ReNew York is a ministry that follows God to love artists and create transcendent work in community. We strive to bring healthy spirituality to those who create culture in this world, to honor people who were made in the image of their Creator, and to cultivate the earth in this modern context.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve tried to condense a lot of dense theology and study into brief answers; if you want to know more:
What is the Biblical role of the Arts?
Biblically, the arts are meant to guide people into spiritual experiences. The people we now call “artists” might best be translated as “imaginative craftsmen” in the Bible, and they were specifically commissioned, anointed, and paid to apply their specialties in spaces of worship. One clear example is in the building of the temple, and Exodus 35:30-36:2 details the special talents of the artist and the importance of their obedience to the Lord. God called for their involvement that his temple would be beautiful and artistic, full of symbols pointing towards His presence. Indeed, the Old Testament temple was directly modeled after the throne room of heaven: Exodus 25:9,40 and Hebrews 8:5 makes that clear.
But this is just one application of the arts. 1 Samuel 16:14-23 details how spiritual deliverance can come through music; Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God sings. Indeed, the Bible itself is a kind of artwork, containing far less didactic teaching than narrative and poetry. We have an entire book of Psalms to reveal how God values creative communication! God’s first revelation of Himself, in the beginning, was as a Creator; and being made in his image, human creativity is intended to point back to Him. So pieces of art are more than the sum of their parts, and we can emerge from a concert or film and with a sense of our hearts coming “back” to earth from some experience, primed for deep discussion.
The power of the arts to communicate spiritual truths is significant to the forming of our society and beliefs, and so involvement is critical. Imagine the result if Saul’s harpist in 1 Samuel 16 followed a false god? If he were, himself, without hope? Today, our call to cultivate the earth can be best translated as a call to culture-making.“Beauty will save the world,” said Fyodor Dostoevsky, whose writing reflected his faith in Christ. We artistic craftsmen who know true beauty must follow God and use our talents to make transcendentally Good culture.
Why invest in other Artists?
In this day and age, with more and more distrust towards traditional forms of authority, our generation has turned to artists to be the mouthpiece. Artists are no longer responsible only for their work; they are expected to develop holistic “lifestyle brands,” to be marketing tools people long to emulate, and expected to speak out on all matters political and moral. Artists today are punished for silence where people think they must speak out; they are subject to boycott if they neglect certain values, or if they hold unpopular political beliefs. Yet this “tongue” of our generation is working, often, from a place of confusion and/or their own ambitions. James 3:15-16 warns us about such blind leadership: “This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”
But the need for artists to understand the gospel isn’t just for others to receive better leadership; artists desperately need the gospel, too. Because the arts are spiritual, artists are spiritually sensitive. They are full of spiritual curiosity and often create from a place of seeking; Consider the artistry of forging a golden calf to worship! When that curiosity is continually met with confusing or fatalistic philosophies, with high expectations and isolation… Why, it is no wonder that creatives are more likely to struggle with depression, anxiety, addiction, and suicide! There is a reason for the stereotype of the “tortured arteest.” Without the good news, they are left spiritually in a very dark place.
Rather than leave them to confusion and isolation, we desire to nurture them into spiritual healthiness and community. It is our hope that they may know the radical, abundant love of God--and through them, all people may come to experience it themselves!
Why New York City?
Have you ever looked at Paul’s missionary journeys? Where did he choose to focus his ministry efforts, over the course of his life? If you take time to look at his letters -- to Corinth, Colossae, Ephesus… -- Or if you look at one of those nifty maps in the back of many study Bibles, there is a pretty clear pattern: Paul specifically targets multicultural port cities. He was very strategic, bringing the gospel to the places that would spread the message to the rest of the world. If we are to look at the New Testament as any kind of model for how to reach the whole world, cities like New York City must be considered a high priority! And yet, when New Yorkers are asked about who Jesus is, their answers are overwhelming non-Christian. While most New Yorkers believe in some kind of God or higher power, many say they’re not sure or it doesn’t affect their daily lives.
New York City is a global influence and the origin of significant cultural forces. Since we hope to reach culture at its source, it only makes sense to base our ministry here! This, and the fact that it gathers thousands of artists, provides for us an ideal setting to meet, connect, and create in community.
We’d love to share more about the history of rebirth and revival in NYC, or how we think today’s city is ripe for the relief of the gospel. Come join us on a vision trip or prayer walk!
Do you make “Christian art”?
Yes, but not the way you might think! There’s a tendency that I’ve heard jokingly called the “cross-dove-fish-syndrome”, which is this false idea that using religious symbols or churchy sub-culture language is the only way to make Christian art.
