Michaelangelo, Bach and Dante are not cheap entertainment, like Hollywood trashy "entertainment vehicles", Christian rock, and flea market velvet Jesus. To compare those is laughable!
No, it's worse than that: it's tragic.
You illustrate my point too well: that we have NO modern Christian competition for the great names of the past. Putting the term "Christian" ahead of [insert media form here] is tantamount to flagging it with "small time", "splinter market", "low appeal", and similar terminology. This was NOT the case in the past. Who in their right mind would have considered Michelangelo "small time", or "low appeal"? This is exactly the heart of the issue.
And may I hasten to add that I am NOT advocating that Christian artists perfect themselves and their work with the singular goal of being acclaimed "world class" in the eyes of man, but I am exhorting, urging, adjuring, even, Christian artists to perfect their works even BEYOND that -- to the glory of God. Let the Christian artist be ashamed to produce any thing that, of itself, does not cry out to the Heavens proclaiming the glory of God.
My entire goal was to establish the fact that, there WILL not arise any great Christian artists to rival those of the past UNLESS Christians push to be MORE prevalent in all media forms, not less; to be more populous, more prolific, more highly accomplished, and more savvy; implement more of the "wise as serpents" so that the "innocent as doves" can come to the fore. Rather than sit like a bunch of sad sacks and lament that all of our greatness seems to be in the past, we need to get our legs under us and get about the work of building up the Christian art community -- and that includes giving our support to expressly Christian productions, whenever they appear.
We've been atrophied for decades; we'll have to walk -- perhaps even crawl -- before we can run, but NOTHING will happen if we do not get moving.