“The purpose of a creative life is to delight in the abundant life in Christ and to offer your expression in service back to Him, for the glory of God and the building up of His people.” ~ Alice Bass
Writer and actress Alice Bass shares why she thinks it’s hard to find good Christian art. In re-reading passages of The Creative Life
“We Christian artists are so concerned about reflecting Christ perfectly and precisely that we miss out on our opportunity to share how Christ is working in our hearts. We fear that if we express ourselves artistically, someone might see a bit of our struggle, and we will have ruined the viewer’s chance to see Jesus.”
It’s the same with our living, she points out. We’re so afraid that we might not measure up or be precise enough in our “delivery of the gospel.”
Tomorrow we’ll explore the solution and how to overcome this fear. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts.
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on July 11, 2007 - 5:57 pm
I look forward to this discussion because it is most certainly true for me. I want to wait until I grow up (I’m 57!) before putting something in print that I will realize later was not as precise or acurate as it should have been.
on July 12, 2007 - 9:30 am
Very interesting! My husband and I have had a lot of conversations about art and the Christian life. Christian artists often find themselves misunderstood and sometimes even judged. How have Christians in general lost their sense of beauty and wonder and replaced it with fear of “going off the deep end?” I look forward to more on this.
on July 13, 2007 - 7:57 am
Hello!
I definitely have an almost unquenchable urge to capture beauty and creation through crafts, the written word, photography, or online graphics. But with in keeping reverence for God I highly hesitate when it comes to making images of Him. I capitalize even pronouns concerning Him out of respect. Any work I could make depicting Him will always fall short of His true divine nature and rob Him of glory; thus I have created a god. But to celebrate His creation or express who I feel I am in Him is very permissible.
I pray continued restoration for your husband. Bless God!
on July 13, 2007 - 2:59 pm
Sparrow’s Song, I’m not an artist with brush and paint or a potter’s wheel, but if I were,I don’t believe I would be comfortable making an image of our Lord, either. As a photographer, I am simply capturing what He has already created…which is why I am compelled to give away my photographs to who ever asks for them. It is the art of writing, placing words on paper for eternity, where fear grips me. I would be so terribly grieved to misrepresent our Lord in any way. I have been following Christ for many years and each year I become more aware of just how much work remains for me to be conformed into His image. Psalm 19:14 is my constant prayer: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
on July 23, 2007 - 12:51 pm
[…] Some of us shirk back in our creative endeavors because we fear others will see our struggles and imperfections rather than Jesus. In this first post, Victoria addresses what we sometimes won’t admit. No Perfect Artists […]