Rich Mullins is the type of artist I would have no problem recommending to someone who doesn’t follow Christ, and to be honest, I can’t say that of most Christian artists. His music is good, crafted carefully and lovingly. It is that kind of love that truly reflects the glory of the King and the beauty of creation.
The problem with this practice is that the goal should not be to remove our neighbors sin, but to introduce them to Jesus. Jesus through his Spirit will take care of the sin. It is this desire to get rid of the sin and get people in the Bubble that drives many modern Christian’s evangelical efforts. We want Jesus to make them like us, with out political ideologies and fashion sense. Jesus wants to make them like Him.
And there’s the word. Evangelical. It is a useful term in that it seperates the “cultural Christians”, i.e. those Christians who are mainly Christian “by birth”, from the Christians who have an active, relational faith. I think the latest survey shows that many cultural Christians whose only connection to the church was through family are now becoming bold enough to check the “none” box. As the next generation grows up with even less of a sentimental connection to the faith of their parents, it can be expected that the “none” field is going to get even bigger.
Christians are people. They’re human beings with flaws, bad childhood experiences, broken hearts, empty dreams, and this nasty need to take care of themselves above all else. Everybody on the planet has this problem. If you got to know enough of your favorite hero’s friends and family, they may not be your hero anymore. In fact, the Bible says this about our race. We have all fallen short. We all continue to fall short.
It’s a hard life for the Christian rocker, because Christian rockers face a particular type of challenge. When I say that they are judged because they are four Christian guys in a rock band, I am alluding to the fact that Christian musicians often get it from both barrels. The non-Christian crowd assumes their music is bad, they’re preachy, and they shouldn’t be in a club. The Christian crowd doesn’t care if they’re bad, they want them to preach, and they shouldn’t be in a club. The Christian guys in the rock band wants to be good, they don’t necessarily feel the need to preach from every stage they get up on, and they want to play their music wherever they can … including clubs.
I think Field of Dreams is a Christian film. I have no idea what the personal faith journeys of the film’s creators or the author of the book Shoeless Joe — upon which the film was based — look like. I don’t think they necessarily set out to create a “Christian” film. But when I see the faith of the film’s protagonist, and how his faith brings about redemption, I am reminded of the faith of our fathers, who followed burning bushes and built giant arks.
The reality of the film is that while life may not be full of elaborate ruses and mysteries fueled by wealthy industrialists, it is full of pain and unrequited love. The film makes us uncomfortable because given the opportunity, any of us could attempt to heal our wounds with our obsessions. People destroy each other every day in vain attempts to fill the holes in their lives.
But I have another idea that makes this whole endeavor worth it. It has to do with the times I have spent before great art, and it has to do with us being made in His image. Even if someone is not an artist, they can appreciate it. They can let it bring beauty to their life, they can let it challenge them, and they can use it to help them understand their own condition. I really hope that something I say here helps someone, maybe a couple of people, have a conversation about art, because I feel that it is so often put on the backburner.
Ultimately, the Christian artist should create what they feel they need to create. If that’s the gospel message, or a flower, both can bring glory to God. Poorly executed, both can have the opposite effect. The important thing for the believer is to be first a reckless follower of God, and then an artist. If the believer is a true follower, then their art will bring him glory, no matter what the subject.
So no art form is in and of itself ungodly. But some art forms, by their nature, do a better job of communicating the Christian message than others. Schaeffer targets modern art forms, where the content is not obvious or even clear, as being poor carriers of the Christian message. I wouldn’t disagree. That does not mean that they are ungodly or wrong, but simply that if your goal is to proclaim the Christian message clearly, you should choose your art form carefully.
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Matthew and Lizi The Meaning of It All "Soulful vocals and heartfelt songwriting"  |
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Andy Melvin The Human Engine Waits "Catchy and exquisite, energetic and mellow" |
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Peter Nevland Just My Mouth "Laugh, and then cry. Smile big" |
