For centuries after Christ, the Church was the center of artistic advancement and orthodoxy in western culture. Christians such as Bach, Dante, Giotto, and Rembrandt were motivating forces in the first Great Renaissance and subsequent artistic and cultural movements (Andrew Sievright 7-8). Unfortunately, culture today draws its influence from anywhere but the Church. What has happened? Quite simply, Christians have neglected their God-given place of artistic prominence, and relegated true innovation and creativity to the rest of the world. Worse yet, Christians are often so scared of being contaminated by the world that they recede into producing quaint, shallow, Christianized, music, T-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, etc., to satiate their own tastes, instead of daring to step out into the secular arena with powerful art, rivaling the best creativity non-Christians have to offer. Instead of pointing the finger at the immoral or "evil" views expressed in modern art, the Church should be preeminent in the creation of art with a world view that counteracts the decadence of society. Arts and media directly reach far more people than politics or preaching are even able to attempt (Andrew Sievright 8). Not every piece of artwork done by Christians needs a altar call, but when the heart of the artist has been consumed by Christ, the ultimate Creator, he or she becomes a powerful tool for showing God in the lives of real people. In a world increasingly closed to Christianity, it’s time Christians reclaim their role as representatives of the Creator in the arts, creating head-turning and trend-setting, culturally relevant works of substance, honesty, and passion.

Here are a few definitions of terms for reference. From this point forward, "art" refers to painting, sculpture, music, film, drama, dance, writing, etc. An "artist" is anyone who does any of the above. The terms "Christians" and "Church" are general, indicative not necessarily of specific churches or Christians, but of larger trends in the modern Body of Christ; these trends, however, are ones which all churches or Christians should be aware of and deal with.

An understanding of the historical and scriptural perspective of Christian involvement in the arts lays the groundwork for further examination of that involvement. Historically, Christians have set the standards for the world to follow in the arts. J. S. Bach created works which have shaped the musical arts for centuries. Yet he was unmistakably Christian, writing, "In the Name of Jesus," on the bottom of the sheet music for even his non-religious compositions, and responding to thunderous applause for his works with the simple words, "For the Glory of God" (qtd. in Andrew Sievright 7). Milton’s Paradise Lost, interestingly still read by secular humanists as a great work, tells the biblical story of the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Handel and Rembrandt took their share of fame in works such as The Messiah and Down From The Cross, respectively. Even the paintings by early Christians in the catacombs are still considered great works of art (Andrew Sievright 7-8).

God clearly emphasizes creativity in Scripture. In the first chapter of Genesis, He creates the universe, in beauty and perfection, simply for pleasure and enjoyment - both His and the creation’s. God expresses himself in creation simply because He loves to create; it is an innate part of Him. Not to be satisfied with just what He’s done before, He says in Isaiah 43:19, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" God loves to be innovative!. Jesus set the standard for Christian involvement in the secular world, including in the arts, in several ways. First, He went to the sinners - the "unsaved" - and related to them, instead of forcing them to relate to the religious establishment. In Matthew 9:12-13, Jesus explains His friendships with sinners by emphasizing that He had come not "to call the righteous, but sinners." Next, Jesus told His disciples, in Matthew 5:13-14, that they were the salt and light of the earth. Normally, too much salt doesn’t taste good to someone who doesn’t like it or isn’t used to it. So, when introducing someone to salt (spiritual or physical), starting with just a taste usually works best. One of Christian art’s overlooked roles is whetting the world’s appetite, so to speak, with the salt of the Gospel. Finally, throughout His ministry, Jesus used simple allegories or analogies in the form of stories, or parables. Interestingly, He often left the meanings of these stories up to His audience to figure out, seeking to sow and water seeds of truth, so that the harvest, which came later on the day of Pentecost, could take place.

Unfortunately, Christians have a blind spot when it comes to the arts. Primarily, it’s an unseen, unspoken apathy and closed-mindness towards artistic innovation. The musical arts serve as an excellent example. For a good part of this century, Christians have been wary of almost every new musical style as innately evil, whether because of the sub-culture it grows out of, or its beat, or its types of instruments, or simply because it’s different. Bob Scott is the director of Seventh Time Music, a small record label dedicated to helping artists’ fulfill the gifts God has placed on their heart, rather than to selling records. The label’s top artist, Kevin Prosch, who does a very unique sort of folk-style worship, uses a number of instruments from varied ethnic backgrounds. Scott commented that the shows Prosch does for Christian audiences are some of the toughest because of how difficult it is to get the Christians into the music, since they spend the first half of the concert "discerning the spirits" and wondering if Prosch can used "those kinds of instruments" (eg: forty foot African horns, etc.) in worship. Mike Roe, front man of long-standing Christian alternative band The 77’s, encounters some of the close-mindedness of Christians in his own struggles to be an honest artist; he says, in reference to art and commercial success, "You either have a poetic life or a financially secure life" (qtd. in "Too Holy," Olsen).

