Recapturing Beauty

In a time long ago far across the great sea there was a place of beauty and wonder, a place of awe and mystery. It was a kingdom where artists were mentored and encouraged to create works of great beauty. They were expected to create works of splendor whether for the eye, the ear, the heart or simply to captivate or enthrall their audience. This kingdom was called the Christian Church and the buildings where it met were filled with beauty and magnificence proclaiming the greatness of the Great King, which it served. At a point many ages ago the church divided into two parts and while the eastern section of the kingdom kept the emphasis on beauty, the western part centered on logic and reason to the point where walking into a western church you weren’t sure whether it was a house of God or a public storage facility. But in the right time there arose within the western church a loosely held together rebel alliance. This alliance desired to create truly great art and not simply just mediocre art or flat out propaganda. Men and women like Dick Staub, Makoto Fujimura, Luci Shaw, Stephen Lawhead, Jeffrey Overstreet, Scott Cairns and others are dedicated to creating magnificent works of splendor and beauty. Musicians such as Dave Bainbridge, Steve Lawson, Jeff Johnson, Steve Babb & Fred Schendel are creating some of the best modern music that I have ever heard. The purpose of this blog series will be to introduce you the reader to some of the most profound art being created today. I can’t think of a better way to start than introducing you to my friend Dave Bainbridge. Dave is one of the primary writers behind the band Iona. They have been creating brilliant music for well over twenty years now, falling under the genre of progressive music. His current solo project is called “The Remembering” and is available through the web site, davebainbridge.com. The video clip connected to this blog is of Dave’s band Iona performing a tune called “Edge Of The World”.

I hope that these blogs will awaken in you a desire to search out great works of art whether that be music, film, literature, poetry or that vast wasteland called television. There is so much more to discover out there, don’t settle for second best.