Is Art Important For Us As Christians - 1905 Words

There has been a tense relationship between the church and the arts in the past, but a new Renaissance appears to be ongoing. Witness the genuine flood Of books on Christianity and the arts in the past hundred years. And this buzz about the arts is already filtering into many churches. Thus I think I can take for granted a certain level of comfort among readers with the arts as a noble Christian search. However, I would like to argue that not only is it approved by God, but art plays a vital role for humanity; we need it in the church and in the world; more of us ought to develop our artistic gifts and our ability to thoughtfully interact with art from a Christian viewpoint; and we need to support the artists in our midst, both†¦show more content†¦Francis Schaeffer wrote, â€Å"Being in the image of the Creator, we are called upon to have creativity† (Schaeffer 18). When we create art, then, we are manifesting the image of God and becoming more who we were meant to be. God has set aside some of us with a specific calling as artists. The very first instance of God’s spirit being given to someone in the Bible was to an artist! In the instructions for making the Tabernacle and all its furnishings, God said to Moses, â€Å"See, I have chosen Bezalel . . . of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship† (Exod. 31:3–4). Here was fine art have been used for the worship of God, one service that Christian artists perform, but by no means the only one. While some are called specifically to be artists and are given more talent and/or desire in that area than others, being creative is central to who we all are as humans. The arts play a fundamental role in this, giving us both means parallel with God’s own beauty with which to worship him, and derivative beauty to expand our enjoyment of God’s creation. Francis Schaeffer asserts: â€Å"The arts . . . have a place in the Christian life—they are not peripheral. For a Christian . . . the Lordship of Christ should