About
Jacob is a Jewish follower of Jesus laboring to the end of love, reconciliation, healing, and justice for all. He is a pastor, mentor, and aspiring theologian currently serving the women and men of First Free Church in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. A few of his passions include dancing, music making, travel, philosophy, bicycling, poetry, and expanding horizons to uncharted vistas, no matter how taxing, mundane, or whimsical the process may seem.
Jacob grew up in an intentional community in Uptown, Chicago founded by Christian hippies in the 1970′s, where he received his elementary and secondary education. He achieved a B.A. in philosophy and applied mathematics with highest honors from Northeastern Illinois University, and he completed an M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary with a focus on systematic theology and Jewish-Christian relations. During free time not spent on this site, he is just as likely found jogging beside a large body of water, sharing spirited conversations with others, engrossed in the Bible and thought-provoking literature, concertizing assorted public houses, and traipsing across urban and rural wilderness.
Apr 14, 2012 @ 08:38:35
jacob,
how nice it is to meet you through your blog. i am an old/great friend of your mom and dad. we roamed chicago years ago and now roam the universe with our ministries.
as an amateur collector of art, i would have you turn to "outsider" or "folk art" to see soul-stirring renderings of visionary christian art. come south to the kentuck festival in northport, al. to see the art and to meet most of the artists. i'm just sayin…
love,
vicki goldston
Apr 14, 2012 @ 12:49:15
Thanks for the introduction, Vicki. I've actually explored my fair share of folk / outsider art, but I do appreciate the invitation. Perhaps as a way of advancing the dialog given your experience, do you feel that there are particular ways that outsider / folk art helps to unpack the Christian ethos in a way that is unavailable to more mainstream forms of artistry? Put another way, why do you think it is that so many folk / outsider artists succeed at producing soul-stirring renderings of visionary Christian art?