ISSUE No. 47 | JULY 2024
WELCOME
If you’re new to CULTIVARE we welcome you! CULTIVARE is a monthly field guide for life and faith, brought to you by TEND. Each month we explore a specific “field” – a topic or theme through which we seek to cultivate contemplation, engagement, and deeper understanding. Our guiding questions are:
What are you cultivating in your life?
What fruit do you want your life to bear?
Each issue of CULTIVARE is structured into three parts:
Cultivate: Examines a specific “Field” or facet of life and offers questions to unearth and challenge our held perspective; along with concise kernels of truth which we call “Seeds.”
Irrigate: Explores the ways we nurture our understanding, which varies from individual to individual. We offer six means of irrigation: Art, Poetry, Profile, Film, Essay, and Books.
Germinate: Encourages practical ways to engage in becoming more fruitful and free in our lives.
Our name, CULTIVARE, in Spanish means “I will cultivate.” We hope each issue of our field guide will encourage you to do just that – cultivate new thoughts, actions, faith, hope, and fruitful living. We invite you to dig in and DIG DEEP!
FIELD
For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field.
(I Corinthians 3:9)
Our theme this month is IMAGE. What do you think of when you think of image? A projection of strength or success? A picture of what you want others to believe? A superficial representation? Or a reflection of true character and nature?
The word “image” has its roots in the Latin word imitari, meaning “to copy or imitate.” When you reflect on your life, who have you sought to imitate? What characteristics have you striven to copy and embody?
If you look to Dictionary.com it lists over a dozen definitions for “image” including: 1) a physical likeness or representation; 2) a mental idea or concept; 3) a form or appearance; 4) a type or embodiment; 5) a description of something; 6) a representation of a deity. If you look to the Bible you will find in the very first chapter these words: Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness. This scriptural passage does not mean that God is in human form, but rather, that humans are made like God in their spiritual, moral, and intellectual nature. How do you go about integrating this biblical truth into your daily life?
In this issue we look at image through a dual lens: What does it mean for us to be made in the image of God? And, what leads us away from that understanding and embodiment? As you read this issue you will encounter famed historical iconographer Andrei Rublev as well as a short film on modern-day iconography. We feature an essay entitled “Adoption, Image, and God’s Love,” along with two profiles – one on the mythical creature Narcissus, and one on the cultural juggernaut known as social media. We also highlight some engaging books and films on the topic.
We hope this issue will encourage you to first take a serious look at yourself and how God uniquely made you in His image – made you beautiful and mysterious and awe-inspiring. And second, to remember that everyone you know, everyone you encounter, also embodies God’s image, God’s goodness, God’s divine nature. What implications does this have for you? What changes would you like to make in your life and your relationships? Perhaps a starter is to draw perspective form this Jewish proverb: “Before every person there marches an angel proclaiming, ‘Behold, the image of God.’” Behold indeed! (DG)
***
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 NIV)
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
(2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Colossians 1:15 NRSV).
Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; Woe to him who says to wood,
‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”
(Habakkuk 2:18-19 NIV)
SEEDS
A handful of quotes to contemplate and cultivate into your life
The image of God carries with it the right not to be mistreated or harmed... Regardless of their record or character, all human beings have an irreducible glory and significance to them, because God loves them…So we must treasure each and every human being as a way of showing due respect for the majesty of their owner and Creator. (Timothy Keller)
As image-bearers of the same Father, each one of us reflects a different aspect of the beauty of God. When we separate ourselves from others who are different from us, we cannot see the fullness of the beauty of God. (David Docusen)
The opposite of faith is not doubt: It is certainty. It is madness. You can tell you have created God in your own image when it turns out that he or she hates all the same people you do. (Anne Lamott)
People today are trying to hang on to the dignity of man, but they do not know how to, because they have lost the truth that man is made in the image of God... We are watching our culture put into effect the fact that when you tell men long enough that they are machines, it soon begins to show in their actions. You see it in our whole culture -- in the theater of cruelty, in the violence in the streets, in the death of man in art and life. (Francis A. Schaeffer)
Augustine taught that true freedom is not choice or lack of constraint, but being what you are meant to be. Humans were created in the image of God. True freedom, then, is not found in moving away from that image but only in living it out. (Augustine of Hippo)
When you feel overwhelmed, remember this: people are sacred, created in the image of God. Systems are not. They are only worth the people in them and the people they serve. And people are to be treated, whether one or many, the way Jesus Christ treated people. (Diane Langberg)
Let's stop trying to make God in our image. (Brother Pedro)
When we first read about the image of God in people in Genesis 1, we have as yet heard nothing about God as redeemer or the God of providence or the covenant God or the God of moral truth. The one thing that we know about God is that he created the world. In its immediate narrative context, then, the doctrine of the image of God in people emphasizes that people, are, like God, creators. (Leland Ryken)
Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other – that man, that woman, that child is my brother or my sister. If everyone could see the image of God in his neighbor, do you think we should still need tanks and generals? (Mother Teresa)
ART
Andrei Rublev & Iconography
by Greg Ehlert
In our twenty-first century Western society, it is easy to forget that for most of Christian history very few people had the opportunity to become literate. Verbal stories and drawn images have been the primary media for communicating the truth of the Gospel for centuries and continue to impact and shape faith today. From the symbols and secret codes of the first century like the fish (ichthys) and the anchor (symbolizing hope and steadfast faith), the frescoes of the catacombs depicting biblical stories, and early Christological images influenced by Roman art, Christians have been telling the story of Jesus with storied images from the beginning.
