(The following is a transcript of the video above, edited for readability)
Many times, Christians trying to get involved in the arts collapse, because we try to import an artificial world into a perfectly good but broken world. Meaning this: sometimes you'll hear Christians say, "Doesn't it sound like...", "doesn't it sound like...," "Wasn't it almost as good as...". And tragically, many Christians begin to take on that mantra of, "we're going to compete with the big boys." And in many ways, that's a recipe for failure because we're not competing with anybody. We are those who are called to stewardship. And stewardship means that we do everything with excellence. We do it to God's glory. And sometimes you find a "poor little me" Christian attitude that tragically ends up sabotaging great art.
Rather, from a place of humility, we should enter the arts as those who are not competing, but are simply saying, We've got a reason why we do this. We've got a reason why we want to work harder on everything we do in terms of building the arts, because God is the Lord of arts. God has given us a commission to paint, to create, to think, to write, to redeem, to steward, everything. He provided the canvas and the tools to create great art. We don't have to compete. We simply need to be good stewards.
For more information about Scotty Smith, visit: www.scottysmith.org
For more information about Christianity, visit: www.christianity.com
(Article first published March 25, 2013)
Why Do Christians Seem Suspicious of the Arts?
I think a lot of Christians have uncertainty and fear surrounding the creative and artistic aspects of human nature. And in my classes I will often talk about this. Art is very, very powerful and the creative impulse is powerful. In a lot of ways, it's like sex. But both are gifts of God. We need to be careful with them, but we also need to cultivate them rightly. And being made in the image of God, we all have the ability to create, but it is easy because we are creators with a small C to forget that we are underneath a creator with a capital C, so we can imitate God through creativity, through reading, through writing, through music. And it's tempting sometimes because these things come into conflict to choose one over the other.
I think of Vincent van Gogh, for example, a wonderful artist who felt like he had to choose between serving God and serving his art, and he didn't feel like he could do both. And he ended up abandoning God and the church and pursuing his art. And what a tragedy that is for the church. He should have been able to fulfill his vocation as an artist and understand that he could do so in service to the church. It's a difficult tension to navigate, and I think the church needs to cultivate a greater awareness of how to do that. It is not going against God to pursue creative callings and to appreciate art and literature. But we do need to understand the power of those things and to put them into submission of our creator, capital C creator.
There are a lot of messages that the church gives about the arts, not necessarily explicitly, but it seems as though the arts are less important than a lot of other things. And so those of us who are drawn to the arts as I was drawn to literature, sometimes feel like we have to choose between God and art. And so when I was growing up loving books and loving reading things that my youth pastors and fellow youth group members weren't necessarily reading or understanding, I ended up feeling like I had to choose between my love of literature and my love of God. And so for a while I felt like I loved literature more than God, and it took a long time for me to realize that my love of literature was part of how God created me and that I could fulfill that love and that passion in his service.
(Excerpted from "Why Do Christians Seem Suspicious of the Arts?" by Karen Swallow Prior)
What Does the Bible Say about Art?
The theme of making art is woven throughout the Bible. In Genesis 2:15, God gives Adam the responsibility to tend the Garden. To partner with God in cultivating beauty, whether for food or the simple pleasure a beautiful flower brings, is one of the greatest and most enjoyable privileges we share as believers.
Here are a few short examples of people in the Bible who craft things or make artwork:
1. In Genesis 6:14, Noah built an ark following God’s instructions. It had a clear function (to save people and animals from a flood), but it also had to be well-made. Noah had to craft it, even if it wasn’t “beautiful” in the way we would talk about an oil painting.
2. In Exodus 31, we’re introduced to Bezalel, the chief artisan for the Tabernacle’s construction. The LORD filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and all kinds of artistic skills.
3. In Nehemiah 3:8, we’re told of Uzziel son of the goldsmith Harhaiah, and the perfume maker Hananiah, who worked together to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.
4. The book of Psalms brims with hope through David’s poetry. His words reflect love and trust in God that resonate with believers today.
5. In Proverbs 31:24, the noble wife is commended for making linen garments. Her making beautiful things was not frivolous but a valued skill.
6. Mark 6:3 refers to Jesus as a carpenter, which required a craftsman’s skill to make attractive and functional furniture. Some translations list Jesus as a stonemason, and he may have worked in both trades—both are vital to construction and housing. Whether he worked with wood, stone, or both, he was a craftsman who learned to use his materials well.
7. In Acts 18:1-4, Paul makes tents with Priscilla and Aquila. He had his work as an evangelist and writer, and he knew how to work with his hands and make something quality enough to sell.
All these examples (and there are others we haven’t mentioned) show us the Bible doesn’t frown on learning to make things.
To embrace the fact that art is not limited to a canvas or clay is to free ourselves from those opinions which seek only to hinder and distract us from our God-given purpose.
(Excerpted from "What Does the Bible Say about Art?" by Cathy Baker)
If you enjoyed this article, you may enjoy the following:
The Arts & the Maturity of the Church
How the Church Can Embrace Artists and the Arts, Part I
How the Church Can Embrace Artists and the Arts, Part II
50 Great Books on Christian Art
God, the Arts and Us: Communicating the Creator's Beauty
20 Great Books on Christian Music
Why Christians Must be Involved in the Arts
5 Christian Rock Musicians You Didn't Know About
Is It Okay for Christians to Listen to Secular Music?
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Wachiwit
