should a christian engage in 'secular' art?
Dear Friends,
I'd love your ideas and advice on something I'm thinking about at the moment.
This semester I'm doing a poetry writing course at UQ. I'm loving it. Seriously loving it*. I feel like I've found my home. I sit in class thinking "How cool is this? This is what I've always wanted to be doing!"
I've done a bit of writing in the last couple of years, but until last month everything I wrote was explicitly Christian. But now I'm enjoying the freedom of writing on anything I like. Anything. Herein lies the problem. I throw myself into whatever I'm writing about. I do my best to imagine every angle of it, explore every emotion. I need to if I'm to come up with convincing and fresh words. This is fine (even edifying) if I'm writing on a particular doctrinal point, but what if my poem is about, well... the darker side of life? The world and the human experience outside of the garden?
Can christians do this without becoming overly enmeshed in the world?
I hate the thought that christians should only produce 'christian' art, but I feel the danger for myself in moving too much into the secular world.
What do you think? Has anyone had similar experiences?
* I'm the mature-aged student in the class that everyone hates. Not only do I do all the prescribed readings, I often go looking for more...
posted by Simone R. @ 5:47 pm
1 comments
1 Comments:
Great posts guys.
While the concerns that Fletch has raised are valid and worth processing, there's also the flip side of the importance of having Christians in those industries to befriend and encourage others towards Christ. If you're an actor and serious about being Christ to people, you may have to do a role or two (or ten) that involve swearing and themes that may be less morally upright. However, would you do a film or a play where evil triumphs in the end and the way of God (goodness) dies? (Like Dave's point about promoting a 'sinful' lifestyle?)
To illustrate my point:
Someone showed me a piece recently that was a 'nude' female and personally, I was a little offended at the vulgar nature of the sketch. It wasn't the concept of a nude picture that I have an issue with, but there was no sense of appreciating the subtle beauty of the female form. It was like 19thC porn. Probably think Philippians 4:8 could provide guidance?
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I love pretty much anything arty and creative and can sometimes find myself getting lost in the beauty of the creative 'moment'. Sometimes I find I have issues with idolizing the art or the artist rather than the power behind it (ie - God!)
Hmm...Don't envy you guys who are IN the process! Reminds me to pray for all you creative guns!
BTW - have we all read 'No Compromise'? IT's the Biography of Keith Green and he had a lot to say about being a creative Christian (nutter) in the secular world... Could be worth a read. Sorry, I lost my copy so can't offer it to loan!
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