Quote:
Originally Posted by tim
But the larger strain of "clown ministry" is something which began in the United States in recent decades. Basically, (and I forget the name of the person who is credited with being it's primary instigator, unfortunately)
Is Floyd Shaefer the name you were looking for Tim? He is one of the very early pioneers in this area.
the concept is that a clown (or children's entertainer) can sometimes help to communicate a message and offer instruction in a way that an average teacher might not be able to do. For the clown breaks down barriers and invites one into a certain foolishness of play.
But, yes, I do think that there is on some greater level an almost spiritual sense which the clown has to offer. For it is, ultimately, both an outsider yet everyman; taking on humanity's burden and pointing us to something higher than our fallen selves. It takes a special kind of person to do that; someone who has a sensibility of greater things, one who is empathetic, self sacrificing, loves people at the core, and is very giving.
If nothing else, it is an inately human endeavor. And, since Christianity is a belief system where the human and divine intersect, it is understandable why there would be so many Christian faith based clowns.
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In the United States the practice of religion seems to be quite different than in the UK. So with that and the far larger number of clowns it makes sense that you would see more information on Christian clowning coming from the US.
There are many clowns that like kids, they want to play and have fun, but to really make clowning a full time professional is something very few people can do or want to do, so they volunteer. One of the easiest places to volunteer is in their churches.