Art and the Christian

Probe Ministries ^ | Jerry Solomon & Jimmy Williams

[CondoleezzaProtege]

God, the Creator, a lover of the beauty in His created world, invited Adam, one of His creatures, to share in the process of "creation" with Him. He has permitted humans to take the elements of His cosmos and create new arrangements with them. Perhaps this explains the reason why creating anything is so fulfilling to us. We can express a drive within us which allows us to do something all humans uniquely share with their Creator.

God has thus placed before the human race a banquet table rich with aesthetic delicacies. He has supplied the basic ingredients, inviting those made in His image to exercise their creative capacities to the fullest extent possible. We are privileged as no other creature to make and enjoy art.

There is a dark side to this, however, because sin entered and affected all of human life. A bent and twisted nature has emerged, tainting every field of human endeavor or expression and consistently marring the results. The unfortunate truth is that divinely-endowed creativity will always be accompanied in earthly life by the reality and presence of sin expressed through a fallen race. Man is Jekyll and Hyde: noble image-bearer and morally- crippled animal. His works of art are therefore bittersweet.

Understanding this dichotomy allows Christians to genuinely appreciate something of the contribution of every artist, composer, or author. God is sovereign and dispenses artistic talents upon whom He will. While Scripture keeps us from emulating certain lifestyles of artists or condoning some of their ideological perspectives, we can nevertheless admire and appreciate their talent, which ultimately finds its source in God.

[Julia H.]

Bookmarked.

I will never understand the subset of conservatives (thankfully, I haven't seen much of it on FR) that pooh-poohs arts education and artistic careers as a waste of time or somehow decadent, but then gripes when the conservative point of view is underrepresented in the film, theatre, visual art, and (to a lesser extent) music industries. Instead of sitting there waiting to be entertained, trying MAKING something. Or at least don't try to discourage those who are willing to do so--God didn't create us all to be exclusively scientists and businesspeople.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Well stated Julia! :) I read your profile and want to encourage you in all your endeavors. God has blessed you with such gifts for a reason, and they are not to be suppressed!

[Julia H.]

Thank you! :)

[RoadGumby]

I believe most of the ‘poo-pooing’ is done towards the ‘publically funded Nat Endowment for the Arts’ and their usually reprehensible products.

There is Great Art out there, and even Great Christian Art. I have seen loud Bravo’s here when posting occur about it.

Credit when credit is due