Previous Comments on "The Problem With Christian Art"

(from the original post on Prayers and Dreams of a Satellite Soul)

Adela said...
Matt,

Your willingness to be vulnerable and honest is refreshing. The relationship between faith and art has been a relative topic for me over the last year. I've wrestled with similar questions. Your writing is a challenge to me . . . that status quo is simply not enough, nor acceptable. Not if I claim Christ.

"I believe that God is desiring to see artists of faith equipped and encouraged to create great art that will be incarnational in nature, inspiring people to realize the fullness of His holiness and the depth of our depravity so that we can more clearly see the wonder of His mercy." Beautifully written. Looking forward to part 2.

Adela


piano.man said...
What a great read! Yes, you may offend some by this post, but it's only because the truth hurts. We shouldn't be creating "Christian art"; we should be Christians creating art to the fullest extent of our creativity. Our God deserves excellence! I can't wait to read the rest, either.

Tim


Heidi said...
A question that I think is important for Christian artists to ask is "Who is our audience?"

I think many "subpar" displays come from hearts that are genuinely praising God, but are lacking in technique and artistic form. I think another variety of "subpar" performance comes from artists who make people the target audience (Ex. non-christians), and use propaganda-type techniques to persuade (and quickly become heavy handed and overly simplistic). It's just as easy to make Christians the target audience and then become afraid to express any hint of sin or doubt which again is overly simplistic, and reflects a lack of depth.
I wonder what God's opinion of our artistic success/failure is. I know he's most concerned with the heart, but he can also see when we are capable of much more but choose laziness or other people's approval instead!


brian said...
Good words. It inspired me to write a post of my own. http://prayerbookproject.blogs.com/prayerbook/2006/03/is_christian_mu.html


noneuclidean said...
" If we compose music, poetry or a painting that lacks quality and creativity, what does that say about the God we serve?"
This really reminded me of Calvin Seerveld. If you haven't read his book, "Rainbows for a Fallen World," you really should. He speaks directly to what your saying here. He argues that Christian artists should strive to be allusive in their art-making art that alludes to the God we serve-which is also your point here. This view of Christian art is much more freeing and encourages aesthetic growth, maturity, and a better representation of the full and expansive world that we live in. Beyond Seerveld, a book by Hans Rookmaaker, it's called death in the city or something to do with modernism, is a wonderful introduction to Christianity and the arts. He clearly lays out what should be done and what can be done and why it can be done. Wonderful stuff.

Enough with recommendations (one last one, I wrote a series on practically the same subject last year which can be found at my blog), my point in all this is to say good job. It is a true blessing to hear other believers standing up for sincerity, purity, and excellence in art. It doesn't happen often enough, and it takes more people like you speaking out that will help bring about a artistic revival for Christians that will glorify God.

Shalom,
alan

Solutions Through Community

(Previously posted on Prayers and Dreams of a Satellite Soul)

I know some of you have been wondering when I might get around to part two of the post from February 27. Here's where we pick it up again. If you haven't read that one yet, I'd recommend reading it before reading this one or it will be completely out of context.

At the end of that post I asked how Christian artists might be equipped and encouraged to create art that is incarnational in nature. As a songwriter, I recognize that there is a craft to songwriting and composition in other art forms that must go through birth pangs and infancy before it can grow into the fully formed expression of adulthood. It is not dissimilar from how a person progresses in discipleship. Because of this, I am of the opinion that artists should be fostered, equipped and encouraged in the context of community.

That's a no brainer in terms of formal education. The skill is applied in a setting where assignment is issued, effort is expended and feedback is given. Repetition of this process pushes the artist/composer/actor/writer/dancer/videographer to stronger artistic acheivement and gives them tools for continued growth that carry them after the season of formal training ends.

There are several disconnects between the ideal of a creative community and the reality of the current state of Christian art. One is that many creatives forgo formal settings of education and are left without all of the tools and development they need to really grow in their craft. Second, many creatives that go through the formal setting become "immune" to critical thought that could actually help them better acheive their creative potential. Third, many creatives are insecure in their efforts and/or gifting and isolate themselves as a defense against criticism. Finally, creatives are not really challenged to grow by the Church at large because we are not comfortable critiquing the offering of other believers (at least not to their faces).

I believe that all of these issues touch on a greater need for community and I'd like to deal with each one (and any others we discover on the journey) on its own in the weeks ahead. I know there are other issues involved as well that I haven't addressed here and I would welcome any comments in order to continue the discussion. I really believe we are in this together and value the input of others that have a passion for the arts and faith.

