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