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THE ARTS IN WORSHIP
While the arts are not fundamental to Christian worship, they are surely
crucial. Still, without an understanding of their purpose, Christian worship
lacks a critical component. Every ingredient mixed in the Lord’s Day gathering
should be examined for its purpose and theological precision. Unlike art that
the world creates, however, God’s design for art is that it is created for his
glory. Harold Best writes:
Authentic worship is a continuous outpouring of all that we are and can
ever hope to become in light of the saving work of Christ. It reaches into
every quarter of our living, informing all of our actions and safeguarding them
within the arena of Spirit, truth and sacrificial living. Without this
understanding, all of our work, however magnificent it might be in its own
right, is misdirected.[1]
Therefore, the arts in worship include a critical
piece that is seemingly absent from other art created in the world—faith.
Without faith, art created for the purpose of worship does not hold a
foundation and, further, misses the point for which God created art.
This chapter will define art as it relates to Christian worship, answer the question of skill and its necessity, and respond to a broad question about art in worship and its theological foundations.
The Arts in Christian Worship
Ontology of art brings manifold considerations with it. Art might broadly
be defined as the expression or application of human skill, typically in
a visual form such as a painting or sculpture, producing works to be
appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. In that case, aesthetic elements within the context of worship hold an
additional aspect in that the arts in worship serve the purpose of worshiping
triune God. Broadly speaking, art does not need to serve such a purpose.
Nonetheless, God created art for his glory and pleasure. Thus, art is designed
by the creator to glorify him.
In Christian worship, “the arts cannot stand by themselves, at least not
for the Christian.”[2]
Since art is designed by God to glorify him, art for art’s sake is a pagan
idea.[3]
Certainly, feeble arguments are often made that suggest art does not have to
include the purpose of worship, but God has created art for such a purpose so
art that is not utilized for worship deviates from its tenacity and, therefore,
does not achieve what it was intended to do.[4]
If art
holds a special place in the annals of human creativity, it is only because God
has created certain people with special abilities to shape the stuff around
them into works of such noticeable aesthetic significance that, if so desired,
they can be called art and be set apart and enjoyed for what they are in
themselves. But setting art apart as significant work should not mean
separating it away from other work, since all work is significant.[5]
Local churches have the responsibility to employ
artistic endeavors for the glory of God and the edification of God’s people.
Thus, choices must be made as to what type of art will be employed in corporate
worship gatherings. In Christian worship, great strides must be made to ensure
that the art employed is honoring to God and does not resemble the world’s
expressions.
Some might ask if art may be used which does not hold, at its core, the
primary purpose of worship. This is where leaders of worship must be careful.
Many churches, to reach those who are not yet believers, seemingly use secular
devices (e.g. music, videos, etc.). When approaching art from this perspective,
churches may inadvertently tell a story other than the story of God.[6] To
ensure that the arts in worship are appropriate, three imperatives must be
considered:
1)
creativity in
Scripture,
2)
creativity in
design, and
3)
creativity in
music.[7]
First, since worship is to center around Scripture, creativity when
presenting Scripture is a crucial step. Scripture is alive (Heb 4:12) so
leaders of worship should treat it as such.[8] I
refer to the reading of Scripture as a presentation because the Bible is not to
be read but presented with its inspiration and awe. To present Scripture
creatively, one must consider the text’s context, primary theme, and possible
artistic uses. For example, scriptures do not have to be read; they may also be
sung. Additionally, one should consider what purpose a text serves (e.g. call
and response, prayer of illumination, Psalm reading, etc.). Leaders of worship
should take time each week to plan how Scripture will be presented in the
context of worship. If artistic endeavors revolve around Scripture, there
exists no risk of art that does not glorify God and point people to the gospel.
Secondly, leaders of worship must consider design. What is meant by design
is anything visual in the worship space (e.g. architecture, platform, lighting,
technology). There is no confession here that elements such as lighting and
technology are wrong. In fact, the devices God has given the church should be
used with the purpose of worship. John Calivin was known for whitewashing the
worship space, and there are Christians today who hold to such a philosophy.
Nonetheless, an artistic device is not wrong simply because it includes modern
elements (e.g. technology). Leaders of worship should take time to prepare the
design of the worship space so that it is conducive to Lord’s Day worship by
God’s people.