The Problem With Christian Art

(Previously posted at Prayers and Dreams of a Satellite Soul)

First, a disclaimer: This is the first of two posts that I've been agonizing over as I've looked at how to address the issues presented in as strong a manner as possible without being unduly harsh. If you believe this post to be too harsh, I pray that you'll hang with me for the second part which, I hope, will be an encouragement for where we're headed.

I've had a few interesting conversations about music and faith in recent years. Most of these conversations have involved the merit of particular songs or particular artists, but most have also been relegated to the realm of the Christian subculture.

Most Christians that don't know me would assume that I would be a huge fan of Christian music because of my involvement in and love of music for the Church. In a great number of those conversations, people are surprised to learn that I don't care for particular artists that are among the most popular in Christian music. They are often surprised to learn that I'd much rather listen to just about any "secular" hit radio station than any Christian radio station that we get around here or around where we lived in Indiana because, both lyrically and musically, the secular station is going to broadcast a better and broader range of artistic expression.

The thing that has been most interesting in recent conversations is that whether I'm talking with Christians or non-Christians, there's a set of assumptions that accompany conversations about music when faith becomes a part of the dialogue. There's an assumption that Christians should listen to and enjoy Christian music. I played for a youth conference a few years ago where the speaker (a man I admire a great deal) went so far as to say, "I'm a Christian. Of course I listen to Christian music. Why would I listen to anything else?" I wrestled with that statement for some time afterwards and came to the conclusion that it shouldn't be a blanket statement applied to all believers (which was the context he said it in) and, ultimately, it isn't healthy for the creative spirit of Christian art.

I remember when the movie version of "Left Behind" came out. It was a highly anticipated event in Christian circles because of the overwhelming success of the books and the notoriety that they brought in the mainstream media. I admit that I was looking forward to it as well. The studio took a strange approach to the release of the film; they released it on DVD a few weeks prior to releasing it in theaters. The hope was that it would generate positive buzz and that people would see it ahead of time and then invite their friends to the theater to see it. I was fortunate enough to see it on DVD before plunking down my $7 at the theater to see one of the worst movies I have ever seen. In the days leading up to the theatrical release, I was at one of the local Christian bookstores buying some CD's for the church when one of the ladies at the counter wanted to know if she could send some "Left Behind" posters and flyers with me to hang up at the church. I think I surprised her when I said, "No, thanks." She asked me why and I had to tell her that I had already seen it and thought it was a terrible movie, to which she replied, "I thought it was one of the greatest movies I'd ever seen."

There are those that will criticize me for saying this, but there are times that I believe that we will champion just about anything done in the name of Jesus Christ without holding it to the same artistic standard that we will hold just about anything else. Because of this, from my perspective, a lot of the music and other artistic expressions produced by Christian artists leave a lot to be desired from an artistic perspective. While things appear to be on an upswing in this regard, there are still a great number of Christian artists who have successful careers (from a business perspective), but create subpar art.

Makoto Fujimura (New York visual artist and an important voice in faith and culture conversation) in discussing the recent movie "The Chronicles of Narnia" stated that he thought the representation of Aslan was less than it should have been and deserved (and demands) a better telling. He said, instead, that the character of Kong in Peter Jackson's "King Kong" captured a fierceness that was lacking in Aslan and that "Kong somehow manages to create a need for redemption better than Narnia as a film." He pointed out that the character of Aslan is one of the most beloved Christ figures in all of literature and stated that, in terms of the truth behind the story, "where much is given, much is required."

I think that holds true in any realm of art where the Gospel is presented as well. If we compose music, poetry or a painting that lacks quality and creativity, what does that say about the God we serve?

Dwell on that question for a minute.

This is a question that haunts, discourages... and inspires me. It keeps me up at night, makes me dream big dreams and, I believe, is the reason that I am where I am. I believe that God is desiring to see artists of faith equipped and encouraged to create great art that will be incarnational in nature, inspiring people to realize the fullness of His holiness and the depth of our depravity so that we can more clearly see the wonder of His mercy.

How will this happen? More later.

A Fresh Start

I've been blogging for the last couple of years and have decided it's time to franchise and start one dedicated completely to the conversation of how faith and art interact. I would encourage people to comment as I believe this to be a discussion rather than a platform for me to share my ideas. My hope is that through our discussion we'll discover something closer to the ideal of incarnational, redemptive art.