The lights dimmed, and the music began. My friend and I quickly quit our conversation to turn our attention to the stage. The theater department at my Christian college was performing a play that has just finished a successful run in London and on Broadway. You can imagine my surprise when they also performed the vulgarity and sexual innuendos from the original script.
I understand that the purpose of a Christian college is not to shelter me. "Art for art's sake" is a popular philosophy about art. If art has no higher purpose than itself, no division can be made between secular and Christian art. After all, it is all just art. If you are going to show one kind of art, it would be censorship not to show another kind.
As a Christian, you should base your decisions upon whether your actions will glorify God or not. Do four letter curse words glorify God? If not, you would not be glorifying God by acting in a play where the script requires the use of vulgarity. "Art for art's sake" is an inadequate description of art. According to that philosophy, there is no difference between a play that uses vulgarity and one that does not.
If art does serve a higher purpose, we can divide art into secular and Christian. Christian music has developed into a large industry. When discussing Christian art, we can use the Christian music industry as our model.
There are three main ideas about what makes a song a Christian song. Some would say it is the content of the song that makes it Christian. While many contemporary Christian songs have lyrics that can be described as Christian, many classical songs do not have any lyrics at all. Some people offer the view that it is the purpose of the song that makes it Christian. If the artist wrote the song to praise God or to be played in the church, it is a Christian song. The third view determines if a song is Christian by determining if the artist was a Christian. Determining if a song is Christian music is not like determining if the song is country music.
Genres exist within the different arts. You can listen to country music or rock music. You can read a science fiction or a historical fiction novel. You can enjoy both oil and acrylic paintings. Christian is not just another adjective like country or rock. There are country music and rock music songs that are Christian.
Christian is more than just another adjective because Christian refers to a change in lifestyle. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (NKJV) Once you accept Jesus as your Savior, a change takes place in your lifestyle. Christianity isn't just about spending your Sundays differently; it is about spending your life differently. Yes, it is even about creating works of art differently.
In a Christian online message board about filmmaking, one of the members posted a topic with the title, "Are there Christian Filmmakers?" I believe the answer to that question is "yes."
Movies and television today are full of vulgarity, sex, and violence. We desperately need talented filmmakers who are willing to create Christian movies. Creating Christian art is not just about avoiding certain things. God wants you to create artistic works to please Him.
Do not fall into the trap that the quality of the work of art does not matter if you have the right intentions. God wants you to do everything "heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." (Colossians 3:23, NKJV) (This may mean studying for a test rather than hanging out with friends on a weekend.) This means that God cares about the quality of your work. Christian art should not be synonymous with bad art. The only way a Christian movie will have an effective ministry is if it is a high quality movie.
The majesty of God's creation attests to the fact that God appreciates beauty. He has also created human beings with the ability to appreciate beauty. It is this ability that allows us to appreciate art. It is not a mindless appreciation of art for art's sake. Humans have the ability to judge the skill of the artist and the beauty of the work.
Art affects people's emotions in ways that nothing else can. A beautiful Thomas Kinkade painting can remind you of the beauty of God's creation. The words of the invitation hymn can stir your heart in a different way than the sermon can. It is because of this powerful affect, that art can be used as ministry.
Art is something that you enjoy doing. Many times ministry is thought of as being boring. If you have musical or artistic talents, you can use that talent to minister and have fun at the same time!
You are also a work of art. Ephesians 2:10 says that, "we are His workmanship." (NKJV) Art has a powerful influence in our everyday life. Television, movies, music, magazines, and more are all forms of art. The status quo is to respect these art forms for the sake of art even when they are filled with obscenity and immorality. You are God's masterpiece. Now go use your talents to influence your world for God.
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 1