A sermon by another name

I am a preacher, by calling, gifting and training. Much of my life is devoted to the attempt to challenge reality with a better version of itself. In many ways I try to act as a connector, connecting the finite with the infinite, the limited with the limitless, and the hopeless with the source of inextinguishable hope. I have just watched a 16 minute sermon, in which the words Gospel, God, Jesus or hope were never mentioned. That said – it represented an approach to the world and a healthy disrespect for reality which set my soul alive. It combined serious engagement with playful humour and creative genius with psychological analysis, all presented with a winsome self-deprecating candour.  You can watch it yourself here, as artist and designer Kelli Anderson talks about her work.

In case you can’t spare the full 16 minutes just now – here are some juicy highlights for you:

“The world is full of order that doesn’t necessarily deserve our respect”

“It prompts us to mess things up and do something better with the basic pieces of experience”

In her talk Kelli contends that “We sleepwalk through our assumptions about the authority of media”. Her attempt to address that particular issue is below:

Image: kellianderson.com

One of Kelli’s most interesting projects was the creation of a spoof New York Times on November 12th 2008. In it, she says, “We made a blueprint for a better world” (Note the text in the box at the top left of the two newspapers above – Kelli’s special version is on the right). Some of the finest preachers in the history of the Christian church would be happy to hear their work described in exactly the same way, don’t you think?

Until Tuesday of this week, I had never heard of disruptive wonder, the spoof New York Times, nor of Kelli Anderson. For that my path had to intersect with a fellow creative communicator, who nudged me in this particular direction. I am more convinced than ever that the future of creative communication and world-changing theology is collaborative. Not only that, but the parameters of that collaboration may be wider than any of us had ever realised.