Perceptions of Adult Christian Creative Arts Practitioners in Leadership from NY, NJ, and PA about the Practice of Music, Art, and Dance in Cultivating Christian Spiritual Formation

摘要

This research explored the perceptions of adult Christian creative arts practitioners in leadership from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania about the practice of music, art, and dance in cultivating Christian spiritual formation. The literature review examined two domains: Creative Arts Therapy (CAT) and Christian spiritual formation (CSF).;CAT was included as a social science domain signifying the arts as a means of well-being while CSF was applied as the multidisciplinary approach to wholeness. Both domains demonstrated compatibility with regard to the formative function art. In addition, a Christian worldview chapter further demonstrated the connection to the arts and CSF, specifically with regard to spiritual practice. Four spiritual practices of celebration, worship, prayer, and community were expounded upon to include three biblical passages (Ex 15:1--21; 2 Sam 6:1--23, and Ps 150) that provided biblical theology for the subject.;An informative sample of 25 Christian creative arts practitioners were interviewed totaling five (n = 5) video conference focus groups and one (n = 1) one-on-one video conference interview. NVivo11 Pro qualitative software provided analysis of the data which resulted in six targeted and two emerging themes. The findings led to further examination of four themes which were:;Targeted Theme: Theme One- Christian creative arts practitioners conveyed an appreciation for others and for the practice of community in their Christian experience. Targeted Theme: Theme Two- Christian creative arts practitioners demonstrated a clear understanding of the role of personal and spiritual development in their creative experience. Targeted Theme: Theme Three- Christian creative arts practitioners expressed personal stories about how artistic expression has influenced their worship experience. Emerging Theme: Theme Seven- Christian creative arts practitioners communicated clearly about the types of early influences that drew them toward the practice of the arts.;Finally, four educational implications, four recommendations for church leaders, and four limitations evolved from this study. Retrospective considerations also resulted in four recommendations for future research in this field of study.