Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – The Arts and Evangelism in Latin America (Los Artes y el Evangelism en América Latina)

By Eliseo Mondragón
July 2006

The idea that the arts can be used in evangelism is not a new idea. The Greek theater developed thanks to representations of the goddess Dionis; the Spanish conquerors of Latin America staged dramas to “evangelize” the indigenous peoples. Art has long been used to express religious and spiritual themes.

Art has been promoted by religious leaders who have mobilized great amounts of money and many artists to build beautiful temples, paint colorful murals and produce exquisite music. This is not new, and we must remember that our God gave us the ability for art and guided men through the Holy Spirit to design the Tabernacle, build the Temple and write the songs of the Levites. Art is an excellent medium to transmit messages not just to the mind, but to the heart as well.

I was surprised to learn that over the years God used art to touch the hearts of thousands of people, including my own. I first understood my spiritual need and distance from the Lord through a stage play I witnessed at a Christian youth camp. It was more effective to see the reality of my life reflected through drama than to hear about it from a counselor. God used art to show me my own life and my need for him. From this moment on, I began to use art to share the gospel with others in the same way it had been used with me.

In All Ways—In All Places
Through the arts we have taken the gospel to places that are not easy to evangelize. We have made presentations in theaters, parks, prisons, schools, universities, bull ring stadiums, government events, private parties, camps, hospitals, retiree homes, malls, churches, meeting rooms, television programs, sports stadiums and dancing halls in cities large and small throughout Latin America. The artistic medium we have used has varied: plays, music concerts, pantomime, cantatas, black theater, puppets, movies, dramas, expositions and paintings. We have used all of the artistic resources we have available, and the help of many artists committed to the Lord. The result has been positive, as we have seen thousands of people make the decision to follow Christ through these presentations. I am not exaggerating when I say thousands, as I have seen this happen in thirteen years of promoting art as an evangelistic tool.

There are significant challenges to confront for those who believe that the arts are a wonderful resource that God uses for his glory. The problem is that many churches will not support such efforts and have little interest in this idea. I began thirteen years ago in a church where all we had were six enthusiastic young people and a budget of US$10 for one year. We did everything possible to obtain additional resources: selling food, yard work, washing cars, painting houses, babysitting and more. We needed to have enough funds to start a quality program for God and for the audience. A ministry with the arts requires training for the artists themselves, good materials, technical assistance and professional production. I am so thankful for many people who donated their time to this ministry. Our last theater production entitled “And After This…the Judgment” involves seventy actors and fifty staff workers, all volunteers. We have presented this play in several Latin American countries and over 1,500 people have made professions of faith through this project alone.

ESCENARIO Ministry
Today the ministry of ESCENARIO has plans to start a school of arts and evangelism in Guadalajara, Mexico. We have requests for training in the arts from over 150 churches in several Latin American countries, and we have a vision for creating a network of Christian artists in the entire continent to be able to promote quality projects for God that take the gospel to new places in a creative way. We are praying for this project and identifying artists and Christians who believe in this ministry. We want to transmit the concept of using the arts for the glory of God to congregations of Christian churches. Indeed, the fact that you are reading this article is an answer to our prayer.

We invite you to collaborate so that the word of God can be communicated through the arts. You can do this in many ways; maybe God has given you a special talent that you can use for his glory. Think of ways that you can take the artistic resources available in your church to the street, to prisons, to movie houses, to public places where the people have not yet heard about Jesus. And remember to pray for us, and for those who are using their artistic gifts for evangelism.

(This article was translated into English by David Befus, president of Latin America Mission. See below for the original Spanish text.)

Eliseo Mondragón is founding director of the ESCENARIO program of Guadalajara, Mexico. He is a graduate of the Central American Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, USA.