Dean, School of the Arts, Media + Culture
\nTrinity Western University<\/p>\n
The idea of launching an academic journal aimed at the intersection of the arts and Christian faith in the third millenium of the Christian era brings to my mind many things, not the least of which is the phrase in medias res<\/em>. The relationship between artistic creativity and faith is as long as human existence. This conversation has been going on for quite some time, with each new generation contributing their ideas and making their mark. This journal is very much in the midst\u2014it joins something very broad and deep, something already in motion. <\/span><\/p>\n Another word comes to mind with the idea of entering something already in motion: incarnation. When the Word became flesh he entered into the midst of life. He entered the stage, joined the conversation, took up the dance. And the dance changed because of his presence. The launch of this journal invites and provokes new ideas, new scholarship, and new creative activity to enter the conversation. And the conversation will be changed because of these new births. This is the wonder of incarnation.<\/span><\/p>\n As an academic journal it is aptly named. The verge is the edge, where one thing leaves off and we plunge into something\/somewhere else. For some the verge is a limit beyond which we fear to go, but which indeed opens up into new territory as we take the leap of faith. This journal by its very nature will invite scholars to look beyond that which has been yet seen and understood, to take risks as they formulate new ways of seeing and understanding, and to explore new territory beyond the familiar. Each new generation has grappled with the intersection of the arts and Christian faith, often producing some defining language in the process. The journey beyond the edge\/verge of past generations\u2019 discussions is the open invitation of this journal.<\/span><\/p>\n The School of the Arts, Media and Culture at Trinity Western University is proud to be hosting this academic journal. The Verge is a natural outgrowth of our vibrant community of scholarly inquiry and creative exploration, informed as we are by the rich Christian understandings and traditions that frame our academic disciplines. Trinity Western University exists so that through its faculty and students the world will experience Christ\u2019s truth, compassion, reconciliation, and hope. As scholars from around the globe explore \u201cthe multiplicity of intersections between artistic theory\/practice and Christian faith\u201d (journal home page description), and as we come together to the verge, knowing we join the conversation in medias res<\/em>, we anticipate new birth: truth, compassion, reconciliation, and hope for a new generation.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by David Squires Dean, School of the Arts, Media + Culture Trinity Western University The idea of launching an academic …