The Christian Artist
I found this on Justin Taylor’s blog and it really hits home with me. Sort of shapes how I should view my work as a graphic artist.
- Christian artists should view their talent as a gift from God and see its use ultimately as worship to God.
- A Christian artist should have a sober assessment of his gift and neither
over-estimate the opportunities it should given him or undervalue the
contribution he can make with it. - The most authentic Christian art results from our joy in Christ overflowing
into Christian art, not our strategies to do art that is Christian. - Creating art is an expression of faith and obedience, not of compulsion or identity.
- The Christian artist should see his art as a way to love God, his people, and the world.
- The Christian Artist sees the sovereign hand of God in both his opportunities and his obstacles.
- The Christian artist is committed to truth in the way he lives and what he creates.
- While the Christian artist is under no burden to make all of his art
explicitly Christian, it would be an unbiblical use of his gift to
intentionally create a body of work without reference to Christ. - The Christian artist rejects the worldly concept of artist as an outsider
and embraces his place among God’s people in the local church as
essential to his life and gifting. - The Christian artist should not ignore his personal responsibility to evaluate the theological soundness of his work.
- Because the Christian artist trusts God, he will battle selfish ambition,
competition, and any pretense of entitlement in regard to his art. - The Christian artist will see the evaluation of others as an essential help
in both growing in their art and assessing its fruitfulness. - The Christian artist will resist elitism and care about the accessibility
of his art to the average Christian in the congregation - The Christian artist must never confuse the joy of creativity with the joy of knowing and pleasing God.
Andrew, Thank you for this. It’s a great article. Very encouraging and convicting, both.
Kari
Kari
14 Jun 08 at 3:50 pm