The reality of art is that it is autobiographical. That is why God’s art shares His truth and His story; consider Romans 1:19-20, or Psalm 19:1-16. In God’s creative expressions through nature, we catch glimpses of who He is, even if leaves aren’t cross-shaped and human bodies aren’t glowing. Likewise, the Christian artist who creates with worshipful and prayerful intent makes “Christian art” because it autobiographically points to his or her life — which is Christ.
In Art & the Bible, Francis Schaeffer discusses how, in Exodus 28:33, God instructed the Israelites to make blue pomegranates on the robes of the priest who went into the Holy of Holies. Blue pomegranates are not very religious-sounding, and neither do they actually exist. But God ordained it to be--and for His worship, no less! We think this sets a helpful precedent in understanding the creative freedom that God has given us.
What is Artists in Christian Testimony International?
Artists in Christian Testimony International (or A.C.T. Int’l) is a missions sending organization. This means that they oversee our ministry and serve as a source of accountability, organization, equipping, and support for ReNew York. They meet specific practical needs, like taking care of paperwork, payroll, and taxes for our non-profit, for a 10% cut of funds raised. This is a relatively low percentage of overhead for a non-profit, especially considering how much they train and assist us!
Many famous sending organizations focus on providing training specific to particular missions fields. For example, InterVarsity trains missionaries to be sent to college campuses — but anyone who they train can be a missionary, whether you studied accounting or philosophy, whether you’ve worked or you’re starting straight out of school. They concentrate on teaching all these different types of people how to contextualize the gospel to care for college students, and how to do outreach on college campuses.
A.C.T. Int’l, on the other hand, equips people for a broad variety of missions fields and strategies. They have departments all over the world. Many are involved in music ministry, traveling and giving conferences; some work in film; some write; some host pottery lessons. They don’t focus on one certain mission field, but rather, on equipping a particular kind of missionary; A.C.T. Int’l specifically works with artists and integrates their work and mission.
ReNew York is a department of A.C.T. Int’l, and it is somewhat unique, since NYC has a whole community of artists in easy reach. ReNew York seeks to multiply the vision of A.C.T. Int’l, and reaches out in particular to other artists to make disciples there. As such, ReNew York particularly benefits from A.C.T. Int’l’s training and is eager to not only minister with our own work, but equip other artists to do the same.
To learn more, you can check out their website.
What is the gospel?
The gospel is our favorite story to tell. It’s a Greek word that means “Good News,” and put broadly, it is whatever Good News you might be craving to hear. We believe for every person with unmet desires, with restless longings for something more, with a craving to be loved just as they are -- We believe there is good news that every need is met by someone infinitely powerful and infinitely loving.
Have you ever felt like you’re made for more? The Good News is, you were. It begins with a God who loves relationship, and created people to be His. But then, something horrible happened. We broke off this relationship. We chose Knowledge of Good and Evil, trading trust in God for self-dependence, and thus we were left with a long list of things we know we should and shouldn’t do and this horrible realization that we couldn’t measure up to such a standard. We wanted to “be like God,” the Bible says, but since we weren’t God, the burden is more than we are meant to carry.
Have you ever felt like, no matter how hard you try, you can’t do or be or have enough? The Good News is, you can’t. The Bible explains how we experienced brokenness in our relationships, brokenness within ourselves, brokenness in our work, and brokenness in our spiritual endeavors. Everything continually came up short, and suffering and pain entered despite even the best human efforts. The Bible chronicles God continuing a relationship with us, but it is a costly relationship, maintained by a system of imperfect sacrifices to temporarily restore our relationship to God and take on the deadly debt we owe.
But the Good News is, you don’t have to do or have or be enough; God is enough, and He’s done the work for us. God loves us too much to leave us in this hopelessness. He promised, right at the beginning, that there would be a coming perfect sacrifice, and instead of us reaching up as high as we can and falling short, God Himself came down. Through Jesus Christ, He dressed in flesh and met us where we were. Jesus perfectly lived the way humanity was supposed to, became the perfect sacrifice that God promised, and — being God — was so strong that he defeated death. He took on every burden our brokenness created, and he offers that we might share in His victory; Jesus traded our death for His life.
The Good News is, there is new life for all who would choose it: Jesus’s sacrifice is in an invitation into restored relationship with God! All that is required is to see the truth and ask for it, to let your old life die with Jesus that you might experience the new life He designed for you. Accepting it means calling Jesus Savior, because He rescued us from sin and death. It also means calling Him Lord, restoring Him to the throne and choosing to trust Him over ourselves again.