Christianity and the Arts
Art is everywhere. Every day we do things that bring us in contact with different forms of art. Whether we are reading books, watching movies, or listening to music, art is always around us. The world is heavily influenced by art. Art is a very controversial topic within Christianity. The current state of art in the church conversation is that Christians are divided on the issue of the arts in the Church and that they have a variety of interpretations about them. The first group of Christians believe that there isn’t a legitimate place in the life of a Christian for the appreciation as well as the creation of art such as poetry, fictional stories, and novels. They believe that the arts are not only dangerous and a …show more content…
The article is based off of his book, Echoes of Eden: Reflections on Christianity, Literature, and the Arts. In the article, Barrs discusses the conversation of the arts in Church and touches upon both sides of the argument. The article touches upon both sides of the argument with incorporating work from notable people such as C.S. Lewis and John Calvin to bring their perspective on topic, art in the Church, to the article. Barr starts off the article with saying that he believes that there is “great confusion in our churches” (Barrs, 11). Many Christians are brought up to believe that the arts are dangerous and that Christians have their own kind of art that is completely separate from “worldly” art. We are taught that Christian art is typically associated with hymns, devotional poetry, devotional painting, and religious music. The term, “worldly", typically applies to all things that are associated with art and entertainment such as movies, music, book, and magazines that aren’t Christian oriented or by a …show more content…
“Sometimes Christians will insist that the only work that is truly worthwhile, pleasing to God, and spiritual is the work of serving the proclamation of the gospel across the world” (Barrs, 21). What those Christians fail to realize is that the arts give believers another opportunity to honor God and utilize our gifts and talents for Him. Other people's creativity can also help us even when we don't realize that they do. In C.S. Lewis’s book, An Experiment in Criticism, he wrote that “Good reading, therefore, though it is not essentially an affectional or moral or intellectual activity, has something in common with all three” (Lewis, 138). Just like love, the arts allow us to escape from our own self into someone else. Just like morality, the arts give us the opportunity to put ourselves in another person's place. We are able to just look beyond ourselves and the outlook of our experiences. The arts also allow us to learn from one another and put our selfishness to the side to enjoy the knowledge or talents that our peers may have to offer to the
Art is everywhere. Every day we do things that bring us in contact with different forms of art. Whether we are reading books, watching movies, or listening to music, art is always around us. The world is heavily influenced by art. Art is a very controversial topic within Christianity. The current state of art in the church conversation is that Christians are divided on the issue of the arts in the Church and that they have a variety of interpretations about them. The first group of Christians believe that there isn’t a legitimate place in the life of a Christian for the appreciation as well as the creation of art such as poetry, fictional stories, and novels. They believe that the arts are not only dangerous and a …show more content…
The article is based off of his book, Echoes of Eden: Reflections on Christianity, Literature, and the Arts. In the article, Barrs discusses the conversation of the arts in Church and touches upon both sides of the argument. The article touches upon both sides of the argument with incorporating work from notable people such as C.S. Lewis and John Calvin to bring their perspective on topic, art in the Church, to the article. Barr starts off the article with saying that he believes that there is “great confusion in our churches” (Barrs, 11). Many Christians are brought up to believe that the arts are dangerous and that Christians have their own kind of art that is completely separate from “worldly” art. We are taught that Christian art is typically associated with hymns, devotional poetry, devotional painting, and religious music. The term, “worldly", typically applies to all things that are associated with art and entertainment such as movies, music, book, and magazines that aren’t Christian oriented or by a …show more content…
“Sometimes Christians will insist that the only work that is truly worthwhile, pleasing to God, and spiritual is the work of serving the proclamation of the gospel across the world” (Barrs, 21). What those Christians fail to realize is that the arts give believers another opportunity to honor God and utilize our gifts and talents for Him. Other people's creativity can also help us even when we don't realize that they do. In C.S. Lewis’s book, An Experiment in Criticism, he wrote that “Good reading, therefore, though it is not essentially an affectional or moral or intellectual activity, has something in common with all three” (Lewis, 138). Just like love, the arts allow us to escape from our own self into someone else. Just like morality, the arts give us the opportunity to put ourselves in another person's place. We are able to just look beyond ourselves and the outlook of our experiences. The arts also allow us to learn from one another and put our selfishness to the side to enjoy the knowledge or talents that our peers may have to offer to the