Christians love to point their finger at "worldly" music, movies, and other media arts, but, again lacking innovation, often fail to produce quality art in the same genres, which counteracts the decried immorality. While pointing the finger is much easier, Christians need to be proactive in promoting a Christian world view through the creation of excellent art. Melody Green Sievright, widow of trend-setting Christian musician Keith Green, and a significant political activist during the eighties, comments on Christian attitudes towards corrupted media arts, "Instead of getting involved to raise the moral standards and restrain the cancer, we’ve retreated in fear of being infected. We believe the devil’s power to corrupt us is stronger than the God’s power to preserve us" (Melody Green Sievright 4, 28) Christians readily encourage someone to go into the business world, believing they can be a witness for Christ, and then applaud that person’s successes, while discounting the legitimacy of Christian involvement in arts no aimed at Christians. Furthermore, they "question the spirits" of the artist’s success: true creativity and innovation.

The art that Christians do produce, however, presents its own problems. This following poignant statement conveys one of the greatest problems with Christian involvement in the arts: what Christians consider art: "Where the Church used to compose concertos, she now throws together ditties with three chords. Great art has been relegated to musty museums and replaced by commercialized ‘Jesus junk.’ And literature exploring the great mysteries of man’s relationship to creation has been supplanted by trivial testimonies about how you can follow Jesus and become a millionaire at the same time" (Gunderson 24). Far too often, triteness and poor standards of excellence characterize "Christian art." A great deal of it simply makes Christians feel good, leaving real issues of life untouched. When Christians begin to either explore those deeper issues or to be brutally passionate and honest in their art, they’re told they’re not being positive enough or aren’t dwelling on those things which are "pure, lovely, good, and of virtue" (Phillipians 4:8). (These critics forget that the verse also says "honest and true.") While dwelling on good things is important, it doesn’t justify shallowness. Victory is all the more sweet when couched in terms of the struggle; thus, honesty about the day to day struggles of the Christian life makes those things "of good report" (Phillipians 4:8) all the more sweet. Bob Scott commented on how commercialized and market-oriented Christian art has become, while pointing out some of the difficulties of marketing Kevin Prosch’s music. Since the Christian music industry rigidly categorizes and defines formats for selling music by style, someone who’s too unique or doesn’t fit in a category presents a real problem. Scott characterized Prosch’s music as, "Too contemporary to be inspirational, and too passionate to be contemporary," since contemporary, as he defines it, has to be nicely packaged and shallow, not really saying anything powerful or challenging. Prosch puts far too much passionate and simple, broken humility in his music to fit. He thus becomes an industry faux pas, instead of gaining recognition as the honest, innovative artist that he’s striving to be.

The Church’s reputation for misunderstanding artists extends back centuries. Vincent Van Gogh, for example, was a minister’s son and, as a young man, dreamed of following in his father’s steps in the ministry. His academic failures, however, prevented him from acceptance to seminary (By the way, he has now been determined to have had dyslexia, a rather common learning disability). Still, he was accepted as a lay minister in an area of poor coal miners. He tackled his work with such gusto, relating with the people so well, that he even began to look like a coal miner. Tradition couldn’t keep its nose out, however, and the church leaders dismissed him, determining him incapable of representing the denomination, since he looked more like a coal miner than a "dignified minister." Rejected by the church, he walked away from God, taking up his natural talent in painting. At age 37, he committed suicide in depression. While Van Gogh must be held responsible for his actions, shouldn’t the Church evaluate its own role in this situation? Here was a man of incredible talent and potential, untapped and unseen by an establishment more interested in whether he conformed to the standard forms of ministry than whether he could relate to people. After his death, Van Gogh became famous, recognized as the innovator of Expressionism. How sad that the Church rejected a brilliant young man because he didn’t fit the status quo. His art and ability to relate to people would have been invaluable to the cause of Christ, both then and for the years following his life, when his paintings gained fame (Gunderson 23-24).

