Sep 27, 2012

"Christian" is Code Word for "Crappy"?!?!

Borrowed from http://creativewonk.files.wordpress.com
Erwin McManus says the word "Christian" has become our cultural code word for "crappy"...
  • Christian music
  • Christian art
  • Christian movies
Somehow, when we say Christian in front of such words, everyone understands, that whatever "it" is, it's not as good as what a world without God is creating.

The reason why Erwin McManus' statement bothers me is because I think he's right.

How can this be?

God is the creator God.

In fact, when Genesis uses the word Hebrew word "bara" for creation, only God is the subject of that verb. No other in the universe is able nor can create as God creates.

When God created humankind, he created humankind in his image...we were created with the imprint of the Creator God in our souls. 

Of all the people on planet earth, Christians ought to be the most creative and expressive folks when it comes to demonstrating the creative possibilities of God's kingdom. We should not play second fiddle to anyone.

With the advent of the protestant reformation came the move away from the sacred arts. 

At one time, the world's greatest artists, musicians, composers, poets, writers, thinkers were all Christians.

I hate that the word "Christian" has become synonymous with crappy. 

It's time that the church changes this perception by reclaiming the place of creative arts in the life of the church. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You write, "With the advent of the protestant reformation came the move away from the sacred arts."
Well, the Reformation started in 1517 or so.Johan Sebastian Bach, very much a protestant, lived from 1685-1750 and was one of the giants of music in many forms.
Rembrandt van Rijn lived from 1606-1669 and was one of the giants of painting and etching.
It seems that the takeover by secularism is more to blame for crappy art than anything else. What great works of art has secularism produced. Any living great in the arts living today?

Henry Chambers
hc@mahaska.org
It might have something to do with the meaning of life, believing that man and woman are created in the image of God. That elevates life. Much modern art has been and is deconstruction.
I have no hope that great work of arts will come forth from progressivism, Christian or otherwise. I have some hope that among evangelicals some people will stand up who for generations and centuries to come will be considered as belonging to the greatest in the arts.