Guest
Blogger:
Philip
G Ryken, President of Wheaton College
How To Discourage Artists in the Church
Many Christian artists live between two
strange worlds. Their faith in Christ seems odd to many of their friends in the
artistic community—almost as odd as their calling as artists seems to some of
their friends at church. Yet Christians called to draw, paint, sculpt, sing,
act, dance, and play music have extraordinary opportunities to honor God in
their daily work and to bear witness to the grace, beauty, and truth of the
gospel. How can pastors (and churches) encourage Christians with artistic gifts
in their dual calling as Christian artists?
As a pastor and college president, I have made a
sad discovery: the arts are not always affirmed in the life of the local
church. We need a general rediscovery of the arts in the context of the church.
This is badly needed because the arts are the leading edge of culture.
A recovery of the arts is also needed because
the arts are a vital sign for the church. Francis Schaeffer once said:
“For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ
and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy
Spirit, the lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A
Christian should use these arts to the glory of God—not just as tracts, but as
things of beauty to the praise of God.”
In this article, I am taking a fresh and
somewhat contrarian approach by seeking to answer the question, "How
do you discourage artists in the church?"
In
preparation, I asked some friends for their answers to my question: an actor, a
sculptor, a jazz singer, a photographer. They are not whiners, but they gave me
an earful (and said that it was kind of fun).
Here is my non-exhaustive list of ways that
churches can discourage their artists (and some quotes from my friends).
Treat
the arts as a window dressing for the truth rather than a window
into reality. See the arts as merely decorative or entertaining, not serious
and life-changing. '”Humor' artists by 'allowing'
them to put work up in the hallways, or some forgotten, unused corner with
terrible lighting, where it can be 'decoration,'" David Hooker
told me.
Embrace
bad art.
Tolerate
low aesthetic standards. Only value work that is totally accessible, not
difficult or challenging. One example would be digital images and photography
on powerpoint as a background for praise songs. Value work that is sentimental,
that doesn't take risks, that doesn't give offense, that people immediately
"get."
Value
artists only for their artistic gifts, not for the other contributions they
can make to the life of the church. See them in one dimension, not as whole
persons. Specifically, discount artists for leadership roles because they are
too creative, not analytical, too intuitive.
Demand
artists to give answers in their work, not raise questions. Mark Lewis
says, "Make certain that
your piece (or artifact or performance) makes incisive theological or moral
points, and doesn't stray into territory about which you are unresolved or in
any way unclear. (Clear answers
are of course more valuable than questions)." Do not allow for ambiguity, or for
varied responses to art. Demand art to communicate in the same way to everyone.
Never
pay artists for their work. Expect that they will volunteer their service,
without recognizing their calling or believing that they are workers worthy of
their hire. Note that Old Testament artists and musicians were supported
financially.
When you ask them to serve through the arts, tell them what to do and also how to do
it. Don't leave room for the creative process. Take, for example, a
children's Sunday school mural: "Tell them what it should look like, in
fact, draw up plans first," David Hooker said. Discourage
improvisation; give artists a AAA road map.
Idolize
artistic success. Add
to the burden artists already feel by only validating the calling of artists
who are "making it."
Only
validate art that has a direct application, for
example, something that communicates a gospel message or can be used for
evangelism. Artist Makoto Fujimura answers the following question in an interview at The High Calling: "How then do you see art as
evangelism?" He says:
“There are many attempts to use the arts as a
tool for evangelism. I understand the need to do that; but, again, it's going
back to commoditizing things. When we are so consumer-driven, we want to put
price tags on everything; and we want to add value to art, as if that was
necessary. We say if it's useful for evangelism, then it has value.
And, there are two problems with that. One, it
makes art so much less than what it can be potentially. But also, you're
communicating to the world that the gospel is not art. The gospel is this
information that needs to be used by something to carry it.
Only, that's not the gospel at all. The gospel
is life. The gospel is about the Creator God, who is an artist, who is trying
to communicate. And his art is the church. We are the artwork created in Christ
Jesus to do good works. If we don't realize that fully, then the gospel itself
is truncated and art itself suffers.”
Do not
allow space for lament. The artist's call is to face the darkness while
still believing in the light, to sense God's silence and sorrow. Ruth Naomi
Floyd asks, "How can artists of faith trace the darkness and pain of Good
Friday to the joy of Sunday's Resurrection?"
I could go on. Here are some more ways to
discourage artists in the church:
1.
Not
setting reasonable boundaries.
2.
Not
allowing artists to experience creative freedom.
3.
Asking
the input of artists and deciding not to use it without an explanation.
4.
Not
preaching and teaching the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ.
But the last item on my list is, in general, make artists not feel fully at home in
the church. Most of the items on my list reflect a failure to
understand art and to let art be art as a creative exploration of the
potentialities of creation. This is a crushing burden because artists already
know that as Christians they will not be fully at home in the world of art—they
don't worship its idols or believe its lies. N. T. Wright comments:
“In my experience the Christian painter or poet,
sculptor or dancer, is regularly regarded as something of a curiosity, to be
tolerated, humoured even, maybe even allowed to put on a show once in a while.
But the idea that they are, or could be, anything more than that—that they have
a vocation to re-imagine and re-express the beauty of God, to lift our sights
and change our vision of reality—is often not even considered.”
So will you make a home for Christians called to
be artists?
Please do what you can to accommodate them,
because they are pointing us toward eternity. As W. David O. Taylor writes in For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the
Arts:
“Whether through paint or sound, metaphor or
movement, we are given the inestimable gift of participating in the re-creative
work of the Triune God, anticipating that final and unimaginable re-creation of
all matter, space, and time, the fulfillment of all things visible and
invisible.”
Photograph Description and Copyright Info
1.
Philip
Ryken in front of the pulpit of Tenth
Presbyterian Church, June 27, 2010
Public
domain
Philip
Graham Ryken, president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, photographed
on his last Sunday as the senior pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church,
Philadelphia, PA, in front of the pulpit.
2.
Francis
Schaeffer
Fair
Use Under the United States Copyright Law
3.
David
Hooker
Copyright
granted by David Hooker
4
David Hooker
46:
Deus Noster Refugium
wood,
found objects. 162" x 42" x 40" 2013
Copyright
granted by David Hooker
5.
Makoto
Fujimura
Copyright
granted by Makoto Fujimura
6.
Ruth
Naomi Floyd web logo
http://www.contourrecords.com
http://www.contourrecords.com
7.
N.T.
Wright delivering the James Gregory Lecture, “Can a scientist believe in the
resurrection”, at. St. Andrews, Thursday December 20, 2007
Photograph
attributed to Gareth Saunders.
CCASA
2.0 Generic License
8
W
David O Taylor web logo
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