During Medieval times, the Church communicated through powerful architectural designs as well as icons and mosaics. Icons had a key function of assisting in corporate liturgy and personal devotional practices. Iconography is a compound word based in the Greek words εἰκών (image) and γράφειν (to write/draw). Iconographers “write” the icons versus “painting” them which is a key distinction worth noting. Icons are created to represent spiritual truths to the observer/worshipper. Unlike a painting where the interpretation is in the hands of the artist, an icon is written to communicate the objective truths communicated by the Holy Spirit. Icons have been understood as a representation of scripture in visual form as they communicate multi-layered truths in their shapes, figures, postures, and colors. Rather than looking “at” an icon on a surface level, Christians seek to allow the icon to communicate spiritual realities as they look through them to the truths they represent.
In the fifteenth century, iconography was widely used in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. Historically, one of the best-known iconographers is Andrei Rublev, the Russian artist who "wrote" (e.g. painted) the Trinity in 1410. An adaptation of the icon “Hospitality of Abraham,” Rublev removed Abraham and Sarah from the scene in Genesis 18 to represent the Trinity with three angels around the table. The Father (left) has his head up representing his role as the source who sends the Son and the Holy Spirit. His robe is mostly gold which communicates his eternality, divine glory and uncreated light. His hand gesture is seen as a blessing, identifying his fatherhood and authority.
The son, the figure in the center, represents Jesus Christ, of course. Often depicted as slightly bowing his head towards the Father which communicates his submission and obedience to the Father’s will. His robe is red and blue. Red symbolized his humanity and sacrificial blood, and blue represents his divinity. The angel on the right, the Holy Spirit, has the head towards the son which represents his role in proceeding from the Father and resting on the Son. The robe is green which represents regeneration and life. His hand gestures towards the table showing the unity and harmony within the Trinity.
As we can see, iconography is used to communicate the truths of God and the Kingdom in ways we would do well to recover. Continue to grow in your knowledge of the Trinity icon as the table, chalice, house, tree, mountain, circular composition, and open space in front also communicate something about the Divine Perichoresis, the interrelationship and mutual indwelling of the three persons of the Trinity.
POETRY
A Series of Quotes
by Andrey Tarkovsky
The image is not a certain meaning
expressed by the director,
but the entire world
reflected as in a drop of water.
-
An image
Is an impression
of the Truth,
which God
has allowed us
to glimpse
with our
sightless eyes.
-
An artistic image
is one that ensures its own development,
it’s historical viability.
An image is a grain,
a self-evolving retroactive organism.
It is a symbol of actual life,
as opposed to life itself.
Life contains death.
An image of life, by contrast,
excludes it, or else sees in it
a unique potential
for the affirmation of life.
-
In my opinion, when we talk about God
making man in His own image and likeness,
we should understand that the likeness
has to do with His essence, and this is creation.
From this comes the possibility
of evaluating a work and what it represents.
In short, the meaning of art
is the search for God in man.
PROFILE
This month we feature two profiles:
One of a mythological character and one of social media
Narcissus
By Olivia Mather
On social media and in pop culture, we hear the terms “narcissist” and “narcissism” a lot these days. Our modern conceptions stem from late 19th century psychology and a desire to understand individuals who are dysfunctional in specific ways. Yet the original Greek myth was a cautionary tale, a story to warn all of us about the dangers of self-absorption. In his story we see a distortion of humanity and the making of the imago Dei into an idol.
