Art in the Church

Happy Thursday to you!  For this post, one of my closest pals ever is going to share his heart on a subject he is pretty passionate about.  Drue Butterfield and I have a lot of history together.. he is my bro-dog, broheim, brosef.  Love this kid.  I know you all will be blessed by his thoughts on “Art in the Church.”

Josh

Cold and black…
Quiet, silent, and motionless…
Empty and without substance…

These words describe what I think of a world without art, without creativity, without life, would look like.  Art is essential to who we are.  It doesn’t matter what form it is, whether it is music, a painting, or a film.  Art is ingrained into us.  It’s deep into the roots of our culture and runs through every person.

In and of ourselves, we are art.  We are God’s greatest creation, His masterpiece.  We can’t escape art – it’s here, it’s inside of us, and runs out of our bodies and into the various forms that we know.

It’s late as I write this, and I find myself asking a question:  If we are art, God’s art, then why is it that in many churches, our modern art is either not accepted or not up to par with the standards of “the world”?  I believe that some churches don’t realize the importance and necessity of art, and due to that, they don’t find worth in producing high quality art.

So what?  Church isn’t an art museum; it’s not a movie theater nor a rock show…  Though I may agree with that statement, it doesn’t take away the imperative need for high-standard art in the Church.  As the Body of Christ, a major part of our job is to reach out to the lost.  We live in a beauty-obsessed and art-driven culture, so we cannot take a ‘back seat’ on art or we may miss a major avenue to reach the world.  Our art needs to be so compelling that it drives people to desire and crave what we have… or rather, who we have: Jesus.  Our art should shine His love and His magnificence.

We cannot deny that we live in an artistic culture built on creativity.  We must step up our art to make it the best it can be and use it for what God has called us to use it for, to bring Him glory and reach the lost.  The truth is, the world is already out there chasing after this generation with their own forms of art.  Will we stand up and use our God-given talents and creativity to the best of our capacity, to reach out and save this dying world?

Drue Butterfield