Art and the Gospel, part 2

It is important that we are not misled by a red herring that says that an emphasis on art in the Church is directly connected to a selfish and stingy heart. I know men who preach the Gospel out of selfish envy and vain conceit. I know men who collect books and study theology with visions of accolades and glory dancing through their heads (I confess my guilt). I know men (and have read of some) who give ostentatiously and sacrificially as Ananias and Sapphira did. I know men and women who have sacrificed much on the mission field, some of whom anticipate and long for the praise of men when they go in and out the door of the churches they visit. Don’t you dare think for a moment that because you are not prone to idolatry and selfishness in one area or that because you avoid one form of idolatry through the stifling of God-given talent that you avoid such sins altogether!

“Worship that is acceptable to God is self-abasing, not self exalting.” This is from Allen Ross’ Recalling the Hope of Glory. This statement rings true in all aspects of life, and there is a rightness about it that resonates within our hearts, (hopefully) humbling us as we read it. And then we see that the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 was not an exercise in godliness, but a self-glorifying mantra bent on misconstruing one’s own self-image (and conversely robbing God of His glory). The art we produce as believers must not be guilty of such a charge. There certainly is something wrong with large productions within the Church which are bent on making man feel good about man. This can take the form of plays, sculptures, music… and outreach programs, missions (Matt. 23:15; Phil. 1:15), tithes (Matt. 6:1-4), and prayer. But the Church should and must be patrons of God-honoring, Christ-exalting art!

Jan van Eyck’s painting the Adoration of the Lamb is a wonderful example of such art. How rich the theological tones of the atonement which were beautifully stroked into this work! It is impossible for a believer to view such a painting without its vivid potrayal effectively etching a breathing theology into our heads! C. J. Mahaney once said that worship music was take-home theology for the Church to easily memorize. How true! Does not a van Eyck’s painting work to the same end? How destitute our churches are when it comes to beautiful stained-glass theology lessons! Art is not to our detriment but will aid in building the strength of the Church!

I have not yet delved into the idea of man as the image bearer of God. God is creative! He made the universe in fact! Man is to bear such an image with excellence in all his craftsmanship and works of dominion over creation.

Do not stifle such an opportunity in your churches, and yet do not let them run with reckless abandon. We must be guided by the Word of God, always checking our hearts to guard against the folly of idolatry which we are always so prone to wander into.

– Asa

Response to Asa: The Glory of God and the Law Firm Magnet

I heartily agree with my esteemed brother Asa in many ways regarding his view of art and the church (Art and Gospel post) and I have a high regard for his passion for evangelism.  However, his belief that “art is not simply a cosmetic luxury for the church, but a necessary avenue of worship” has some rather interesting implications.  Firstly, defining art (especially in our pluralistic culture) has proven to be a tricky thing to do as everything at some level can be called art.  Therefore, this post is conscious of the gray area of art and it will try and focus solely on the black and white.

The written word has always been the covenant community’s focal point throughout the history of special revelation with art being used only as a bookend.  Art was used in amazing ways pointing out the glory of God with a microcosmic proclamation of his glory in all the Temples of Israel.  In the early church we find art in the catacombs of Europe even while martyrdom lay just around the corner.  It is clear that God magnifies himself in beauty found in all of his created order and this beauty should therefore be mirrored by his creation from the cosmic universe to the kids’ drawings on the front of our refrigerator held up by the local Law Firm magnets.  All things in all creation are to mirror and reflect the awesome glory of our God and who else is better suited to do that then his redeemed people as they look forward to the redemption of all things?

That said, the glory that God receives from our art is nothing compared to the universal proclamation of the fact that He is Lord over creation.  We find the very angels of Heaven rejoicing over one soul that is saved even while they abide continually before throne of God Almighty (Luke 15:10)!  How much greater and incomparably more important is the salvation of the lost over a church’s new steeple, new décor for the youth room or the weekly spread of new flowers for the front of the church.  Art and the use of it by the church is in many ways a gray area where the Scriptures do not explicitly regulate their use and we have generations of rich artwork that demonstrate a Christian culture that throughout the centuries has attempted to reconcile the human with the divine.  It must ultimately be left to the digression of the church to decide expenditures of time and money but these decisions must be made in light of the Great Commission which I fear too often is lost in the swell of self-centeredness.