Thirdly, creativity in music should be considered. Music is vital to
Christian worship. Paul instructs believers to sing Psalms, hymns, and
spiritual songs (Eph 5:19). Moreover, the Apostle tells Christians to sing not
only with the spirit but also with understanding (1 Cor 14:15) (i.e. the mind
must be involved in worship). When one sings with understanding, his or her
worship is not reckless.
God calls his people to a high standard of artistic expression. The arts in worship should serve only to glorify God. Where such does not occur, not only does art miss its primary function, the church fails to truly worship. To ensure that artistic expression holds the sole purpose of glorifying God, expressions must center around Scripture, the design must serve God’s people in their ability to worship, and music, one of the most fundamentally useful expressions of worship, must be considered. Employing aesthetic expressions of worship is fundamental to worship of the living God. Therefore, there aspects of creativity should be considered in the planning and implementation process.
“Play Skillfully”
Discussions of Christian worship and the arts often tie into thoughts on
quality. Is quality necessary in the arts in worship since God does not look at
the outward appearance but at the heart (1 Sam 16:7)? Sadly, however, many
seemingly interpret that concept as an excuse to neglect skill. It is
understood that God’s people collectively are instructed to sing and make music
to the Lord irrespective of skill (Eph 5:19, Ps 96:1, Ps 98:1), but musicians
involved in worship leadership are instructed to play skillfully (Ps 33:3).
Skillful artistic achievement is necessary in Christian worship.
All of God’s people are commanded to express themselves in worship. Singing
is the most common expression of worship in the local church. Nonetheless, other
forms of artistic expression are highlighted in Scripture (e.g. dance,
shouting, the reading of Scripture, and—some would argue—theatrical endeavors).
No matter the skill level, Christians should offer worship to God through any
artistic means possible. Even the aesthetics of the worship space itself should
serve the purpose of enhancing the atmosphere and facilitating an environment
conducive to worship.
Instructions to sing (in the Bible) are not optional; they are explicit
commands. Therefore, when individuals choose not to sing to the Lord, there are
disobeying the commands of God. Singing involves the entire body and is an
expression from the core of who people are. With many people’s inability to
make beautiful art in worship, one might consider how such would glorify God.
Believers should consider artistic expressions of worship to be right and good
because they are enjoyed at an imago Dei level.[9] God
has created art. Therefore, art exists fundamentally and without human
distortion for the purpose of worship. What God has created is good
irrespective of its appearance or sound. Each human voice he has created to
sing is beautiful to him. Therefore, Christians should not ignore to command to
sing to the Lord.
Contrarily, leaders of worship are called to play skillfully. All of God’s
people are called to artistic expression (most notably through singing), but
those who lead God’s people in worship should be skilled in their craft. For
local churches to present a fragrant offering to the Lord, their leaders must
be skilled in their craft. Moreover, congregations must have someone to adeptly
lead them in worship. Skill should not be neglected in worship leadership.
With all the discussion of how training is not important and how leaders of
worship need not be concerned about the proficiency of their craft, there
should be concern for two primary reasons. First, neglect of skill does not
honor the Lord to whom the best of his people’s gifts are to be offered.
Certainly, the best of humanity is filthy rags compared to the Lord (Is 64:6).
Such a truth is not, however, a legitimate excuse to neglect skill, for through
the mediation of Jesus Christ, the Father receives the worship of his people as
a pleasing sacrifice.
Secondly, taking an attitude of apathy in submitting skill to the Lord
means risking apathy in other areas of worship (e.g. theology, unity in the
body, passion for missions, etc.). Everything God’s people do is to be done as
unto the Lord (1 Cor 10:31). Where one area lacks such a desire (of God’s
glory), others are not far behind.
Without skillful leaders of worship, God’s people do not have adequate
instruction. Leaders subsist for the instruction of God’s people, for his
glory, and the edification of the saints. Where instruction is lacking, the
worship of the living God is insufficient. God calls his people to offer their
best. With skilled leaders, congregations can rightly offer their best to the
Lord in their aesthetic expressions of worship.
Believers must bear in mind, however, that the point of the Lord’s Day is
not skill but worship. Not to contradict the command to play skillfully, if
leaders of worship focus on skill more than the purpose of it, God’s people may
find it difficult to offer God a pleasing offering of worship. Christians
should not consider skill to be more important than worship (i.e. worship is
the purpose of the gathering so worship supersedes skill). In this way, the
Christian faith is unbreakably linked to expression. Through artistic
expression in worship, each believer demonstrates his or her faith in a unique
manner. In three primary ways, artistic expression exhibits individuals and
communal faith: 1) belief, 2) testimony, and 3) love.
