aesthetics for the glory of God

Welcome to the brand-new blog for the arts ministry of Grace Church Stillwater! This is the future home for all events, updates, essays, and reviews. If you want to know more about how to get involved with the arts ministry, send me an e-mail.

For an introduction to what we're all about, here is an excerpt from a proposal I wrote a while back:

Grace Chruch, Community, and the Arts
by Stewart Clem

Why art is important to the body of Christ

First and foremost, we must recognize that art is important to God. Dr. Tom Jennings, Director of Worship and Arts at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, reminds us that, “Within the Scriptures, evidence that the arts matter to God is overwhelming. Frequent instructions in the Bible to sing, dance, and play instruments show that God expects all people to express their relationship to Him in creative ways. God’s calling on specific individuals to serve as temple musicians and craftsmen shows that many are to dedicate themselves to understanding and mastering their art form.” Even the inspired Scriptures themselves are at some level the result of artistic expression: “With all due respect to preachers who deliver organized three-point sermons [...], God chose to reveal Himself primarily through narrative, parable, poetry, proverb, and song.”[i]

The arts can, and should, play an important role in how we understand God and His character. John Piper believes that God has given us material creation as a means of savoring His beauty: “In our fight for joy, we must not neglect the ministry of God to our souls in the world that he has made. We should make direct use of the world to see and savor the glory of God wherever he has displayed it. This includes the efforts of man, by his design and art, to represent something of God’s glory.” He goes on to discuss the realms of visual art and music as being crucial to this endeavor, claiming that “they have the potential to awaken the mind and heart to aspects of God’s glory that were not perceived before.”[ii]

Art in the Reformed tradition

Not surprisingly, good theology is directly tied to a God-centered view of the arts. Scotty Smith, PCA pastor and author, believes the PCA has a theology that, applied properly, gives a higher view of beauty in the arts. “Art is such an important part of our created experience,” he says. “Christians called to various parts of the arts, from Broadway to the local kazoo band, are called to excellence. Doing what we do well is to God’s glory. . . . We need to continue to recognize great art and show genuine appreciation for art making itself. [...] A Christian view of the arts,” he says, “starts with a proper view of creation. [...] When God created the world, and Adam and Eve as His image bearers, He called them to subdue the earth . . . art is designed to be an amazing responsibility from the Lord taking the raw stuff of creation and molding it into something beautiful.”[iii]

Throughout history, art has often been understood as something that is interwoven with worship. From the detailed and grandiose architecture of the cathedrals in Europe to the musical compositions of Bach and Handel, the arts were a tangible way to display the glory of God. But as we look around, we see that this idea has been lost in the world. Postmodernism has delegated art to margins of society, declaring that art has no purpose or meaning. It is now viewed as something for the elite, having nothing to do with morality, values, politics, or religion. Thus, art and the artists have been alienated from the common culture. Even the famous director Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal, Through a Glass Darkly), who does not claim Christianity himself, recognizes this problem: “It is my opinion that art lost its basic creative drive the moment it was separated from worship. It severed an umbilical cord and now lives its own sterile life, generated and degenerating itself. In former days the artist remained unknown and his work was to the glory of God. [...] The ability to create was a gift. In such a world flourished invulnerable assurance and natural humility.”[iv] The world we live in no longer prizes these ideals.

Art in the church today

This is where art stands now, and unfortunately, this is where the church has left it. Instead of reclaiming the artistic realm and acknowledging, as Calvin said, that “all truth is God’s truth”, we have ignored the arts and left them to the world to do what it will. This should never be the attitude of God’ people. At best, we have demoted art to the role of shallow evangelism, using music and movies to get people through the doors of the church. We offer “Christian alternatives” to popular art and in the process submit to the world’s claim on artistic expression. Derek Webb, singer/songwriter and co-pastor of a PCA church, exhorts the church that, “Art is simply too important a medium with which to engage culture to treat it like it’s only good for making us rich and famous. We must make art that is both relevant and faithful if we are to think long-term about how our art is impacting people. When I look around creation I don’t see any cheesy art. Why is it then that image-bearers of this great Creator generally produce such sub-standard art as an industry? What are we reflecting about the character of our God?”[v]

The church today needs to do more than jump on the bandwagon of popular art in our culture. We must remember that this is not a “new” endeavor or trend, but rather a recapturing of what the church once held dear. By realizing how important this subject is to our Lord Himself, we can be reawakened to a God-honoring and culture-impacting passion for creative pursuits. Whether it painting, music, sculpture, literature, film, dance, poetry, photography, etc., we must submit all things on this earth to the dominion of Jesus Christ.

