Some notes from Agora forum conducted by Footstool Players' Colin Kirton. We are created to live creatively and artistically because we are created in the image of a creative, artistic God. Exercising our creativity is an act of worship as well as an act of communication.
Nigel Forde:
Art is revelatory, not functional – a mirror, not plastic surgery.
The artist can play the roles of a...
Court jester – speaking the truth as he sees it, however uncomfortable it may be; sometimes the audience screams back at him, sometimes it sits shame-faced and silent.
Doctor – pointing out diseases, making prognoses. Bringing us to face issues we would rather bury, deal with them and find healing.
Guide – taking you on strange and beautiful journeys to places you never have found on your own.
Clown – showing you reasons for laughter and delight. See hope in despair.
A Christian worldview in our efforts means it is important that we see arts through the lens of creation, fall, redemption and character and purposes of God whose hand moves throughout history.
Redemption is Christ’s conquering of sin at the cross, Christ’s continuing work in our lives and Christ’s culmination of redemption in eternity.
Our art should reflect beauty in the midst of ugliness, life in the midst of death, dignity in the midst of disgrace, purpose in the midst of meaninglessness, truth in the midst of lies and excellence in the midst of mediocrity. (“It is good!”)
Levels of Christian artistic expression (Steve Turner)
1) Arts that doesn’t suggest any obvious worldview i.e. a playful ditty
2) Arts that dignifies human life and introduce a sense of awe
3) Art that carries imprint of biblical teaching that isn’t uniquely Christian
4) Art inspired by Bible’s primary theological themes
5) Art that depicts the unique Christian gospel of death and resurrection
The bible gives us wonderful case study of itself, a work of art that has inspired artists in every generation.
Look at how Genesis first portrays God as Creator, the attention to detail in the tabernacle and temple building, music and songs of worship in the Psalms, the honesty of Wisdom writings like Job’s, how people may need to be confronted with the bankruptcy of life without God before he is willing to even consider the alternative (Ecclesiastes), the practical wisdom of Proverbs, the graphic love poem in Song of Songs, the prophets inspire artists to prick the pretentiousness of those in power and injustice, speaking on God’s behalf through bizarre acts that provoke and shock like Ezekial, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea etc..
The artist must prophesy not in the sense that he foretells things to come but in the sense that he tells his audience at the risk of their displeasure, the secrets of their own hearts
(Collingwood)
Not to hit people with the truth like a bat and leave a bad taste in the mouth like a soap powder advertisement. But to puzzle, provoke and prompt the right questions as well.
Through the prophets, God seeks to recapture their imagination and hearts through painting pictures in the visions that were described, through picture words – his hopes for them, his worst nightmares of what was in store for them if they turned their backs on him. (Michael Card)
In New Testament, we see God speaks the final, living and luminous Word incarnate – Jesus Christ. A picture of drama where the word became flesh, Jesus communicates creatively through parables, stories and object lessons.
God’s art showing God’s heart.
Recommended Reading:
The Creative Life by Alice Bass
Scribbling in the Sand by Michael Card
Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts by Steven Turner
Art & Soul: Signposts for Christians in the Arts
Comments
Anything by Leland Ryken, but especially The Christian Imagination
Art in Action by Nicholas Wolterstoff
New Way to be Human by Charlie Peacock
Rainbows for a Fallen World by Calvin Seerveld (not read it, would love to!)
I'm not really a creative person (used to imagine I might be but coming to uni and encountering so many talented people certainly put me in my place! :-> ) but this is an area which I'm really interested in and love. Though it might get overstated at times, I think all the renewed interest in story and narrative is largely a good thing.
1. To start off with, we can take an interest in stuff currently being done in the local arts circuit, get on some mailing lists. (kakiseni, actor's studio, KLPAC, photographer's gallery etc etc)
2. Go and watch a few live performances or visit the galleries (maybe set yourself target of once a quarter?)
3. Speak to some of these artists and get to know more intimately what's involved, how they live, what they think about life etc
4. Post comments on websites/blogs, join discussion forums on the latest movies/plays/performances etc.
We'll find it suprising how quickly we can learn a few basic "lingo" to join the conversations taking place in the arts. Learning the language will in turn enable us to speak it... or at least understand what is being spoken. Who knows, we may someday be artists ourselves! In fact, learning to develop our right brain can only be beneficial to all other aspects of our life. I would even go as far as to say that, to the extent that artistic endeavours build creative muscles, whatever jobs we're in, we need some level of artistry to do what we do... especially if we wanna do it better.
Thinking slightly more long term, we should encourage future generations to be involved in the arts. Speaking from a Malaysian context, for far too long we have privileged the sciences and technological subjects because they're perceived to be more important in nation building. In fact, from a Malaysian Chinese context, whatever you study in school/university had better be able to get you a secure, well paid job! So music and arts are often not seen as serious disciplines and frowned upon. Even most social sciences and humanities subjects are seen as waste of time. Just stick to being doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers. You see this already in secondary school where the science stream is the preferred stream for the "smarter" pupils.
I think we owe it to our parents (and their parents) generation who've worked hard to free us from a hand-to-mouth existence, to make full use of this freedom to unleash a future generation that bear God's image as creative agents in as broad and multi-faceted in disciplines as the God whose image we bear. I would argue that we would have been unfaithful to our forebears who risked all for a better life, only to result in generations of risk-averse descendants whose legacy is nothing more than material comfort.
Let's all take David's email seriously and get down to something practical... will you fellowship with me in partaking of what God is doing in the arts?
A dentist-turned-HK orchestra conductor once said there is both science and arts (treating people) in dentistry and there is science (meter/tone?) and arts in music! i think he's rite.. :)
BK, didn't know u were so passionate about arts! Poetry and writing stories is a form of art too which jives in with your literature course, huh?
Walk the road less traveled heheh..