The Enchanted Intersection: Mystery, Clarity, and Meaning in Art
Featuring Prof. John Hendrix, Rev. Dr. David Schmitt, and Rev. Bob Berhardt
Presentation Summary
What is art? What is Visual Culture? Is there such a thing as "Christian Art"? Author and illustrator John Hendrix will examine these questions by reorienting our understanding of art into a framework that equally values both mystery and clarity. Consider the last time you were moved by a work of art: what was it that stirred you and why did that happen? The broad impact of art on humanity seems to confirm its power to communicate ideas and sensations that can be expressed in no other way. Yet, much of our modern experience of the world has discarded the enchantment that art often provides. How can art help us experience a world that was created, ordered, and shot-through with meaning?
There is no cost to attend, but please let us know that you’re planning on coming.
About the Presenters
Dr. John Hendrix
John Hendrix is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. His books include The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, called a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, Drawing Is Magic: Discovering Yourself in a Sketchbook, The Holy Ghost: A Spirited Comic, Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus, and many others. His award-winning illustrations have also appeared on book jackets, newspapers, and magazines all over the world. His most recent book, the Eisner nominated graphic novel, The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis was named a Best Children’s Book of 2024 by The New York Times. John is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art and founding chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.
Rev. Dr. David Schmitt
The Rev. Dr. David Schmitt holds the Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Endowed Chair in Homiletics and Literature at Concordia Seminary. The responsibilities of this position involve teaching courses in homiletics and literature and serving as a resource to the church-at-large, through writing, speaking, and conducting workshops and symposia.
Dr. Schmitt joined the faculty in 1995 and serves as Professor of Practical Theology. He has taught courses in preaching, evangelism, pastoral ministry, Christianity and literature, and the devotional life.
Before coming to the seminary, Dr. Schmitt served as pastor of St. John the Divine in Chicago IL. He earned his M. Div. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (1988), an MA in English from the University of Illinois (1990) and an MA and a PhD in English from Washington University in St. Louis (2005).
Rev. Bob Bernhardt
The Rev. Robert (Bob) Bernhardt serves as Senior Pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in St. Louis, where he was called in 2012. He and his wife, Sarah, founded Intersect Arts Center through Holy Cross as a creative way for the church to love its neighbors and dismantle barriers between people and the church.
Originally from Florence, Wisconsin, Bob received a B.A. in Theological Languages with a minor in Music from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2008, an M.Div. from Concordia Seminary in 2012, and a Master of Sacred Theology from Concordia Seminary in 2019. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis.
Bob and Sarah have two young children, Zipporah and Zebedee. Work and the kids take up most of their time, but they enjoy beekeeping, caring for a menagerie of animals, and traveling when they can. Music and the arts have long been part of their shared life and ministry.