What is ethnodoxology?

This kind of work has a few names; you might see ethnoarts (ethno=people, arts=arts) or the academic term applied ethnomusicology, which (in addition to being a long word!) focuses solely on music, whereas ethnoarts works with all the arts. My favorite term is ethnodoxology, walking alongside communities around the world to help them use their local arts for God’s glory. A great place to start learning more is the Wikipedia page (you might know the editor!). I am also a member and an Arts Training Specialist in the Global Ethnodoxology Network, and their website also has some great information.

For a deeper dive, there is a podcast, Sparking Creativity, which tells practical stories about how local arts have transformed communities. A colleague and I also wrote a blog post for a conference, discussing what we do and why. With Dr. Robin Harris, I had the opportunity to discuss ethnoarts, what we do, and how we think on video podcast in two parts (Part 1, Part 2).

Aren’t the arts a universal language?

The arts are universal: every culture has artistic expressions, but they don’t communicate universally. A friend from Brazil, Héber Negrão (who was also a fellow PhD student with me), wrote this great article for the Lausanne Movement about how the arts aren’t a universal language.

Who do you work with?

I serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Wycliffe has a close partner in ministry, SIL Global. SIL partners with communities worldwide to develop language solutions to expand their possibilities for a better life. Wycliffe shares me with SIL, where I serve as the Global Arts & Ethnomusicology Coordinator. SIL is a great way for me to work with colleagues from all around the world, including Wycliffe organizations from other countries who also send their people to SIL. I am also a Senior Consultant with SIL, and my bio is on the website.

I connect to Bible translation by fostering the use of locally meaningful artistic expressions to help communities engage with Scripture and experience holistic transformation. I like to think of Bible translation as having two main parts:

1. Engagement work—Helping communities, churches, and individuals encounter and interact with Scripture in languages that are meaningful to them.

2. Translation work—Going from biblical languages into local languages.

My work primarily falls into the second item. Where Bible translation is happening, I collaborate with translation teams, communities, churches, and others to explore with them how Scripture and culture intersect. don’t communicate universally. A friend from Brazil, Héber Negrão (who was also a fellow PhD student with me), wrote this great article for the Lausanne Movement about how the arts aren’t a universal language.

I’ve seen the term “multicultural worship.” What does that mean, and how does it connect with your work?

Multicultural worship refers to worship practices that intentionally incorporate and celebrate the diverse artistic and cultural expressions of various groups within the global Church. It acknowledges that God’s creativity is demonstrated in the variety of artistic expressions worldwide, and that the Body of Christ is inherently diverse.

You may occasionally encounter the term intercultural worship. This goes a step further, aiming for a deeper interaction and integration between cultural expressions, creating something new and shared.

In an increasingly urban, globalized, and multicultural world, these ideas are at the heart of my work. In major cities worldwide, many churches are incredibly diverse, and how we worship is not a simple question of “contemporary” vs. “traditional” anymore. I help communities consider how to incorporate all the languages and artistic expressions that are meaningful to them into worship. When communities are empowered to shape their artistic realities and local decision-making is promoted in choosing art forms and languages, it creates an environment where new, blended forms of worship can emerge from mutual respect and creativity.