“Where would art historians be if they knew nothing of the Bible? How much sense would Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son make without the story it illustrates?” ~ Sandra Glahn

My friend, LeAnne Martin, has a new feature at Christians in the Arts called the Roundtable. Recently she interviewed fiction writer, teacher, and speaker Sandra Glahn:

LeAnne:
Why do you think Christians should care about the arts?

Sandra:
The Bible is filled with places where we see God’s passion for art. In Genesis He makes the world, animals, humanity. In Exodus we see Him giving fantastic instructions for a beautiful tent complete with a wardrobe for those who serve in it. In Leviticus we see him creating all sorts of symbolic ways to express His holiness. Fast forward to Ezekiel or Hosea where we see him giving bizarre instructions to serve as object lessons…

For the rest of this exciting discussion, visit:
Why Christians should care about the Arts

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LeAnne’s purpose for the blog is “to encourage artists who are Christians struggling to integrate their faith with their art.” She wants to help us understand the value of the arts in our own lives and in becoming more involved in the arts to help reach the world for Christ.

Meet LeAnne Martin
Link to Christians in the Arts.

“Most people are tired of the sexual excesses, graphic violence, and the tearing down of family values expressed today in the name of “art”. Even many secular surveys show the majority of Americans are saying “enough already!” They’re talking about remedies on government levels and sure, tougher laws and limitations will be a big help.

…But there’s a fact we’re forgetting. Stricter laws will only help control the worst of what is wrong. But laws will do nothing to insert, or create, a better alternative. A superior message. That can only be created by people who have that superior message in their hearts.” ~ Melody Green

Melody Green, wife of the late Keith Green, makes a valid point. Read this excerpt and see what you think:

“The Church as a whole has kept a very tight, if often unspoken reign on its artists. We’ve drawn narrow and creatively limiting lines, hoping to keep our artists from compromising the truth. Because of this, many artists feel that to be accepted as true believers, all they paint, write, sing, produce, etc., must have an overt Christian message. Movies need an altar call, songs and books must talk about God, and artwork needs a scripture somewhere. But God does not call every artist to minister so directly.”
~ Melody Green, Direct Contact: Seasoning the Media Arts

Entire article is posted here.

How has God called *you* to minister?

Thanks to my friend who forwarded this interesting article:
The Plight of the Christian Artist.

In this piece we peek inside the heart of Vincent Van Gogh and learn why so many artists in the church today are, indeed, frustrated. Be sure to read the entire article. Here’s an excerpt:

“As tragic as contemporary Christianity’s effort to cultivate artistic talent is, there is an additional tragedy with long-term implications. To be blunt, the Church has sold its artistic soul for a shallow brew of overly spiritualized sentimentality.”

“Where the Church used to compose concertos, she now throws together ditties with three chords. Great art has been relegated to musty museums and replaced by commercialized “Jesus junk.” And literature exploring the great mysteries of man’s relationship to creation and Creator has been supplanted by trivial testimonies about how you can follow Jesus and become a millionaire at the same time.”
~ Denny Gunderson, The Plight of the Christian Artist

AEM Artist Forums are local gatherings of artists and creative professionals in Los Angeles, California. These forums include lectures and discussions on the practical application of a Christian worldview to art, music and all forms of film & media. Through these monthly gatherings AEM serves the local Los Angeles/Hollywood community by encouraging, praying and discussing relevant issues artists face in their creative process, their professional careers and their spiritual life.

“These meetings are open to those who are able to travel to Los Angeles and who take their art and their walk with their Creator seriously.”

Resource:
Artist Forums

A new source has come my way. Check it out for yourself:
Arts & Entertainment Ministries

“Arts & Entertainment Ministries (AEM) equips and educates artists, creative professionals, churches and educators to embrace the gospel and become agents of redemption for the arts, the culture and the world.”

AEM is sought after by professors, teachers and pastors to deliver lectures and provide resources that equip them for training Christians to embrace their faith as they begin to engage the culture around them. Christ did not die for us to retreat from culture, nor to sit on the sidelines as we condemn it, but to be a redemptive force within culture (John 3:17) as we become living metaphors of salt and light (Matt 5:13-16).