As a Southern Baptist I heartily hold to Cooperative Program and the theological tenant that we are merely stewards of all the resources that God has gifted to his Church and its members.  Thus, I find it somewhat irreconcilable for the American churches to build up their “sanctuaries” as if they are to become the abode of the Ark while the masses of the world live and die having never heard the gospel because no one went.  I sorrowfully believe the western church has reneged on its reality of being a debtor (Rom 1:14) to the entire world for the sake of being a debtor to both the culture and the local credit union.  Art can be good and should be used within the church the glorify God, but ultimately we are a Kingdom people living for Kingdom purposes and so all things must be subjected to the ultimate needs of building the Church through evangelism and discipleship.

My brother Asa shared the story of Francis Schaffer’s son Frankie who moved away from the Christian faith because of its lack of appreciation for art.  Let me respond with a story of mine own.  I was having a conversation with a friend last week about the church and the gospel.  Her main point of contention and one which I was unable to move past was that in her whole life experience the church had done nothing but take from her and her family members.  In her mind the monetary pull of the offering plate overshadows the pull of the mercy and love of God demonstrated through the gospel.  I fear the church is able in this society to forget the most important things and instead settle for things of far lesser importance.  So, art is good and it can be used to advance the proclamation of the gospel.  Probably no one has ever gotten saved by looking at a cross unless that cross has been preached preached and likely no one has ever had their mined renewed or their life transformed through the power of a good stereo sound system unless the Word of God is proclaimed through it.  Let us not build upon wood, hay, and stubble unless that wood is the cross of Christ.

-Brad

Art and the Gospel

The following post is by contributor Asa Hart

Of late, I have been taking an interest in Sojourn Community Church here in Louisville.  I have been quite taken by the artistic thrust which the church puts forward.  This emphasis has not only caught my attention, but the whole city!  As I was inviting my barber to church the other day, she had heard of Sojourn’s artistic bent as well.  She was dying to see what was going on there!  However, it seems that not everyone shares my excitement on the issue of art.  After my visit, I came home and recounted the experience to my roommate.  Given that we are both wanna-be theologians who have no dates, we spent the evening in a theological discussion over the matter.

The position which I maintain is that art is not simply a cosmetic luxury for the church, but a necessary avenue of worship (for the community and not for the artist alone) and a testimony of the Gospel.  My roommate’s position is not that art is wrong, but that spending resources and time on art rather than on preaching and missions is wrong.  My roommate, who in fairness should be allowed to present his argument (open invitation), holds that all the endeavors of the Church should find their end in Gospel proclamation.  I completely agree with this last point, but I hold that the avenues in which we proclaim the Gospel should not be restricted to the pulpit and the tongue, not that these avenues should be abated by any means (I hate that Francis of Assissi quote which everyone seems to be convinced is canon).  Art influences the mind and sparks the tongue into discussion.  If you disagree with me, let us view the effect of movies on culture. 

Dostoevsky pointed out that at first art reflects and mimics life, but eventually life will reflect and mimic art.  The cycle closes out with life deriving its very meaning for existence from art.  Observe this pattern in the role Hollywood played in the normalization of homosexuality.  Homosexuality was once whispered in movies.  Before long it was winked at in jokes and spoofs, and now it is celebrated openly.  Here’s a scary thought – the last year’s movies have introduced a new moral low to maintain something of the shock value (beastiality, child rape, etc.) which can no longer be achieved through blatant homosexual overtones.  If the end result of humanism is depression and nihilism (as per Francis Schaeffer), is it any wonder that recent movies have come to this conclusion before our culture has (i.e. No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, The Dark Night)?

Art is not only paintings, sculptures, and songs but also the architecture, writings, and furniture of a given culture or community.  Art conveys the views and the message of the Church.  Frankie Schaeffer claimed that the lack of ornate architecture and the presence of “vomit colored carpet” served as his reasons for leaving the Protestant Church.  According to Schaeffer, these shortcomings are reflective of shallow theology and an overemphasis upon the immanence of God.  Touche’! 

What are your views of Art and the Gospel?  More to come on this one in the future…

-Asa