FPA Forges a Unique Path

F

ellowship for Performing Arts has forged an unusual path to get where we are now. It’s a path that had to be forged because – as far as I could tell – there were no obvious paths to follow. When we started, this sort of work simply was not being done. 

Prior to founding FPA, I was an adult convert to Christianity trying to make my way in the theatre world. I didn’t get the memo that Christians weren’t supposed to be actors. But the experience I had with theatre and storytelling in both London and New York inspired a vision from the Holy Spirit to create stories with excellence from a Christian worldview. 

That vision was the early seed from which FPA took root. Theatre and story are powerfully persuasive tools. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important story to convey. So, I asked myself, “Why aren’t art and theatre of the highest caliber being produced in the service of the gospel?” 

Think back with me to that earlier time. My new spiritual home was in the evangelical Christian community. That world was suspicious of the arts and feared its negative cultural influence. Equally suspicious were the cultural elites who produced the vast majority of art. They dismissed Christian cultural expression and looked down on it with contempt. 

This meant there was almost no Christian engagement in the arts world outside of music. If Christians were involved, they kept it to themselves. Church leadership didn’t understand it and certainly didn’t support it. 

That was the world into which FPA was born. My vision was to find a way to break through. To me, this involved three criteria: First, to carefully select stories that were thoroughly Christian with the added caveat of being smart, passionate and entertaining. Second, they had to have conflict, not shy away from tough questions and be a bit edgy. Finally, the pieces we selected had to capture Christianity’s multi-layered, imaginative, emotional and intellectual depth. This led naturally to presenting stories from the Bible itself and later to the writings of C. S. Lewis. 

Most folks know my voice through the five Bible narrations I’ve done over the years in the NIV, ESV and KJV translations. Through those and the theatrical presentations of Mark’s Gospel, Genesis and Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, people began to notice the unique contribution that our work was making for the church in the cultural marketplace. 

Looking back at the early days of FPA and how far we have come gives me confidence as we look forward to what the LORD has next for us. The divide between Christian and secular is even greater now. It calls for us at FPA to lean deeper into our faith. To be more forthright and outspoken in our work without being strident or offensive. FPA’s conviction is that art and theatre give us a little more wiggle room to do that. We can say things that one couldn’t say otherwise – about God, the divinity of Christ and spiritual warfare within an engaging theatrical experience. This is the uniqueness of FPA. 

In a season as divisive as ours, we are not called to slow down. And through faith in the One who called us, we see these next days as a great opportunity to do the work that He has prepared us to do. 

Thank you for standing with us through prayers, encouragement and with your financial support. I’m so grateful you are on this journey with us.