Lesson 21

Prophetic Art

Scott McElroy is an author, artist, and art minister in Indianapolis, IN.

What is Prophetic Art? The word prophecy has some wild associations, but it actually refers to the comfort and
love God offers each person on the planet, and His will to touch him or her with the knowledge of His love. Usually
we see people experience this as a simple, a-ha moment of GOD SEES ME! HE REALLY DOES KNOW ME!
Or sometimes, in a group of artists, we might feel where God is leading our congregation corporately, beginning as a loose set of visual ideas, and evolving into specific images and scriptures for a specific time for our
congregation that wont be as relevant a year later. The reveal always enjoys God-ordained timing, too.
Sometimes, prophecy can suggest specifics about Gods plans for somebodys life, but such a prophetic word
should be offered with caution, humility, and the acceptance that we can be wrong as humans. We must
always offer such words as optional, asking if the person is open to hearing it, and given as a humble blessing
rather than an air of Thus Saith The Lord. Always implore the receiver to pray and consult scripture regarding
any prophetic word offered. True God-breathed prophecy never contradicts the Word of God.
Types of Prophetic Art: All these kinds of prophetic art have value to us and to our Savior.
1. Live art made in front of others, often with a simple or layered meaning (the type addressed in this video).
2. Art made in community thats not for an end result, listening for God in the process and responding to the
marks that were made before us; good in small or large groups, this can speak to one of the participants or all.
3. Art made in solitude over a period of time, to speak to a future audience.
4. Art made in solitude as a form of prayer to an audience of One (not for human eyes).
5. Art made over months of prayer, preparation, and artistic planning, in solitude or in community.
6. Art made with no preparation at all, just responding to God (we encourage artistic training for this type!)
7. Visio Divina: Asking Christ to minister to you through artwork you view and experience, no matter who made it.
8. Personal Prophetic Art: A simple drawing or impressions/marks made in an act of prayer and listening to God,
where you ask God for a specific image for a specific person youll encounter now or later (can be a friend or a
stranger), and you offer the image to that person as a blessing and evidence of Gods presence in their life.
9. Art made as a commission or commercial art, with a hidden or layered meaning; this meaning can be
intentionally built in by the artist or by God Himself, and revealed to one or to many, right away or later.
There is much overlap among expressions of prophetic art. We cannot put God into a box of any kind!

Lesson 21

Prophetic Art

Watch the video Creating Prophetic Art

Creating artwork live for other people is addressed in this video by J. Scott McElroy.
Scott generally refers to live painting because he is a painter, but there are many other forms of art that can be
created besides a painting. We embrace all forms of the arts!
Please take notes on any references you want to remember from this video. The VineArts team is at work preparing an in-depth workshop and roundtable discussion on the topic of Creating Live Art as part of the Creative
Church Conference in Boise, Idaho on July 28-31, 2016. We welcome you to join the discussion!

Homework in Step 3: Answer the Discussion Questions

1. (The Creative Church Handbook, page 143.) Tell a person youre doing an assignment for school, and follow the
instructions for sitting with that person, praying, and asking God for a specific word or image. Share how it went.
2. Respectfully tell us your thoughts about this book, Scotts video, and your experience on this topic with your
classmates this week. Finding Divine Inspiration by J. Scott McElroy is a great resource; aim to read the whole book
by the end of this course to strengthen your understanding of how God can speak to us in our art making.

Theology and the Arts Project: Week of March 29 - April 3

Keep working on your project! Upload photos of your final work to your class as soon as you are able, and comment on the work of your classmates. Project is due Friday, April 24, but finishing it earlier would be sweet!