Unfortunately, the Church’s misunderstanding of artists didn’t stop with years ago with Expressionistic painters. King’s X, a band of 3 Christians formed in the early eighties, has been critically recognized as one of the best trios in the music scene, secular or Christian. Though almost exclusively in the mainstream market, their Christianity has shone through quite strongly on a great deal of their work. Over the years, though, they have become quite frustrated with the Church and Christianity. In an interview about a year ago, guitarist Ty Tabor described their beginnings as a band: "We all had played in Christian bands, but we wanted to do something different. I didn’t have anything against the Christian industry… I just didn’t feel like it was what I was supposed to do. I felt like God wanted me to do something different. We wanted to be real artists - not confined by any industry" (qtd. in "X-Men," Selby). However, King’s X’s subsequent contacts with the church were not positive. "We all have gone through periods in the past where we have been very angry with the church - very angry with the Christian industry. The whole selling of Jesus like a cheap commercial just made me absolutely furious. Cheap salesman ministry and the worship of almighty ministries make me sick. People worship ministry for the sake of ministry above truth and serving God" (qtd. in "X-Men," Selby). Unfortunately, this poor image of Christianity has not just passed by; at the time of this interview, Tabor alone proclaimed himself a Christian. Drummer Jerry Gaskill said, "I believe Jesus is who He said He was, but I’m really tired of the whole ‘Christian thing’: the culture, the industry, the market, the whole thing that is defined as ‘Christian.’ I find no place for myself in there" (qtd. in "X-Men," Selby). While King’s X must be prayed for and held responsible for their own spiritual wanderings, how sad that their contact with the Church as artists has left such a sour taste in their mouths. Unfortunately, their observations, however harsh, do bear some truth.

Christianity can get so caught up in its own culture that it forgets how to be real to people outside of it. One major reason is a dearth of honesty in its art. King’s X’s frustrations bring up that point quite clearly, themselves often uncomfortably honest in their intensely personal lyrics. Tabor went on to say in the same interview:

"These days I keep my radio on the Christian radio station in hope that I’ll hear something I’d like to buy, and it’s like day after day I turn it on, and it’s the same song: ‘He will never leave you… When everything is terrible and lonely and falling apart, He will be there.’ Of course we need to hear that, but what happened to singing new songs? Why is it that no one is getting past this infant music stage to express something real, to take another step instead of being a baby who needs to be fed milk? That’s all I hear these days, and it’s so disgusting. Why is it like that? Why is that the mass marketing of Christian music?" (qtd. in Selby, "X-Men").

Seventh Time Records, mentioned earlier, serves as an excellent example of what Christians should be pursuing in their art regarding honesty. Bob Scott characterizes the label as, "We’re all about honesty." A quick perusal of Seventh Time’s website reveals a family of artists interested not in selling records or saying all the nice things people expect Christians to say, but in maximizing the gifts God has given them to be real and open before both God and men about who they as are as people saved only by God’s grace ("About 7th," "An Interview"). Scott mentioned as well that the question he asks is not what will sell, but, "What’s the gift God gave the artist?" Ben Paisley from Seventh Time group, 100 Portraits, says of his songwriting, "Sometimes I ask God to let me feel what others feel, especially people who have never met Him, so that I could sing and pound my guitar for them as well" ("An Interview").

Christians should take no shame in their humanity. Christians in all areas of life feel required, much of the time, to focus only on the happy things or "blessings" in their life, ignoring or discounting frustrations and struggles they face as un-spiritual. However, the simple joys and frustrations all people face provide a point of contact and relevance for non-Christians and Christians. Francis Schaeffer indicates the need for this human element as he identifies changes in early Church art with the loss of spiritual vitality in Christianity, as it moved, through the centuries, away from its simple, grassroots beginnings. According to Schaeffer, early catacomb paintings, though simple, displayed a distinctive difference from later, more grandiose, paintings, frescoes, and mosaics; the people in the catacombs are human. There is still beauty in the later works, but it has become stylized, inhuman and unreal (Schaeffer 91-92). When Christians lose frank honesty and openness, they lose that human passion - the child-like simplicity of a love relationship with Christ - which allows them to show the world a difference in their lives; they become, in the eye’s of those outside the church, fake and inhuman. People continually search for something real; unfortunately, many of them have encountered Christians and failed to find it.

