pastor!) to accuse the person of sin, after which he could jump back onto the communion rail to finish his sermon! And it was not unusual for him to break out into a Gospel song in the middle of a sermon.

In an age where there were no slide presentations, Sung was known to make use of props in his sermon. On one occasion, “he appeared carrying a miniature coffin half full of stones. These represented sins committed and the death which sin would bring. For every fresh sin committed a stone would be added to the load until the bearer was almost bowed down under the weight.”

His methods were directed to cut to the hearts of people, to make them aware of their sins. Often during his services both Christians and pre-believers alike could be seen coming forward to the altar, crying and confessing their sins. He unabashedly listed out sins like adultery, drunkenness, and gambling one by one (a practice that our politically correct modern day society would probably frown upon). After this, he would direct his audience to the Cross where all sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus.

Although his ministry lasted only 15 years and he passed away before his 43rd birthday, John Sung’s impact on the Chinese church – both in China and Southeast Asia – is still felt in conversion stories and testimonies today.

A Life in the Army

Evangeline Booth was definitely creative in her efforts to improve the lives of people through her work in the Salvation Army. As the daughter of William Booth, the co-founder of the Salvation Army, Evangeline (also known as Eva Cory Booth) grew up in the Army and went on to be one of its most beloved leaders. Moved by compassion for the poor of New York City, she undertook to create programs to feed school children, assist the elderly, provide emergency relief, supply aid to hospitals, and form bread lines. She even helped to establish hospitals for unwed mothers, a daring and compassionate move in early 19th century America.

She possessed multiple talents, such as singing and playing various musical instruments, as well as being a powerful speaker with a flair for the dramatic. She could think on her feet and was persistent as demonstrated by a story about her climbing through a window of the Army’s US office (after being locked out by rebellious colleagues) to effectively prevent a division among fellow officers.

Booth’s leadership was instrumental during World War I in providing aid to thousands of soldiers. Not someone to follow the beaten track, she even advocated for ladies in the Salvation Army to serve in Europe during World War I. These women, who served compassionately, proved to be a great encouragement to soldiers fighting on the bitter frontlines. She was recognized with a Distinguished Service Medal in October of 1919, an indication of the enormous respect for her dynamic leadership. An amazing 15 million dollars was raised by the Salvation Army in 1925 (a considerable sum during that era), certainly a testament to how much the public trusted the work of the Army during the post-war years.

Although not much is written concerning Evangeline, there should be more because we need stories of women like her who used their creative energies and talents to inspire and lead. Perhaps one lesson we may take from her is that she continuously found ways to present the Gospel during her life through speaking and works of service.

A Heart for China

When European Christians in the 19th century looked at the vast interior of China, most would probably have said, “So big! How to evangelize?” Hudson Taylor, on the other hand, would probably have said, “So big! How not to evangelize?” Where people saw no hope, he saw opportunity.

When Taylor arrived on the shores of Shanghai as a young 21 year old missionary in 1854, there were at most a few dozen European missionaries, most of whom were in the coastal urban cities of China. By the time he passed away in 1905, there were thousands of missionaries in all 18 provinces of the Middle Kingdom, many of whom were a part of the China Inland Mission (CIM), the mission organization Taylor founded. The vast increase in numbers was due in no small part to Hudson’s ministry.

Hudson Taylor was no ordinary chap who simply did what others were doing. He was gifted by God to be a pioneer. Whilst there were Catholic missionaries who dressed in Chinese clothing and even grew pigtails, this was a step too radical for Protestant missionaries at the time who looked at this with disdain. Taylor was amongst the first to adopt Chinese dressing and hairstyle. His reasoning was that in order to reach out to the people, one had to identify with them. Through such an approach, the locals would view Christianity as less of a Western religion than their own religion. Later on, he would require all the missionaries of the CIM to do likewise, and also to worship in Chinese styled buildings. All such practices are normal for the modern day missionary, but back in Hudson’s day it was against the flow of things.

Furthermore, whilst most missionaries of his day focused on the coastal cities (where living conditions were more comfortable), Hudson realized that in order to spread the Gospel effectively in China, the Gospel had to move inland, where the majority of the Chinese lived. When he started, there were 11 inland provinces that had not heard the Gospel and Taylor worked throughout his life to see that missionaries were sent to such places.

