By: rhbaker275 on September 12, 2013
I approached my reading of the text Doing Visual Ethnography by Sarah Pink from the perspective of a student being introduced to a whole new area of learning. My writing review, in the first person, reflects the nature of a new area of study. The book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding and creating visual…
By: David Toth on September 12, 2013
My wife and I are into “The Goodwife” tv series. The story line is of a politician’s wife who comes out of the domestic scene to restart her law career to provide for her family when her husband goes to prison for legal issues but who is also publicly shamed for an adulterous relationship. Alica, the good…
By: Fred Fay on September 12, 2013
The call to discipleship has been fraught with formulas, fill in the blank manuals and text-based instruction. The interesting thing is that Jesus did not teach in propositions, he created word pictures that people could see as he talked. He called the first disciples by saying, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on September 12, 2013
“Say, Cheese!” “Sonríe!” “Lächeln!” “Tabasamu!” “улыбаться!” These are just a few of the countries I have traveled to and taken pictures of wonderful people I have met. We all have pictures of things we have seen, places we have visited, and people we have met. Who would of “thunk” that there was such an enormous…
By: gfesadmin on September 12, 2013
My wife and I are into “The Goodwife” tv series. The story line is of a politician’s wife who comes out of the domestic scene to restart her law career to provide for her family when her husband goes to prison for legal issues but who is also publicly shamed for an adulterous relationship. Alica,…
By: Liz Linssen on September 12, 2013
Doing Visual Ethnography is full of practical considerations for the researcher embarking on this field of work. Pink places visual ethnography firmly within the field of anthropology and examines quite a number of important considerations around integrity and process in this increasingly recognized area of research. From the question of ethics and the large subjectivity…
By: Michael Badriaki on September 12, 2013
During a busy week of work, family and school related activities, Pink’s book “Doing Sensory Ethnography” was an insightful read. The adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” did not stand a chance because from the onset. I was immediately impressed by the green, red, coffee brown, pink, ice cream picture on the front…
By: Garrick Roegner on September 12, 2013
In The Sacred Gaze: Religious Visual Culture in Theory and Practice, author David Morgan explores the connections between visual culture and religious practice and feelings. He makes the case that images have real power over people and communities of faith, and are even used to impose power or convince others. Morgan explains that the world…
By: Phil Smart on September 12, 2013
A talisman is an object that is believed to hold magical or mystical powers. We all subscribe to various talismans – I think. It can be something very simple, such as wearing the same shirt on a special day. Tiger Woods is one who always wears red on the Sundays of each golf tournament, believing…
By: Chris Ellis on September 12, 2013
In The Sacred Gaze, David Morgan expounds upon how images can impact our view and understanding of reality. He writes, “Sacred gaze is a term that designates the particular configuration of ideas, attitudes, and customs that informs a religious act of seeing as it occurs within a given cultural and historical setting. A sacred gaze…
By: Sharenda Roam on September 12, 2013
Jesus – Idol or Icon? As we arrived at church on Sunday morning in St. Louis this past weekend, my three year old nephew asked my Mom, “Mimi, did God make Jesus or did Jesus make God?” My Mom and I looked at each other and then she quickly answered, “There’s one God with three…
By: Richard Rhoads on September 12, 2013
I had just finished eating while taking in a stunning sunset located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. And now, the time had come, what I had waited for and long anticipating for almost 35 years, a ride across the Sea of Galilee at night. I could hardly contain myself as I…
By: Ashley Goad on September 11, 2013
Warning: before we go any further, you must know I love pictures. I am nearly addicted to Instagram and documenting my life through pictures. My kids and my youth groups accuse me often of being the paparazzi, embarrassing them to no end, and documenting every life event from plates of food to birthday parties to baseball…
By: Sandy Bils on September 11, 2013
In the post of last “Scared of art” I already reflected on art and theology, inspired by William A. Dyrness’ “Visual faith – art, theology and worship in dialogue”. This week I want to take a deeper look into David Morgans “Sacred gaze. Religious visual culture in theory and practice.” A lot of what Morgan…
By: Mark Steele on September 8, 2013
Dyrness in his book Visual Faith examines the past history of Christian art and the need to rejuvenate the practice for many reasons. Among his reasons are to worship, share the gospel and to communicate God’s truths with a media driven generation (Dyrness, 2001). While reflecting about these concepts, I was drawn to look back…
By: Clint Baldwin on September 7, 2013
Paul and Elder’s The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools is a concise work that packs a considerable amount of material between its covers. The insights are solid and accompanied by an engaging and helpful set of diagrams that further elucidate the authors’ perspectives. Overall, the authors’ goal in this text is rather straightforward…
By: Cedrick Valrie on September 7, 2013
In the natural and to the naked eye, there is not much special about water, food, and a community of people that are wandering in the desert. From an ancient perspective, such resources are a sign of strength, provision, and wealth. From a modern perspective, water and food are commonly viewed as necessities, while building…
By: John Woodward on September 6, 2013
Richard Paul and Linda Elder’s The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking, 6th ed. is a tremendously helpful and brief tool for reasoning and research. While filled with much helpful advice, what these authors do so well is provide a laundry list of potential pit-falls that researchers often unknowingly fall into. These include recognizing that one’s…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on September 6, 2013
Reading Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking concepts and Tools, 6th ed. has been an eye opening for me. I am not a critical thinker and I really need to learn how to cultivate critical thinking. Reading this book took me back to my middle school and high school experience…
By: Sam Stephens on September 6, 2013
In all my years of ministry, even though I have enjoyed art, I have never given it serious thought and consideration as one that adds value to ministry. My protestant puritanical upbringing has not allowed me to reflect upon its value and worth in worship and discipleship. Reading Visual Faith – Art, Theology and Worship…
