c. 2004 Religion News Service

ERLANGER, Ky. _ The congregation at the Erlanger Baptist Church listened in hushed silence as Stephen Sawyer gave his testimony about one of his portraits of Jesus holding a young boy that he painted at the request of the ill child’s mother.

“When the boy saw the painting, he said, `That isn’t me. That isn’t Jesus.’ But the 3-year-old boy, who had been given only a few months to live, remained fascinated with it. He would walk through the house and stop to look at it constantly.”

Finally relenting, the boy, named Ian, told his mother that the child “might be me. And that is Jesus, after all.” Now, five years later, the boy is doing fine, Sawyer told the Northern Kentucky church-goers.

It’s another Sunday for Sawyer, 51, a Versailles, Ky., artist who has received accolades _ and some raised eyebrows _ as the painter who depicts Jesus in what must be called unusual settings. The artist operates a studio in central Kentucky and a retail store near Gatlinburg, Tenn., both called Art for God.

Today, like many other Sundays throughout the year, Sawyer goes on the road to churches throughout the country, showing his unusual portraits of Jesus and giving testimony to his faith and mission that revolve around what he calls Christian art.

This spring, Sawyer’s portraits of Jesus as a prizefighter in the boxing ring have appeared in the New York Times, on the Today Show, as well as other publications throughout the country “to illustrate the new face of Jesus,” he said.

The new face of Jesus, a la Sawyer, shows Jesus in familiar poses but also depicts him as a boxer, holding children, steering a ship, laughing and being a protector. Sawyer’s Jesus clearly has become, at least lately, the illustration of choice when media are not showing clips of actor James Caviezel, who portrays Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.”

“The Today Show contacted me, asking for some of my work that shows Jesus inside the boxing ring to serve as an illustration about the discussion that was framed between a Roman Catholic priest and a rabbi about Mel Gibson’s `The Passion of the Christ,”’ he said. “Lately, I’ve gotten a lot of exposure as discussions have gotten more intense about what Christ looked like. There’s been this talk about the new face of Jesus, and my work is clearly included in that discussion.”

Sawyer said he attributes the recent discussion about an increased interest in religion and Jesus to a heightened concern over safety in the United States in the wake of the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 and the war in Iraq, as well as the recent release of Gibson’s controversial “Passion.” But Sawyer said he disagrees with some of the assessments many analysts are making regarding the renewed interest in Jesus.

“There’s a strong notion that people are interested in Christ more now because of a concern over the tragic events we’ve witnessed over the past couple years,” he said. “I think, though, that in a discussion about Jesus, you have to take a long look at the history of his appearance. Over the centuries, I think the reality of the portrait of Jesus has gotten out of balance. Now, people like me, like Mel Gibson, are trying to put that view back in balance.”

For Sawyer, striking the balance means going out on a limb using his unique artistic style to deliver a message about what Jesus’ ministry on earth really was all about.

Indeed, Sawyer’s work, depicting Jesus as a prizefighter in three paintings titled “The Warrior,” “Undefeated” and “Warfare” portray a startling new image of Jesus that fans and detractors alike agree place him in a new light. A couple years ago, Sawyer made his mark with a portrait of Jesus sporting jeans and showing off a tatoo on his left arm with “father” enscripted over a bright red heart, sparking some controversy among church leaders who questioned the portrayal as crass and commercial.

But fans of Sawyer’s work like the fact that he depicts Jesus in everyday scenes, like real people. There is his piece that shows Jesus wearing a tuxedo and holding a young girl in “Lover of My Soul,” and he paints a stern-looking Jesus standing and pointing the way behind a young boy steering a storm-tossed ship in “Storm Pilot.”

“I’m not trying to provoke anybody with my work,” he said. “But I disagree with the recent statements people have made that I’m purely in this as a commercial endeavor. Yes, I sell prints of my work, but I view this as my own special ministry as a Christian artist.”

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Sawyer has extended that ministry to a national art competition for children and adults to create Christian art, and, in the process, new Christian artists.

“Virtually any Christian theme, in any medium, can be used,” Sawyer said. Prizes are available, and details are available on the Art for God Web site (http://www.art4god.com).

DEA/JL END OCONNOR