The Born Again Poets' Society

If you have taken the opportunity to download my Christ-centered poems from this publicly accessible file folder, you know that I count poetry as one of my talents.

Some people may consider me to be a very talented poet. Other people may vehemently disagree. Different people have different criteria with regard to such things. If nothing else, however, I think that I've made a conscientious effort to produce poems which contain thought-provoking, faith-based content, in a format which is familiar to people who lean more towards formalistic traditionalism than the avante garde. (I'm one of those anachronistic people who still think that the best poems contain something in the way of rhythm and rhyme.)

There was a movie, a while back, called "The Dead Poets Society". It occurred to me that there ought to be a group specifically for Christian poets. I thought that "The Born Again Poets' Society" might be a good name for such a group.

The BAPS might offer opportunities for regular fellowship, poetry readings and poetry slams, audio recordings (distributed online), poetry anthology books, and other activities and projects designed to integrate poetry into the Christian faith in a meaningful way. It could also be involved in advocacy, in terms of encouraging pastors and other Christian leaders to integrate poetry into more worship services.

I confess that there's some poetry which isn't my cup of tea, and I know that that's true of some other people as well. But I believe that the Body of Christ ought to have room for people with diverse tastes --- and I also think that we all grow when we're exposed to new things with which we were previously unfamiliar. Poetry isn't necessarily the most popular art form, compared with pop music, but poetry is a part of every culture, so we Christians ought to be involved in culture on that level. Otherwise, we leave a void which unbelievers are more than happy to fill.

If you're a Christian with a gift for poetry (or an interest in the same), please contact me so that I can add you to a list of people who might have an interest in a Christian fellowship group for poets and for people interested in that art form.

Mark W. Pettigrew
mwp1212(AT)gmail.com