Mime In The Contemporary Church

Mime and clowning have returned to the church in the twentieth century, providing an important means for presenting the good news in a form which is not verbal. The eye may comprehend what the ear fails to hear. This article describes various ways in which mime is being used in public ministry. Beginning in the 1970s the church began to awaken to the worship and ministry potential of the arts. At first, these awakenings happened in isolated circles, but as the arts grew in popularity they began to cross over the barriers of denominations and sects. The motivation for accepting drama into the church was based on acceptance of the arts as 1. Christian entertainment 2. Evangelism 3. Worship 4. Ministry and Prophecy Contemporary Mime Artists French mime Marcel Marceau introduced America to the art of mime in 1955 with appearances on Broadway and major television programs, such as the Ed Sullivan Show, the Red Skelton show, and Johnny Carson; in 1992 he appeared with Arsenio Hall. M…