Jesus, as our example for human expression and art, was utterly unashamed of His humanity. "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). He needed time alone when John the Baptist died (Matthew 14:13). He sweat blood (Luke 22:39-46). It was only through that humanity - the displays of emotion, passion, and frustration - that Jesus was able to relate to people. He had to become a human being, not a super-spiritual apparition of God, but a full-fledged man, living as those He loves live. Just as He was not ashamed to be real, to be honest, Christians cannot pretend to live outside of the World which they are called to love. Honesty is essential.

Common people liked Jesus and religious leaders hated Him because he was a "Friend of sinners" (Matthew 11:19). Christians have the mandate to follow suit and simply love people. Kevin Prosch describes how he’s doing that through his art: "We’re seeking, through our lyrics, to create an atmosphere in which sinners can relax and feel comfortable in our presence. We’re writing songs about the loneliness, the pain, and the pressures they face and offering acceptance in a way that we hope points toward the one, true Friend of Sinners" ("Jesus," Prosch). When Christian artists express themselves, Christ comes out; therefore, loving and relating to people shouldn’t be tasks with hidden agendas. (The object of loving people is loving people, not to check off that week’s evangelism points.) Honesty and openness in a friendship between a non-Christian and a Christian opens the door for Christ to come out of the Believer, in whatever area of everyday life He’s needed. When used as the means for that honesty and openness, the arts become a powerful platform to bypass the Church lingo, metaphors, and symbols, allowing real people consumed by God’s love to reach out and touch real people who need it.

Jesus used some other peculiar methods in preaching the gospel, namely in the form of parables. Interestingly, He didn’t lecture on the law and nuances of religion to the common people, reserving that stern, intellectual approach for the religious leaders. Instead, He spoke to the people in simple stories and metaphors, relating concepts like the kingdom of God, righteousness, and unconditional love by whatever means necessary for them to understand. The Fellowship of Artists for Cultural Evangelism, an organization whose vision is to reach out across cultural barriers by using art to communicate, have this simple, yet thought provoking poem in their literature, which embodies Christ’s example for us as an artist:

Christians need to open up their minds to a broader definition of what ministry is, of how much spiritual salt is too little or too much. According to Melody Green Sievright, "Jesus knew His audience. He had direct contact with them. He knew what, and how much, they needed to see and hear. And His timing was always perfect" (Melody Green Sievright 28). While the kinds of church ministry most Christians are accustomed to are great, not every song written must have an altar call, or every painting a scripture verse, nor every evangelist a suit and tie. Mrs. Sievright says, "Many of our artists are called to ‘plant and water’ among the lost. We need to stop pressuring them to conform their art to fit standard pulpit giftings" (Melody Green Sievright 29). She explains herself that she came to Christ only after having received some significant seeds from some odd sources. The song "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" planted the desire in her heart for true, unconditional love. With that desire firmly rooted, she continued searching and finally saw Jesus presented to her in a culturally relevant way in the films Jesus Christ Superstar and Brother Sun, Sister Moon, imperfect as they were. These seeds softened her heart and opened her to going to her first Bible study, where, a week later, she gave her heart to the Lord (Melody Green Sievright 28). From these humble beginnings, she married Keith Green, and, after his death, ran the ministry they started - Last Days Ministries - for years. Seeds must be planted before there can be a harvest.

Art can surmount not only cultural barriers between the Church and society, but also between the Gospel and other nations. The following story from the frontiers of the foreign mission field illustrates art and missions walking hand in hand. Bob and Cecilia went to live with the primitive Saluan people in the jungle mountains of Indonesia in 1980. The people were very strong and set in their ways, resistant to outside influence or change. So, Bob and Cecilia had quite a challenge ahead of them in trying to relate the gospel message. As they were learning the language, they confronted the need for a name for God, but couldn’t quite find the right one. The answer to both of these problems came in the form of a story - literary art! (An understanding of legends and folklore usually proves essential in explaining God in terms of another culture’s world view, and this was no exception.) The story of "The Snake and the Man" goes like this: The One-Who-Formed-Our-Fingers made a beautiful place and put a man and a woman in it. Their life was good - their water flasks never ran out and their fire never died - but there was only one rule: they couldn’t eat from one particular tree in the place. One day, however, the Snake came and deceived the man into eating from that tree. Of course the man and woman now had to leave the beautiful place and be separated from the One-Who-Formed-Our-Fingers. From then on, they would have to sweat and work for their food, water, and firewood. Even up to the day Bob and Cecilia came, the people had longed to be reunited with the One-Who-Formed-Our-Fingers. Of course, Bob and Cecilia were able to readily explain that they had come with the wonderful news of how the people could be reunited with that that very creator; the door for the gospel was now wide open (Totten 1-2).