Narcissus’ mother was the water nymph Liriope, who consulted an oracle when her son was born. According to Ovid’s version of the myth, the oracle Liriope consulted was Tiresias, the blind oracle of Thebes who happens to pop up throughout ancient Greek literature, including in Homer. Tiresias told her that her son would live a long life if “he never knows himself”. As the story unfolds, we come to see that the kind of knowing Tiresias had in mind wasn’t our modern notion of self-awareness but rather self-absorption. Narcissus grew into a child, then a teenager, then a young adult, and as he grew, people around him noticed more and more how beautiful he was. His physical form surpassed his society’s standards of ideal beauty and people gave him increasing amounts of attention for it. Then one day he caught his reflection in a small body of water, perhaps a pool from a spring. When he saw the perfect form of his handsome face gazing back at him, he was instantly obsessed. He went beyond momentary enjoyment of his gifts; he was so enamored that he wouldn’t leave the side of the pool.
Narcissus’s fixation began to overtake him. If the water rippled, distorting the smooth reflection, he became upset. Anytime a potential romantic relationship presented itself, Narcissus wasn’t interested. When it was time to go home and rest, to eat or drink, Narcissus stayed at the water’s edge, pondering the surface features of this young man he was now in love with.
Narcissus had come to “know himself,” but only the self of his outward image. He had no knowledge of anything else about his personhood and no care for his impact on others. His self-worship led to the deaths of two other people, depending on the version of the myth, before leading to his own.
At first reading, the myth confronts our vanity. It also confronts our modern self-consciousness that may not be about physical beauty but about reputation. It might be our perception of ourselves that we are obsessed with. Perhaps we are overly dedicated to our own authenticity, fixated on how we strive to be the opposite of what is shallow, superficial, fake, or one-dimensional.
The irony is that the more we focus on ourselves, the worse things get, but in the same vein, the more we gaze at God’s image, the more like Him we become. Only His image is truly glorious and worthy of the kind of contemplation that leads to worship. As we gaze on him, we understand His character and what He requires of us. It is radically different from self-worship. While Narcissus’ object of worship required him to reject most of himself, God asks us to bring our whole selves. Where Narcissus’ commitment to his own image led him to reject the needs of others, our commitment to worshiping the only worthy One makes sense solely when we honor the image of God in those around us. Being made in the image of God gives us freedom to delight in outward beauty because it points to a greater delight in the depth of God and how He delights in the whole humans He created.
***
Social Media & Image
By Bonnie Fearer
Here at Cultivare, we typically profile a person or organization that has contributed something significant to the theme highlighted in each specific issue. Almost always, the contribution has been universally positive. In this issue, however, we decided to present two profiles: a mythical character and the cultural juggernaut that is social media. As we all know, their respective contributions are not all positive.
In the early days, social media was all about connecting with friends and family and being able to keep in touch quickly and with a broad base. Sending out paper birth announcements could be replaced with a few photos and a keyboard click, and off it goes to everyone in the friend group. So convenient! Alternatively, it could let people know about needs for assistance among loved ones, or even updates in natural disasters. All good and useful things… But, there’s a dark side to social media because it traffics in the notion that “image” is something that can be invented and changed by us at any time. We can all become, essentially, curators of our “brand.” All you must do is open an Instagram (or Facebook or TikTok) account and set up a page for yourself of what you want people to see. Guaranteed, it will almost always be the positive and most flattering portrayal of you and the life you live. The creation of false images is not our biggest problem, as it turns out; it is the consumption of them that can truly harm us. The adage that “comparison is the thief of joy,” could be applied here without hesitation. Psychological studies show that when we compare ourselves to others who seem to have it better, it can diminish our self-esteem. Bill Murray once said, “Social media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is always depressed.”
All of this especially hits hard for adolescents. In fact, as of this writing, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy is urging Congress to require a warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media use can be harmful to adolescent mental health. He has called on tech companies to “share internal data on the health impact of their products; to allow independent safety audits; and restrict features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which he says ‘prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.’”
There is neither time nor space to go into the sophisticated algorithms that social media platforms employ to determine user behaviors and how to best capture our attention, but the end game is -- in a word -- to addict us. The result is that we get admission to a hall of fun-house mirrors, where the images presented can’t be trusted to be real.