Artistic expression in worship reveals belief. On an individual level,
belief is expressed through the singing, the reciting of creeds, and the
passionate dancing God’s people offer to him. Additionally, when God’s people
express the same form of art together (e.g. singing), they are collectively
submitting what they believe as a people, thus, revealing their unity as a
singular body. The common beliefs of God’s people have been established since
the Apostles. Expressing faith together then solidifies such a unified belief
in a strong way.
As a testimony, when God’s people express their faith through artistic
endeavors, the church proclaims what God has done for her, in her, and through
her. Likewise, individuals may recall how God has worked in their personal
lives as a testimony of thanks to him. Through singing or Scripture reading in
creative ways, Christians provide testimony of the truth of a good God.
A third way faith is linked to expression is in love. The love God’s people
show toward him is expressed through passionate singing, dancing, playing
instruments, dramas, and other forms of art. Christians should be the most
passionate and celebrative people in the world. Often, it seems that is not the
case. The Christian life is logos and eros, but the element of pathos
should not be abandoned.
The instruction to play skillfully is tied to a practical function of the
church’s offering of worship to the Lord. Leaders of worship are to be skillful
in their craft and exercise such with utmost care, preparation, and ability.
Nonetheless, congregants, despite their skill level, must offer God their best
in artistic expression without regard to appearance or sound. When God’s people
approach the worship gathering in such a manner, the Lord is glorified and the
church is edified.
You Are Making a Big Deal of Nothing—Text and
Lingo in Worship Are More Important Than You Think
Perhaps, one of the greatest failures of the church in the practice of
worship is the lack of accurate communication. In free traditions, an
over-five-hundred-year attempt to separate ourselves from Roman Catholicism has
yielded a neglect of theology. What is meant by that statement is that text and
lingo[10] in
Christian worship are vital but often dismissed as acceptable because of God’s
concern with the heart more than outward appearance. Truthfully, no believer,
worshipper, or leader of worship is perpetually correct in his or her approach,
but it should not be a justification to neglect the importance of text and
lingo.
I cannot count the number of times I have heard someone mention their
opinion that the worship was good after a gathering. What they mean, however,
is music, and such a notion is predicated on a failure of the church to teach
that music and worship are not synonymous. Even in church planning software,
the music portion of the gathering is often labeled worship. Issues like this
may seem miniscule, but if the church does not take her duty to teach and equip
God’s people seriously, theological misunderstandings will pervade Christians
into perpetuity.
First, text and lingo in worship are essential because words teach, whether
intentionally or not. Every word employed in worship is a teaching tool.
Christians often receive their primary theological education in the context of
the local church. As a free-tradition believer, admittedly, such a shortcoming
persists in contexts that do not utilize a historic liturgy or lectionary.[11] Each
word used in worship has meaning and should be carefully considered prior to
their usage.
The church teaches congregants both intentionally and unintentionally.
Nevertheless, bridging the gap between what is intentional and unintentional is
a task local churches should critically consider. Even in free traditions,
leaders of worship should plan and contemplate every device and tool utilized
in worship and how they will be used.[12] When
worship and each element involved in its practice are considered faithfully,
the risk of teaching (and effectively practicing) bad theology are eliminated.
A substantial second reason the church should not neglect text and lingo is
that theology is vital not only to Christian worship but also to the Christian
life. Thus, while such intense contemplation over what words are used in
worship might, to many people, seem to be exaggerated, theology is so vital to
believers’ lives that any misunderstandings or misinterpretations run the risk
of spiritual decline and moral failure.
Theology is vital in that it provides the foundational building blocks of
the Christian life. I have personally heard professing believers confess that
they are not interested in theology but only loving Jesus. Contrary to their
belief, loving Jesus is a theological element. When an adult says to a child,
“Jesus loves me; this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” they are teaching
theology. Theology need not be grandiose concepts and large unintelligible
words. Theology, rather, is foundational to the Christian faith.
Through the words leaders of worship use in the weekly gathering,
congregants are taught foundational concepts, which subsequently impacts
lifestyle. How people understand theology is directly linked to lifestyle.
Where there is bad theology, there is a risk of inadequate application to life.
When one hears and understands that God’s love is reckless, for example
(although Scripture blatantly refutes such a claim), he or she could understand
the gospel in a self-centered way. The purpose of the gospel, however, is God’s
glory. Moreover, when the church attempts to tie self-worth (e.g. know your
worth, you are worthy of God’s love, etc.) to the gospel and people begin to
understand it in that way, a dangerous selfishness begins to sneak its way into
the church and worship.
