Pop Up Theology: Art Series by Christi Scofield

Theology comes in many forms. From the conversations shared around a table, from a famed book published, or even from a witty blog post. But recently I have been exploring the means of theology and art and the theological role an artist can play.

I’d like to introduce you to Christi Scofield, entrepreneur and artist of Pop Up Theology. Here is her inspiration for blending theology with art.

Pop Up Theology
A Series Of Pop Art Paintings Highlighting Inspirational Messages From World Religions.

With so much focus on the negative aspects of religion in today’s secular culture, I created the Pop Up Theology series to explore and foster discussion about positive and inspirational elements in some of our world’s major religions. I titled the series “Pop Up Theology” instead of “Pop Art Theology” because I liken it to the concept of a retail “pop up” store where the best of a brand is made available to consumers who don’t normally have access to it.  Pop Up Theology cuts through the negative noise so prevalent in our culture and gives the viewers access to consider, discuss, and reflect on positive religious messages. I chose the pop art style with bright, happy colors because the paintings are meant to uplift, encourage, and inspire.  My goal is for the viewer to leave each of the paintings with a vibe of joy and even better, the idea to move on, and pay that joy forward.

Each of the pieces in the series is based on a religious writing or on thought provoking questions about religion, ethics, and philosophy.

For example, the piece title “The Golden Rule” is based on Old Testament and New Testament passages in the Bible: Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 7:12 & Matthew 22:37-39

The Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have done to you or, more simply, love your neighbor as you love yourself, is a fundamental principle in both Judaism & Christianity and is considered THE law to follow above all laws other than loving God.

Painting Symbolism:
The houses reflect your neighbors and the hearts reflect the love. In the background you see a golden ruler. On the bottom left there are two tablets representing the Ten Commandments and the bottom right a gavel, both representing the notion that this is the supreme commandment or law to follow. In the blue heart you see crosses and under the dove there are more crosses. These crosses are symbolic of the sacrifices you sometimes have to make to love your neighbor. The flowers represent a verdant garden, the dove represents peace and the orange and yellow circle in the top left and the green and blue circle under the pink flower on the right represent coins/riches. These elements are symbolic of the verdant garden of happiness, the riches, and the peace you will find in your heart when you love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Another piece called “No Worries” is almost child-like at first glance, but contains a message very applicable to the intended adult audience. This piece is based on the New Testament passage Matthew 6:25-34 and a sermon by Rev. Leo Schuster of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.  Similar messages can be found in other religions as well:

Mahatma Ghandi says:
“There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.”

Buddha tells us:
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

The Bible passage from Matthew makes the case for not worrying, especially about material things, and instead having faith in God. He talks about the fact that God takes care of the birds in the sky and the lilies in the field which are lesser creatures than humans, so why do we think he would not take care of us? The passage also tells us not to worry about tomorrow as it will not add a single hour to our lifespan.

Painting Symbolism:
The yellow drops around the heart represent sweat and worry in your heart. The birds in the sky and the flowers in the field are a reminder that God takes care of these creatures so he will also take care of you. The clock in the flower represents the time that you cannot get back from spending it worrying instead of enjoying today, your life, and those around you. It is also a reminder that it will not help your health or add any hours to your day. When you consider worry, it is really a grasp for control of things in your life. This control is symbolized by the power, pause, play, and stop buttons. The crosses in the flowers represent having faith in God’s plan for you and the heart, peace and ying-yang symbols represent the peace, love and shalom you will have in your heart when you let the grasp for control go to God. The rising sun represents the passage’s statement to not worry about tomorrow, but the exclamation marks as the sun’s rays explain that the message of this passage is not telling you to throw caution to the wind. You can and should indeed be cautious. The message is to not be obsessive and have worry consume you, your day, your health and impact others around you.

These pieces are currently for sale. You can see these paintings and other in the series at www.christiscofield.com

Are you an artist? Contact me to feature your artwork here!