What this adds up to for all of us -–and maybe especially for those trying to walk in the way of Jesus—is significant distraction at the very least. If we claim to be created in the image of God, then the bedrock of our identity is nestled in His image -– not in the glittering images commonly consumed from social media. Because social media is here to stay, it is incumbent on us to glean what is good from it and, more importantly, to monitor whenever it begins to militate against contentment.
For more on how social media impacts adolescents: View Now
FILM
Each month we recommend films focused on our theme
Henry Poole is Here
Henry Poole just wants to disappear. Shattered by circumstances beyond his control, he offers full price on a cookie cutter house in a drab, middle-class, L.A. neighborhood through his perky realtor Meg. But, just as he settles into his indulgent isolation with a case of vodka and all the junk food he can eat, his neighbor, a well-meaning busybody named Esperanza, drops by with a plate of homemade tamales and a whole lot of questions. Despite his desire for solitude, Henry can't help noticing Dawn, the beautiful young divorcée next door and her daughter Millie, an eight-year-old amateur spy who hasn't spoken a word since her parents' break-up. Henry's self-imposed exile is shattered when Esperanza discovers a mysterious stain on Henry's stucco wall that is seen to have miraculous powers. She begins leading pilgrimages to the "holy site" and invites church officials, including her pastor, Father Salazar, to inspect the apparition. Although Henry remains skeptical, he finds himself gradually drawn back towards life, especially after his silent friendship with Millie brings him closer to Dawn. As news of the apparition spreads throughout the neighborhood and his feelings for Dawn grow, Henry realizes his plan to live out his days in quiet desperation is going to be much harder than he ever imagined.
Documentary Film
Imago Dei
Imago Dei is an experimental documentary which paints a haunting portrait of an Eastern Orthodox iconographer exploring what it means to represent the image of an invisible God.
Ted Talk
Looks Aren’t Everything. Believe me, I’m a Model
Cameron Russell admits she won "a genetic lottery": she's tall, pretty and an underwear model. But don't judge her by her looks. In this fearless talk, she takes a wry look at the industry that had her looking highly seductive at barely 16 years old.
ESSAY
Adoption, Image, and God’s Love
By Dale M. Coulter
In this article from First Things, author and professor of historical theology Dale M. Coulter writes on the Image of God through a dual lens: 1) the perspective of being an adopted son; and 2) through the lens of reflecting on the birth of his biological daughter. He writes:
As a child of adoption, I have lived most of my life around those
with whom I share no physical characteristics.
At the same time, I did not realize how important a biological connection was
until I saw my own child come into the world
Coulter uses these lenses to offer an insightful look into the goodness and grace of being made in the Image of God. He writes:
When God wills that his goodness be realized in human lives, he does so in a way that both loves this goodness and the particular way we as persons reflect that goodness. At minimum, this means that humans cannot flourish if they deny the concrete life given to them by God. It is God’s goodness refracted through the image of God, and its realization requires a movement back toward God as one’s final end. Just as children need their parents to help them fulfill their potential, so humans will fail when they attempt to carve out an existence apart from God. If the intensity of love is not to devolve into the destructive force of cupiditas, it must be ordered toward God as the source of goodness.
We encourage you to read the entire article here: View Now
BOOKS
Each month we recommend a book (or two) focused on our theme
Non-Fiction
God in the Mirror:
Discovering Who You Were Created to Be
By Miles McPherson
It's tempting to define ourselves according to the cultural and societal icons of our day. More than ever, the world tells us that "image is everything." But human beings were created in the image of God, a truth of which Miles McPherson wants to remind believers. In God in the Mirror, McPherson shows readers how they were created, why they were created, what their true purpose is in life, and how to remake themselves according to God's original plan for their lives.
He reminds readers that they not only have the capacity to reflect God's holiness to the world, but that God enables them to do so. And when we live more and more as image-bearers in this world, we begin to experience repaired relationships with each other and with God.
FICTION
My Name is Asher Lev
By Chaim Potok
A New York Times Bestseller
Asher Lev is a Ladover Hasid who keeps kosher, prays three times a day and believes in the Ribbono Shel Olom, the Master of the Universe. He grows up in a cloistered Hasidic community in postwar Brooklyn, a world suffused by ritual and revolving around a charismatic Rebbe. He is torn between two identities, the one consecrated to God, the other devoted only to art and his imagination. In time, his artistic gift threatens to estrange him from that world and the parents he adores. As it follows his struggle, My Name Is Asher Lev becomes a luminous, visionary portrait of the artist, by turns heartbreaking and exultant. The New York Times Book Review describes it as: A novel of finely articulated tragic power .... Little short of a work of genius.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Open
by Andre Agassi
Honest in a way that such books seldom are. —The New York Times
Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of twenty-two Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game’s highest honors. But as he reveals in this searching autobiography, off the court he was often unhappy and confused, unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent.