Lastly, although the opinion of many people could lend itself to a lack of
scrutiny in Christian worship, when the importance of theology and teaching
during Lord’s Day worship is realized, it becomes clear that scrutiny is
necessary. The more text and lingo is scrutinized and even planned, the less
the risk of failed communication exists. Regarding the arts in Christian
worship, the devices and tools used should serve to glorify God and edify the
church. Certainly, local churches should seek ways to be as creative as
possible but never at the expense of theology.
Each element of the worship gathering (e.g. music, prayers, Scripture
presentations, etc.) should be an evident part of the dialogue as a whole and
in the most creative way possible. It is not exaggerating the importance of
theology to dissect the precise meaning of the text and lingo used in worship;
nor, is it eliminating the desire for the Holy Spirit to work among God’s
people. Art begins with creativity. Nonetheless, Christian art begins with
purpose (e.g. serviceable functions of the tools employed in worship).
While aesthetic offerings to the Lord are important to Christian worship,
to neglect the theological foundations is to disregard the church’s
responsibility to teaching. Teaching happens weekly, whether intentionally or
unintentionally. Since theological teaching of the saints already occurs each
week, leaders of worship should seek intentional ways to edify God’s people
through the use of text and lingo in worship. Art is important; theological
application, however, is more important. Therefore, regarding the arts in
worship, as imperfect people, Christians must seek the aid of a perfect God to
apply proper understanding where there might be shortcomings.
The More God’s People Know the Creator, the More
Creative They Become
God is the ultimate creator.
Behind any discussion about art, we need to remember that, as images of
God, we were created to do things the way God does and to work the way he
works. God is Creator. We are creative. Creating and creativity are not
exclusively artistic words.[13]
As artists who create based upon the premise of imago
Dei, the best art should come from knowing God. Since God is the ultimate
creator, the more believers know the Creator, the more creative they become.
Thus, upon art being defined as “the expression or application of human
skill, typically in a visual form such as a painting or sculpture, producing
works to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power,”[14]
God’s people must commit to an offering to the Lord their best artistic
expressions in worship. Although the best of humankind is but filthy rags
compared to the Lord (Is 64:6), Jesus Christ mediates in the worship of his
bride and transforms what should be an unworthy offering to the Lord into that
which is pleasing and acceptable so to desert
the call to excellence is to abandon that of which God is worthy.
A God outside of time and space has created time and space for his people to use and for him to work in their midst. The church is called to express herself through artistic endeavors (in a skillful manner). Nonetheless, in discussions of the arts in worship, the use of art should never override theology, for God’s people are taught during worship. Leaders of worship must see their role partially as teachers. Thus, without sacrificing theology, the more God’s people know the creator, the more creative they become and the more appropriate teaching exists.
[1]
Harold M. Best, Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the
Arts (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press), 111.
[2]
Best, Unceasing Worship, 111.
[3] Best,
Unceasing Worship, 111.
[4] Here
it is acknowledged that all art, intended to glorify God, does not have to be
employed in a corporate worship context. Rather, artistic achievements could
indeed be used in other contexts. Nevertheless, for the Christian, the purpose
must be worship, for worship is life. In a personal manner, art inspires the
artist to create from the God-given talent he or she is given. If, therefore,
the creation reflects the heart of the creator, it surely is art, as it
accomplishes its true purpose.
[5] Best,
Unceasing Worship, 125.
[6]
Worship is for God’s people. Therefore, any device that points people to
something else other than God is futile.
[7] These
are the three most evident and commonly used aesthetic aspects in Christian
worship.
[8] The
Bible does not require help to make it come alive, but presentations should
illicit its living nature.
[9] Best,
Unceasing Worship, 198.
[10] The
terms, text and lingo, are used rather interchangeably, although when referring
to text, this book specifically has in mind Scripture.
[11] This
is not to suggest that a liturgy or lectionary is the only right way to
approach Christian worship, but such tools offer a intentional way to avoid
mistakes and provide theological accuracy to God’s people.
[12] Some
might contend that to plan in such an extreme manner eliminates room for the
Holy Spirit to work as he deems fit. God the Spirit, however, works equally as
much through planning as he does through spontaneity (i.e. spontaneity does not
have a corner on the second person of the Godhead).
[13] Best,
Unceasing Worship, 128.
[14] This is a reference to art defined earlier in this chapter.