Another radical attitude he had was the way he viewed women. Contrary to the norm of the day, Taylor believed that a single missionary woman could be sent to distant missionary outposts, without the help of male companions. This is indeed a testimony of both the capability of the women and the trust Taylor placed in them.

There are more stories of how Taylor’s creativity impacted the mission field, but perhaps a story that happened after his death would best sum up the results of all this creativity:

“Just after Taylor died, a young Chinese evangelist looked upon his body and summed up Taylor’s most important legacy: ‘Dear and venerable pastor, we too are your little children. You opened for us the road to heaven. We do not want to bring you back, but we will follow you.’”

Whatever It Takes

Jackie Pullinger is not your usual missionary. But then again, with the drug addicts, prostitutes, and gangsters that she has been called to serve for the past forty plus years, she can be anything but usual.

In her early 20s, Pullinger hit one wall after another in her pursuit to become a missionary. She was either too young or too inexperienced. Finally, on the advice of a pastor, she left her home in England on a one way boat ticket to Hong Kong. When she arrived in 1966, Hong Kong’s “Walled City” was known as a lawless den for all sorts of crime and vice. But Pullinger was not one to be deterred. Unlike the usual “Walled City” missionaries who came with money and sermons for a while before returning back to the West, Pullinger approached things from a determined yet different perspective. Her day job was to teach at a primary school. But outside of that, she distributed food to the needy and assisted them to go to the hospital when they needed medical aid. She even stepped into the middle of gang fights, entreating the instigators to stop. Setting up a small youth club, the boys in it were mostly members of triads (Chinese underground societies). Gradually, as she gained their trust, she began to see them becoming Christians. Many of them began to kick their drug addictions by the grace of God, without going through withdrawal symptoms.

But not all addicts go through such an experience. Many found it difficult to quit their old habit. Over the years, her organization developed a unique way of helping addicts to overcome their dependence on drugs. Without medication, addicts are placed in a room for ten days straight. These addicts are surrounded by a group of former addicts who never leave them – and who constantly pray for them and support them. Talk about accountability. For those who go back into the habit after rehabilitation, a few more rounds of this intense cold turkey treatment are needed.

Over the past forty years, Pullinger’s ministry has become one of the most successful drug rehabilitation programs in the world. But beyond that, her life story has inspired countless others to strive for greater heights in helping those in the deepest lows.

These five individuals have impacted the lives of numerous people. Inspiration and courage often come from reading about what God has done in the life of another. So if you have an inkling of an idea for something that will benefit humanity— hey, it might just be the next big movement.

Adele Pucci is the Web Editor of the online edition of Eagles VantagePoint.

Eric Sung works as an Executive (Ministry) at Eagles Communications. He worships at Covenant Evangelical Free Church with his wife, Angeline.

References:
1. Corbin, Diana Fontaine. A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury. London: Sampson Low, 1888.
2. Lyall, Leslie. A Biography of John Sung. Singapore: Armour Publishing Pte Ltd, 2004.
3. “Hudson Taylor Faith Missionary to China.” Christianity Today. August 8, 2008. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/missionaries/htaylor.html?start=1 (accessed June 25, 2009).
4. Chao, Samuel. “Hudson Taylor and Missions to China: Did You Know?” Christianity Today Library. October 1, 1996. http://ctlibrary.com/ch/1996/issue52/52h002.html (accessed June 25, 2009).
5. Steer, Roger. “Pushing Inward.” Christianity Today Library. October 1, 1996. http://ctlibrary.com/ch/1996/issue52/52h10a.html (accessed June 25, 2009).
6. “Jackie Pullinger Telling the Story.” http://www.rejesus.co.uk/site/module/jackie_pullinger/P2/ (accessed June 19, 2009).
7. Baynham, Jacob. “Hong Kong missionary uses intensive prayer to help heroin addicts.” San Francisco Chronicle. December 14, 2007. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/14/MNIKT2BIA.DTL&feed=rss.news (accessed June 19, 2009).