With an understanding of the struggles art faces in the Christian community and of the need for Christians to relate with non-Christians through art firmly in hand, it’s time to look at the practical steps and guidelines for Christians in the arts. First, the Christian artist’s primary motivation and main guideline for art must be worship. Worship synthesizes and epitomizes honesty, relationship, and understanding: the foundations of artistic expression. God created people, first and foremost, to know Him. All Christians, no matter what sort of occupation or ministry they work in, must make this the number one priority in their life and work; God affects all parts of a true Christian’s life, including their art and expression. Thus, honesty and self-expression go hand-in-hand with worshipping God. Worship in the arts means far more than pastel flowers and simple choruses - it doesn’t have to come out so neat and tidy. But when worship and simple honesty towards God characterize an artist’s work, non-Christians will see Him, through the work, in the particulars of someone’s everyday life; the work passion will draw people and their attention to God, leading to ministry. Kevin Prosch synthesizes worship and ministry like this: "While I delight in leading worship, I find I also delight in using God’s gifts to touch unbelievers as well. I’ve heard so many people in recent months discussing who’s called to worship and who’s called to evangelism. The answer is we’re called to both!" ("Worship," Prosch). When a heart of an artist consumed by Christ expresses itself, Christ comes out, instantly relevant to whatever the situation that individual may be facing, whether happy or sad, angry or peaceful. From that foundation of expression, God uses the art to minister, overtly or subtly, to people who can connect with that situation, and, therefore, the God shining from the heart and through the work. Ministry is not a manufactured thing, but an extension of Christ’s identity in a person.

Second, Christians are called to infect and change the culture in which they live. Instead of abandoning corrupted media, Christians should redeem it. Whatever style or media people are listening to or watching or experiencing, Christian artists should infect and represent the Kingdom of God in it excellently. Not everyone listens to the suited preacher behind the pulpit or on television with flowers and "Amen!" in the background. In 1703, a man named Andrew Fletcher said, "Give me the making of the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws" (qtd. in Colson, "Attack"). Art communicates to the secular world far more powerfully than politics or preaching.

Third, churches must take a step out of the comfort zone of their Christian sub-culture and support artists, encouraging them to pursue their God-given talents. They can set up exhibits and opportunities for artists to show their work, or maybe even financially support artists developing their talents through school or projects - it’s done for other ministers! As part of this support, pastors and leaders need to take a learning stance regarding artistic involvement so that they can provide proper accountability and encouragement to their artists. In the past this has been so lacking as Christian publishers (record labels, book publishers, etc.) expect pastors to provide spiritual accountability to artists they actually may not see very much or feel very connected to. Churches need to realize that artists are a unique group, but an essential part of the Church’s ministry and representation of the Kingdom of God in the World (Andrew Sievright, 14-16).

Finally, Christian artists need to raise their standards. They must shed the fears of innovation and pressures to be mediocre or to do just what will sell or has been done before, and strive for art that cuts to the heart with its power and innovative themes. They should be the most honest and real people around. Jesus sweat blood in the Garden and told God all about it. Artists cannot be afraid to follow suit. Christian artists must follow the dreams and visions God has placed on their heart for art, not what someone else tells them their style needs to be.

Christians have set the trends and turned the heads of the world with their art before, and will do it again. Honesty, passion, and substance will characterize this new, holy renaissance as the Church breaks out of its pre-conceived ideas of what comprises Christian art, and represents the Creator to all of the World in a relevant, powerful way, worshipping Him with new talents and ideas. On the way there, the Church must overcome its fears of doing something new and unique - of innovation. Christians must quit just pointing the finger at decadent art, and instead support art of superior morals and quality, proactively turning the tide. The arts are one of the greatest platforms from which to make a statement and to reach the world. This Creator has chosen to use humanity to show Himself to the World. Art is the mouthpiece of that humanity.

Copyright 1997 Ryan Fritzsche