Lisa De Boer teaches art and art history at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. For the 2011-2012 school year, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship hosted De Boer as a visiting scholar.
She notes big differences in how visuals have been used in Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant worship. She’s intrigued to see visual art returning to Protestant churches
Here she summarizes her research on the changing role of visual arts in North American churches since World War II. Knowing a bit of this history may help you introduce or strengthen the arts in your congregation.