Imagine, a Vision for Christians in the Arts

These are quotes and notes on: “Imagine, a Vision for Christians in the Arts” by Steve Turner

This is an awesome book and it comes highly recommended!

The basic focus of the book is to focus on the fact we have neglected the arts in the church, why that is, and what it will take to get it back. Here are some quotes from the book to help see his argument.

Some people think you are only really glorifying God if you are doing something religious.

THE VISION

The author finds it puzzling that we haven’t contributed to the questions the world is asking.

Being in the arts has always been implied to be wrong.

Evangelists and those in the “full-time ministry” were on top of the work hierarchy.

To be entertained suggested that our minds were being taken off things for a while, and Christians weren’t supposed to have their minds taken off things. Anything that distracted us from Bible reading, prayer and witnessing slowed down the process of sanctification.

Christian artists were only used for outreach reasons, to reach the lost.

God is Lord of everything, including the mundane things in life.

Jazz musician Max Roach said, “Two theories (of art) exist. One is that art is for the sake of art. That is true. The other theory, which is also true, is that the artist is like a secretary… he keeps a record of his time.

It would be nice to see contributions that reflect a Christian understanding of that time.

THE CHURCH

The church has defined “Christian art” as always being religious.

Even Catholics understand the importance of art.

Christians don’t because; we think the bible prohibits making images.

The church has hated art for a long time.

Summary:

The problem that has affected the church down thorough the ages with regard to art can be put very simply: how much of life is Christ to be Lord over? Is he only interested in that part of life we think of as religious or spiritual? Or is he interested in every facet of our lives—body, soul, mind and spirit? The sort of art we make as Christians will illustrate that issue.

THE WORLD

If the obstacles the writer introduces either don’t seem challenging enough or doesn’t seem real enough, then evil doesn’t appear evil enough and if good triumphs, it wont appear good enough. This is why so much Christian fiction lacks the ring of truth. The action doesn’t appear to take place in the “real world.”


Philippians 4:8 has been taken out of context.
The Bible would have to be abridged if we were to take this the way it is interpreted currently.

We become worldly not by engaging with the world but by allowing it to shape our thinking.

By far the most persistent criticism of art made by Christians is that unless it is done for the church it is secular, and if it is secular it cannot be done to the glory of God.

THE SPLIT

A key issue in the strained relationship between Christianity and the arts is the perceived division between secular and sacred. Christians have found it hard to appreciate art that deals with daily living, especially if it doesn’t supply and obviously spiritual conclusion.

Christian music is the only genre that is defined by its lyrics, all others are defined by its musical style.

T Bone speaking to the LA Weekly said, if Jesus is the light of the world, there are two kinds of songs you can write. You can write songs about the light, or you can write songs about what can see from the light.

Art created to change minds often actually does more to bolster the spirit of those already in agreement than it does to convert opponents.

When art is given over to propaganda it tends to lose the human dimension because it is consumed be the issue. It oversimplifies complex issues. It vilifies the enemy. It devalues words and images.

Some art is simply playful. It may be nothing more than itself.

A sermon requires authority, clarity and personal challenge. Art, on the other hand, often deals in doubt, ambiguity and self-criticism.

So often Christian artists feel that their role is to take on the enemy, whereas they would produce better and more accessible work if they dealt with the contradictions, waverings and weaknesses within themselves.

Attempts to force resolutions, especially spiritual resolutions, can seem unnatural.

To portray the world as a rose garden can be as misleading as portraying it as a cesspool.

THE BIBLE

Creativity is part of our inherited image because God is a designer and maker. Our desire to create… are all reflections of God’s original “let there be” and “it was good.”

This means that it is good and that it is what God wants.

If secularism is a false view why not imaginatively explore it to expose its weakness and inconsistencies? Sometimes an audience needs to be confronted with the bankruptcy of its own beliefs before it is even willing to consider an alternative.

The secular mind frequently doesn’t face up to the full implication of its beliefs. Art can provide a timely shock that results in reassessment. A Christian could also use satire to a similar effect, exposing the intellectual weakness of secularism.

The bible is full of inspiration, from poems, to songs, to prophecies.



This is what a lot of Christians do in the art world: they don’t listen to what has already been said; they don’t sit for a while on the sidelines catching the drift of the arguments; they just assume that the world is waiting to hear what they have to say.

Christians often ignore the pressing questions of the day. This could be because they fear that even to understand the issues in depth might weaken their faith. Or it could be because they believe that timeless truths don’t need to refer to contemporary anxieties. This is why the most common criticism of Christian art is that is old-fashioned and irrelevant. In other words, it looks, sounds or reads like something from another period, and the issues it addresses are not the issues currently bothering people.

The best art doesn’t tell people what to believe but enables them, for a short while, to see things differently and the Christian can enable people to momentarily glimpse the world through eyes that have been touched by Christ.

I'm convinced that the world of the arts, media and entertainment, because of its access to the imaginations of so many millions, is a place of great interest to the spiritual forces of evil.

Artists must maintain a spiritual walk with the Lord rooted in a local church otherwise the Devil will prey on them and destroy them. This happens all the time, and it may be another reason we don’t see Christian artists more.