Christian Art Does Not Exist

What kind of art should Christians consume?

Christians used to dominate the arts. At many times in history, we were the source of most art; we set the trends.

So what happened?

Why is art either avoided entirely by the Church or else done badly? Why are we now stuck with heavy-handed, preachy movies that are the love child of an unholy union between Hallmark and Thomas Kinkade?

Not all that long ago, the Church decided that art itself is not “Christian.” As a staunch supporter of the Protestant Reformation, which I am, I do, however, think some of their reaction was to blame. They were reacting to the use of art in the Catholic Church but, I think, went way too far. And then, other denominations trotted along and expanded the art desert even further.

So, art itself became suspect. A strange set of affairs for Christians who worship a wildly creative God.

Why Was Art No Longer Considered “Christian?”

If I had to sum it up in a word, I would say that the church radically redefined what the concept of “worldliness” meant. “Live in the world but not of the world” (John 17:16), in the past, was understood to mean that the entire world belongs to God, and because Jesus inherited the land, it now belongs to us.

Meaning, “The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1-2). Avoiding “worldliness,” therefore, did not mean avoiding the world. That’s silly. The world is God’s.

It meant not conforming to the patterns of the world (Romans 12:2). In other words, when the world tells us to jump, we don’t jump. When the world says this is what you should do and think, we don’t automatically dance to their tune. If the world says to wear masks and stop singing in church, we don’t simply follow suit.

As my pastor said in a recent sermon, “The world should never disciple the church.”

In the last couple of hundred years or so, that definition of worldliness changed. Now, we’ve drawn a nice, thick, red line down the middle. It’s “us” and “them.” So, in the fifties, for example, being a Christian meant not drinking, smoking, playing card games, or dancing.

Christians went into defense mode. Instead of being the creators of good art, they became some appalling combination of moral police and shocked schoolmarm. Or, on the opposite side of the spectrum, they vibed hard with it all, afraid of being ostracized by the cool kids.

You’ve got to admit, both of those options are much easier. Doing it the other way, the old way, requires so much thinking, so much work.

So, Bible-believing Christians became hostages in their own country, hiding out in church basements, having Bible studies under fluorescent lights, drinking cheap coffee, and waiting for the end. And waiting some more.

The Vacuum in Christian Art

What this has done is to leave a big, wide-open, empty space in the world of the arts. And for lots of other stuff, too. But let’s just talk about art for today.

Admittedly, in recent years, many Christians have come around. They are starting to recognize that art might not be such a bad thing. But it seems to me a day late and a dollar short.

This is partly because so many Christians, with many notable exceptions, are not really doing the hard work of trying to figure this art stuff out. They often don’t think they need to, sadly. They think that if the movie “preaches the gospel,” it’s ok to do a lazy, half-baked job.

Ok, I’m done picking on Christians. My target audience for this blog is Christians, and so the last thing I want to do is alienate my peeps. And I’m very much including myself in the group of people who so badly need to recover art and aren’t totally sure how. It’s uphill work. But it’s good work.

I will leave you with this: There is no such thing as Christian art.

What do I mean by that? The very word Christian art assumes that red tape divide I mentioned above.

“There can be no categories such as religious art and secular art because all true art is incarnational, therefore religious.” –Madeleine L'Engle

If it’s good art, then it’s Christian art. That means that if you read The Iliad (composed by a non-Christian), or pagan myths (composed, surprisingly, by pagans), or watch The Shawshank Redemption (created by non-Christians), you are consuming Christian art.

Meanwhile, much “Christian” art might be Christian, but it’s not art.

“Christian art? Art is art; painting is painting; music is music; a story is a story. If it’s bad art, it’s bad religion, no matter how pious the subject. If it’s good art… and there the questions start coming.”  –Madeleine L'Engle

We have come to think of godliness in purely pietistic terms. It’s just me and Jesus. But godliness means being like God, right? And God is the consummate creator.

So, to be like God and to understand God’s world requires an understanding of created things. Of artistic things.

But like I keep saying, we’re coming at this topic from the midst of a howling wilderness. And like I said here, we all need to do some assumption-checking at the door.

Which means it’s going to be hard work. But it’s good work.

Just as you might want to grow in patience, gratitude, and Christian joy, you should want to grow as an artist or at least in a deeper understanding of art.

In other words, godliness and art go together. Need help? Stick around.