Creativity is not just for artists. It’s a calling for all Christians. That’s according to church leader Al Gordon, whose new book Spark promises to “unleash your God-given creativity”
Having followed Rev Al Gordon’s journey at SAINT church in East London - which includes dreaming up a conference for Christian creatives called Renaissance, restoring a crumbling 18th century church situated on Hackney’s infamous “murder mile”, and starting a brewery, a bakery and a bee-keeping project – for some time, I was sold on the concept of Spark (Zondervan) from the start.
The basic premise of the book is simple: God is infinitely creative. Therefore, it stands to reason that we, his created beings, are also creative by design. However, this creativity can become stifled – by a Church that doesn’t understand it or by our own fears, disappointments and failures. Sometimes, we need a small spark to ignite our God-given creativity again.
So far, so as expected, perhaps. But if you’re reading this and thinking: I’m not a creative, so therefore this book isn’t for me, I’d challenge you to think again. “All of human life is creative,” says Gordon in Spark’s opening pages (which also includes a self-deprecating story about his first foray into beekeeping that segues neatly into an object lesson about not giving up in the face of your first failure). “Every act of self-expression, every flicker of imagination, the way you work, the way you love, the stories you tell, the relationships you build. From the smallest habit to your biggest dream, your very being bristles with creativity.”
Organised around four “movements” – imagination, inspiration, innovation and impact – the book is filled with inspirational stories that chart Gordon’s relocation to a dying Anglican church in a crime-ridden inner London borough and its transformation into the dynamic, multi-site church community that it is today. These are not intended to be triumphalist, and he does a good job at sharing the challenges along with the celebrations.
Alongside personal anecdotes and quotes from famous philosophers, writers and thinkers, Gordon provides a strong theological framework and plenty of Bible references to support his argument that “creativity is a sacred calling” for all Christians – whether you’re a scientist, schoolteacher, painter, poet, coder, business leader or bus driver. His enthusiasm is infectious, although some analogies – in particular bread making as an illustration of the ingredients necessary for innovation – are stretched a little thin. But on the whole, this is a book that is hard to fault.
Each chapter is split into small, readable chunks that also include questions for reflection (challenges) and ideas for practical application (hacks), as well as a section intended to be worked through in a small group setting (or “spark circle”).
On many levels, I knew that I would enjoy this book. That I would definitely recommend it to my photography-mad, 20-year-old art student daughter. What I wasn’t prepared for were the conversations that it started with her sister, a couple of years younger and immersed in the high stress of revising for science exams and attempting to apply to medical school.
And this, in many ways, is the true beauty of Spark, and the highest recommendation that I can give it: it isn’t about painting, writing or making music – or any of those disciplines that we may consider to be traditionally ‘creative’. It’s about seeing the output of our whole lives as worship to God; work that can be ignited and inspired by the presence of the Holy Spirit, if only we see it that way and invite Him into the process.
Gordon argues at the start of the book that this need is now more urgent than ever. That in a world of artificial intelligence, dominated by the algorithm, there is a critical need for Christians to bring their God-given gifts, talents and abilities to a lost and broken world. We are God’s rescue plan, and our creative minds are where the fun begins.
Spark: Ignite your God-Given Creativity (Zondervan) by Al Gordon is out now
No comments yet