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CHRISTIAN
EXCELLENCE IN ART
If
you are like me, you’ve often watched Christian movies and listened to
Christian music and been embarrassed by the quality (or lack thereof) of art
being produced in the name of Jesus Christ. It has often made me ponder why the
church is okay with mediocre art. The trend in churches is to water down the
quality. We use many excuses for this with the most likely being that worship
is a matter of the heart. That, however, is only partially true, for we are
told to love God with not only our heart but also our soul, mind, and strength
(Luke 10:27). As a worship leader and an artist, it baffles me to see mediocre
art presented in the name of Christ, but it disturbs me even more to see people
who are okay with it. In considering how we, as Christians, are to present art,
particularly as a form of worship, some thoughts come to my mind that I would
like to divulge.
There Is No Foundational Sacred and Secular Division
As
humans, it is natural for us to compartmentalize. I compartmentalize often
because I am a neat-freak. Naturally, we like things organized though. One way
we do this is to classify art as sacred and secular. I think there are good
intentions behind this, but all things are derived from God (Rom 8:36). He is
author of all things. Therefore, anything that is used as a form of evil is not
from God but is rather a distortion of what it was meant to be. Art is no
different. There surely exists evil art. Nonetheless, it is merely a distortion
of the foundational beauty God created. We should not first classify art as
sacred or secular because at its foundation, all art is sacred. Additionally,
we should strive to present art as it was intended, namely to glorify God. The implication
then is that we should strive for the best quality possible.
All Art Should Glorify God
J.S.
Bach said, “The aim and
final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the
refreshment of the soul.”[1] Let
me clarify by saying that it is not necessary for all art to be used in
corporate worship. Certainly, we utilize art in worship whether through
singing, dancing, or even visual art such as painting; nevertheless, the chief
end of art is the glory of God. The question might arise then of whether what
we might deem as secular art (music, film, books, etc.) glorifies God. There
are absolutely forms of art that would not be conducive to the context of
corporate worship but honor God, nonetheless. As with anything, art is ultimately
designed for God’s pleasure. Can movies glorify God? Yes. Can music glorify
God? Yes. Can theatre, operas, and dance glorify God? Yes, yes, and yes. We are
image-bearers of the creator so the more we know the creator, the more creative
we become. With the goal in mind of glorifying God then, we should ask
ourselves if the art we present, in any form, serves to glorify him in its content,
its structure, and indeed in its quality.
For Leaders, It’s Not Only about the Heart
There
is often an overemphasis of the heart in Christianity. The heart represents the
seed of the emotions. The heart is spoken of more in Scripture than other
aspects of the whole person so it is vital. It is not all there is though. We
must not neglect the soul, mind, and strength as well. As worshipers of God, we
should worship with our whole being, not merely one aspect of it. Having stated
this, there is something to be said for quality, particularly for leaders of
worship and Christian artists. I’m astounded by how many professing Christians
compliment terrible Christian movies which lack quality to the extreme. Perhaps
it is a feeble attempt to support the group or church that made the movies, or
perhaps it is because the message is good. Even if the message is good though,
does bad art represent it well? The same goes for music. How can we, as God’s
people, expect to take worship seriously when we don’t even take the quality of
art seriously.
There are those
who will say that it is a matter of the heart, not the quality of the art. That
is certainly true for the common participant or observer, but for those who
present the art and those who lead God’s people in worship through the art,
skill is necessary. We are commanded in Psalm 33:3 to sing a new song to the
Lord and to play skillfully. The Levites were given specific instructions in
leading the people of God in worship and in their spiritual affairs. It was not
acceptable to merely offer worship to God with little skill; it should also be unacceptable
for us. Just because a Christian person or group offers the art, we do not have
to support it as any sort of skill if that skill is, in fact, not there. Let us,
as God’s people, give God the best we have without excuse.
Quality Is Right
If art that might
be deemed secular can possess quality elements, why shouldn’t the art presented
to God and to others in preaching the gospel retain at least the same level of quality?
Let us be excellent in artistic endeavors and hold to a quality of excellence with
the realization that God is glorified through what we offer him.
[1] J.S. Bach, “Johann Sebastian Bach Quotes,” BrainyQuote, accessed August 27, 2017,
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johannseba124622.html.