Agassi writes candidly about his early success and his uncomfortable relationship with fame, his marriage to Brooke Shields, his growing interest in philanthropy, and—described in haunting, point-by-point detail—the highs and lows of his celebrated career.
CHILDRENS
Journey
By Aaron Becker
A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all.
DIG DEEPER
Practical suggestions to help you go deeper into our theme
1. QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
Devote some time and thought to these reflective questions on our theme:
a. What does it mean to you to be made in the image of God?
b. What does it mean that humanity was created in the image of God?
c. In what ways have you honored God’s image in the way you have engaged with others?
d. In what ways have you dishonored God’s image in the way you have engaged with others?
e. What privileges/rights come from being made in God’s image?
f. What responsibilities come from being made in God’s image?
2. THE TRUE MEANING OF BEING MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE
Mike Cosper delivered a message during a breakout at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled “Made in the Image of God for the Good of the World.” During the session, he discussed God’s image and many of the characteristics of our Creator that people are meant to reflect. Cosper then detailed three ways that reflecting the image of God is meant to bring about good in the world around us.
3. THE BEST PORTRAIT ARTIST OF THE YEAR (British TV)
Artists are getting their time in the spotlight with Portrait Artist of the Year British TV show. An esteemed panel of judges travel across Europe in search of the brightest star in the art world. Each episode features a regional competition, and contestants are challenged to produce a portrait of one of three famous sitters, the judges select who moves onto the semifinal. When three are remaining, the finalists will have their work displayed in the world-famous National Portrait Gallery in London.
4. WHY IMAGES ARE SO POWERFUL
In the field of journalism, images can evoke strong emotions and have a great impact on audiences. But what exactly does it mean to “have a great impact”? What is it about pictures that make them so powerful? In this article, the Bonn Institute explains why journalists should start thinking about imagery from the beginning of their workflow and provide a list of guidelines for picture selection and framing in constructive journalism.
5. PRAYER
Merciful and most loving God, by whose will and bountiful gift Jesus Christ our Lord humbled himself that he might exalt mankind; and became flesh that he might restore in us the most celestial image; and was born of the Virgin that he might uplift the lowly: Grant unto us the inheritance of the meek, perfect us in thy likeness, and bring us at last to rejoice in beholding thy beauty, and with all thy saints to glorify thy grace; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN (Gallican Sacramentary)
ROOTED
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.
(Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV)
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FIELD NOTES
Images used in order of appearance:
1. FIELD: Tamara de Lempicka, Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti), 1928
2. SEEDS: Andrew Wyeth, Siri, 1970, Brandywine Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, PA
3. ART: Andrei Rublev, The Trinity, 1411 or 1425-27, The State Tretyakov Gallery,
Moscow, Russia.
4. POETRY: Andrew Wyeth, Nogeeshik, 1972, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
5. PROFILE: a) John William Waterhouse, Echo and Narcissus, 1903, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK. b) Alice Neel, Ian and Mary, 1971.
6. FILM: Alice Neel, Georgie Arce, 1959, Thomas Ammann Fine Art AG, Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany
7. ESSAY: David Hockney, My Parents, 1977, Tate Britain, London, UK
8. BOOKS: Alice Neel, Faith Ringgold, 1977, The Menil Collection, Houston,
The Estate of Alice Neel, Courtesy The Estate of Alice Neel and David Zwirner
9. DIG DEEPER: Kanae Yamamoto, Kachō, 1905, Municipal Museum, Ueda, Japan.
10. ROOTED: Golden riza used to cover Andrei Rublev’s The Trinity icon (c. 1599)
TEAM CULTIVARE: Duane Grobman (Editor), Amy Drennan, Greg Ehlert, Bonnie Fearer, Ben Hunter, Eugene Kim, Olivia Mather, Andrew Massey, Rita McIntosh, Heather Shackelford, Jason Pearson (Design: Pearpod.com)
WE'RE LISTENING:
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and suggestions for future issues.
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