“That the arts can be corrupt does not mean that Christians should abandon them. On the contrary, the corruption of the arts means that Christians dare not abandon them any longer.” ~ Gene Edward Veith, author of State of the Arts

“While it’s healthy to critique and assess the trends and dangers within our culture, we need to do more. We need to create the new stories, movies, and anthems that inspire and shape culture in America and—because entertainment is one of our major exports—the rest of the world….

When will Christians assume the role of culture shapers, instead of mere reactionaries? Why do we hesitate—are we afraid? Don’t we realize the scope of the problem and the opportunities God is giving us? What biblical passages can equip us for such a task?” ~ Joel Pelsue, byFaith Magazine, The Call to Create Culture

“To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.” ~ Colossian 1:29 (NIV)

And so I left you hanging a couple days ago in regards to overcoming our fear as artists. Let’s continue.

We’ve been so concerned about reflecting Christ perfectly, precisely, Alice Bass says, that we sometimes fear living creatively at all. She speculates on a solution: Do we live a “free-spirited life” and not concern ourselves with expressing the gospel? Or, turn our backs on creativity and “try to express every jot of Scripture”?

We could never explain the complete depths of Christ, in a body of creative work, nor a lifetime. We can’t fathom His depths, much less express them. But the one thing we do is abide. Our part is to be so intimately connected to our Savior that His life flows through us in everything we do. With that comes the freedom to express ourselves uniquely as He intended. It banishes fear. The joy is learning that He desires to infuse us with creativity, reach a dark and dying world, and amaze us with His grace at the same time.

But the fears come. We feel inadequate. We wrestle with the flesh. Bass offers her solution:

“Allow your tiny offering to reveal your heart, to express your hurt, and allow God to speak the entire gospel through that moment.”

Instead, we’re hiding behind a crisis of confidence. Not self-confidence, mind you, but God-confidence. We don’t pursue our gift more eagerly because we fear not doing Him justice. Our work might not accurately reflect His heart, we say. We’re afraid to venture out. It’s more comfortable to lament our shortcomings.

But hey, I’m well-acquainted with this fear. It’s p-a-r-a-l-y-z-i-n-g. I have to remind myself that fear never comes from God. It’s the spiritual booby-trap of the enemy. Fear comes when we focus too much on our limited abilities instead of relying on God’s grace. We let fear of failure, rejection, ridicule, and judgement cripple our craft.

Let these words settle in your heart:

“I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16, NIV)

If He chose us, appointed us, prepared good works in advance for us, then it’s high time we stopped running from opportunities for Him to express His life in and through us as artists. It’s not our responsibility to be perfect; our responsibility is to abide. He will grow the fruit of our art.

“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power” (Ephesians 3:7, emphasis mine).

It’s all GRACE, my creative friend. When you hit that wall of fear, think grace. Lean on the grace that first brought you to Him. He will banish the fear and ignite a burning passion for more of Himself. The art will follow.

Next post: Fan the Flame

“Be it jewel or toy, not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize.” ~ Owen Meredith

A writerly friend of mine slept for two weeks when her book wasn’t recognized for a certain award. Her book was outstanding, in my opinion, an amazing work. When the book failed to garner the praise she thought it deserved, she succumbed to depression.

So I ask you…wouldn’t it be incredibly freeing to write without always wondering if our material is award-worthy? Author B.J. Hoff thinks so. Her recent blog post addresses this very thought. B.J. reminds writers not to let awards and contests be the “end-all judge of our work.”

“A loss in self-esteem and self-confidence, combined with disappointment, discouragement, and even despair can set in with some authors who tend to see their lack of awards as a judgment on their worth as a writer,” she says.

We have to find a way to write without letting awards become so important.

Winning, after all, brings its own set of problems. How will we respond if we don’t win the next year? Or the year after that? Our worth and value as writers cannot hinge upon such nonsense, or else we cripple our work.

B.J. knows what she’s talking about:

“My point––my only point––in this is to encourage you, actually to urge you, not to measure your value as a writer based on whether or not your work wins awards. Please, don’t ever give in to the lie that your worth as a writer or even as a person is somehow less because somewhere a judge or two hasn’t seen fit to place your writing efforts at the top of his list. That’s a tool of the adversary that’s tied directly to an attempt to discourage you; don’t be taken in by it.”

For the entire post on this important topic, please click over to Grace Notes to read Win or Lose . You’ll discover why there’s only one qualified judge of our writing efforts. Be blessed!