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The Christian & The Arts

What are ‘the arts’? The Arts are those areas of human culture that appeal to the emotional, aesthetic and sensory in our humanity; areas such as music, literature, film, dance etc.

Thirty years ago the Christian response to these things was considered clear. It was one of total non-involvement. These things were ‘the world’ and Christians, quite simply, had nothing to do with them.

This position, though it had the virtue of being simple, had a number of serious drawbacks.

Firstly, it was all very well to say have nothing to do with them, but, in practise, this was very difficult, if not impossible. Was it wrong to read all non-Christian books? It meant, if pursued consistently, opting out of human culture altogether. Yet even Paul quotes pagan poets.

Secondly, instead of preventing worldliness it often encouraged it. As long as you didn’t read novels, or have a television, or go to the cinema, you were not worldly. And so greed, malice, materialism, selfishness, ambition could go unchecked, and often did.

Thirdly, it simply wasn’t biblical. It wasn’t a radical enough understanding of what ‘the world’ was. The world in the Bible is not a few isolated aspects of culture. It is the whole of culture, every aspect of life. It is everything that drives and motivates the human heart. And ‘worldliness’ is when a Christian is driven by the same ambitions, values, lifestyles, attitudes, priorities as the society in which he lives. It is not merely a few things we do. Much more penetratingly, it is the very pulses that drive our lives, the agendas we live by, the hidden motives of our souls. In biblical language it is the drives of unrestrained flesh, the desires of uncontrolled eyes, the overweening pride of life. 1 John 2:15,16

This article is an attempt to provide a more biblical perspective on the arts and how we should approach them.

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About John

Hi there - I am a member of Greenview and have been for over 20 years. For a number of these years I functioned as an elder, however, indifferent health forced me to take more of a back seat. I see this as an opportunity to do a little writing, often focussing on issues that are a matter of evangelical debate today. Naturally the views expressed are my own and may not reflect the views of the elders or church at large, though differences are likely to be in the detail and not the substance.

These articles and sermons were written partly to clarify my own thoughts and partly with the intention of provoking thought in others who may read them. If you read one I hope you find it stimulating. Please feel free to give me feedback or discuss my articles in the forums.

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