By: Aaron Cole on September 16, 2016
Introduction: Visual Faith: Art, Theology and Worship in Dialogue by William A. Dryness is a culturally engage look at the foundation, history and present interaction and conflict of perspectives on the subject of “visual faith” in the church. By the book’s title, Dryness defines “visual faith” as all forms of artistic expression in church past…
By: Garfield Harvey on September 16, 2016
C.S. Lewis writes that “My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others.” We often declare that faith is about seeing something before “seeing it” so the visual arts allows us to see the world in its entirety, even if it’s an “Imagined World.” In reading this book, we’ll…
By: Chip Stapleton on September 16, 2016
Like many students that have been assigned one of Sarah Pink’s books, or any like it, my first thought upon opening Doing Visual Ethnography was, ‘What is Visual or any other form of ethnography?’ Pink’s gives this definition of ethnography (34) : a methodology…. an approach to experiencing, interpreting and representing experience, culture, society and material and…
By: Kevin Norwood on September 15, 2016
At Oklahoma State University in the Student Union Amphitheater every month there was a night of worship that drew students from across the campus and around the state. At these monthly meeting there was a melting pot of musicians that would collaborate to create an atmosphere of freedom and creativity to express feelings toward God. …
By: Pablo Morales on September 15, 2016
Have you ever walked into a cathedral filled with statues depicting the life of Jesus? Have you ever seen walls covered with gold as they display paintings of biblical themes? I have often seen it throughout Latin America. In most cities rooted in Spanish colonialism, there are Catholic cathedrals that display beautiful art. Yet, the…
By: Phil Goldsberry on September 15, 2016
Introduction William Dyrness grapples with what the church has allowed to enter the “eye gate” both historically and in today’s contemporary world. The arts have ranged in their gamut from being “idolic” (my own word referencing idols) to iconic. Dryness took us back in time when he stated that, “The visual culture of the early…
By: Marc Andresen on September 15, 2016
“All of Creation is a Theater for God’s Glory” [1] And with that my soul was captured. I believe this is the most vision-producing theme in William Dyrness’ book, Visual Faith: Art, Theology, and Worship in Dialogue. If we are to follow the author’s lead and encourage dialogue involving art, theology, and worship, then can…
By: Jim Sabella on September 15, 2016
Historically, “words/text” were the lingua franca of the ethnographer’s world. However, there has been a shift in the understanding of how knowledge is gathered and represented. As well, there has been a surge in technological advancement that has made the equipment and production of media more assessable and its dissemination quicker and easier. This is…
By: Aaron Peterson on September 15, 2016
One of my favorite moments from our time in Hong Kong last year was when Martyn Percy showed us The Scorpion from Stanely Spencer’s “Christ in the Wilderness” series. Viewing this image was such a powerful experience for me. I appreciated everything Dr. Percy said as I took notes vigorously. However, what penetrated my soul…
By: Stu Cocanougher on September 15, 2016
Doing Visual Ethnography by Sara Pink is a window into the world of visual ethnographers. This field of study seems to be a combination of the fields of anthropology, sociology, journalism, and the visual arts. Reading this book caused me to search the internet to look at some works of visual ethnographers cited in this…
By: Claire Appiah on September 15, 2016
Introduction William Dyrness is a prolific writer who has published works in several fields including theology and culture, apologetics, theology and art, and global missions. He has taught in the United States, Africa, and Asia. Dyrness is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Dyrness indicates that the purpose of this book is to “extend…
By: Jason Kennedy on September 15, 2016
Twice a week, I get the great joy of picking my girls up from school. It is something I look forward to every time. There is one part of the trip that I really despise though. There is an intersection at the corner of the school that is pretty impossible to navigate. When you…
By: Katy Drage Lines on September 15, 2016
Understanding ethnographic methodologies The goal of ethnographic research is so that “we may arrive at a closer understanding of the worlds that other people live in” (36). Visually, “photographs, videos and other images… do not necessarily take on the status of being knowledge about the research question or findings in themselves, but rather can be…
By: Mary Walker on September 15, 2016
After reading “Doing Sensory Ethnography” by Sarah Pink, I realized that without knowing that it was called “sensory ethnography”, I have probably been practicing a “process of creating and representing knowledge or ways of knowing that are based on ethnographers’ own experiences and the way these intersect with the persons, places and things encountered during…
By: Kristin Hamilton on September 14, 2016
My daughter, Grace, is an incredible visual ethnographer and she does not even know it. I imagine it is that way with many of her generation. As she goes through life, she documents the people and experiences in a way that offers a lens that not only invites others into the experience, but also allows…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on September 14, 2016
Technology has transformed the way we live our lives. From the way we interact with others to the way we connect and share with those around us. It has informed the way we engage in understanding other cultures and therefore expanding our worldview. With this great transformation comes new ways and methods by which we…
By: Lynda Gittens on September 14, 2016
LGP7 DOING VISUAL ETHNOGRAPHY The author has written on this subject before and based on the current technology, she decided to update her writing to include these new era of ideas. She stated that this book maybe geared more toward researchers. This statement encouraged me to be more attentive to what was written. I must…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on September 14, 2016
“A picture is worth a thousand words” can be the sentence summary for the book “Doing Visual Ethnography” authored by Pink. I found myself contemplating the power of the picture. As the senses are alerted, emotions provoked, and curiosity peaked, the viewer is drawn into the visual as they wrestle through a variety of emotions…
By: Rose Anding on September 14, 2016
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV) “But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, and the deep…
By: Geoff Lee on September 14, 2016
Jason mentioned recently his desire to throw a book across a room in frustration at the contorted writing of the author. While I did not ultimately use this book as a projectile, it was a close run thing, and the volume did teeter on the tips of my fingers on several occasions. First of…