The implications for Grace Church, Stillwater

Equipped with this knowledge and mindset, there must be practical ways to actualize our passion for the arts in the local church and the community. This is where I come in. I have a desire to see these things lived out in the body of Grace Church, Stillwater. Being a college town, Stillwater has a pre-existing artistic community and an intellectual interest in the arts. Many artists in our community have no sense of direction and feel isolated from the church. Many Christians have no idea what to do with the overwhelming amount of shallow entertainment pushed on them every day of their lives. Reading, listening to music, and watching movies are merely ways to pass the time. I have many ideas and visions for awakening a God-centered focus on the arts that could potentially prove to be edifying for both church and community if given enough time and attention. Below is a rough outline for some of these ideas.

§ Open Mic Nights

While this ministry has been in place for some time now in some form or another, it could definitely use better structure and organization. By working with local coffee shops and other venues, we can give artists in and outside the church a chance to play songs they’ve written, recite poetry, or whatever else they can come up with. It gains exposure for the church, creates relationships, and cultivates an environment for anyone and everyone to develop their artistic abilities.

§ Film Viewings

This is an area that has been seriously lacking in the Christian community. Films will be chosen on the basis of their spiritual significance, artistic value, and cultural relevance. This will cover everything from classic, independent, foreign, and contemporary films of all kinds. Ideally the viewings will take place in the homes of church members or the church’s ministry center downtown, approximately once a month, with an introduction to each film’s history and insights into the filmmaker’s worldview. A discussion session will follow after the film is over, giving everyone a chance to reflect on significant themes and question that are raised. Ransom Fellowship, a Christian organization focusing on arts and culture, offers many film guides on their website. Their philosophy of ministry states:

“We believe that the films we call attention to are valuable for the discerning Christian. Valuable as a window of insight into the heart of our postmodern culture, or as a point of contact to begin discussion with non-Christians about things that matter. It’s in a culture’s stories that we have access to what is in their hearts and imaginations—to their hopes and fears, values and dreams. And especially for the postmodern generation, their stories, the ones they engage repeatedly and discuss endlessly, are found in movies. Not all films are worthy of reflection, of course, but many address the deepest questions of life, and those are the ones we call attention to on this site and in Ransom’s publications.”[vi]


§ Guitar Clinics

There are many in our church with musical abilities, and one of the ways to minister to our community is by offering free music instruction. We have already held a guitar clinic at Westwood Elementary School for beginner and intermediate guitar players. The attendees ranged from young children to adult, and we saw a very good turnout for our initial run. By offering such clinics in the future, as well as personal instruction, we are enabled to encourage people to pursue their artistic abilities for the glory of God.


§ Newsletter/ Abstract

One of the most effective ways of communicating with the world around us is through written media. Either a one page (front and back) abstract or a small newsletter-style periodical would be published on a fairly frequent basis (to be determined later) and distributed freely around campus and other parts of town. Writers from within the church can write articles about various topics of interest, including arts and culture, reviews, current events, and other thought-provoking pieces. This is a great way of bringing our worldview to the forefront of the community, whose eyes are always on the church.


§ Outreach and Ministry

The arts should not be restricted to the intellectual community. We want to host clinics for children to develop their abilities, and seek creative ways to reach the homeless and the elderly as well. There is already an interest in our church for ministering to nursing homes and homeless shelters through worship services held at their facilities. Most of these places are more than welcoming to us, but it will take effort to build this into a regularly operating ministry.


§ Songwriter Circles

For those who are already experienced with their instruments, songwriter circles give artists a chance to receive feedback from other artists with similar worldviews. This ministry is already in place and would greatly benefit from more promotion and support.


§ Art Shows

By hosting art shows, we are giving visual artists (paint, sculpture, photography) a chance to display their work as well. This is a wonderful way to reach out to the artistic community and build relationships with those who might never come across any spiritual instruction throughout their whole lives. Our own church members would also be given a chance to display their work and share their perspective with others.


§ Concerts

With enough support, our church is capable of bringing in performers from across the country who share a passion for God’s glory. We have already hosted Derek Webb in concert, with a highly successful turnout.

§ Seminars

If there is enough interest, Grace Church could host seminars on the arts, training artists and anyone interested in learning about a Christ-centered approach to the study and practice of aesthetics. Speakers could potentially be brought in as well.


Looking forward

Lord willing, with enough prayer and preparation, all of these ideas could manifest themselves into vibrant ministries. With the support of the church, I ask that I would be given the privilege of overseeing these ministries, with as much direct involvement as necessary. I have a passion for others becoming passionate about God’s glory through the arts, and I trust that the Lord will bring it about if that is what He wants.

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Notes:
[i] Stephen McGarvey, “PCA Artists: Pointing to the Creator, Shaping the Culture”, In ByFaith Online: the Web Magazine of the Presbyterian Church in America: http://www.byfaithonline.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID323422CHID664014CIID1998562,00.html

[ii] John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy, pp. 191, 193.

[iii] Quoted in the ByFaith article cited above.

[iv] Ingmar Bergman, in the essay “Film Has Nothing to Do with Literature”.

[v] Derek Webb, “The Role of Artists in Kingdom Building”. http://www.derekwebb.com/

[vi] Ransom Fellowship: http://www.ransomfellowship.org/Movies_Philosophy.html