The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 19

This week we continue our examination of the meaning of the Bible’s form and its implications for Christian artists.  We began in the last post by realizing that the fact that God used human authors to inscribe His Word in a variety of literary forms (poetry, parable, narrative, etc.) shows us that God uses people to communicate Himself to mankind.  Although He will not use us in the same way that He used the authors of Scripture (which is unique and inspired in a way that normal artistic ventures are not), the principle still remains that God uses humans to communicate spiritual Reality under artistic forms, which shows the high potential of human artistic endeavors.

The fact that artistry and the communication of spiritual Truth are inseparably bound together is further seen in the physical form and pattern of Holy Scripture.  By this, I mean that the Bible is comprised of written language, which is formed of written words, which are made of written letters.  These are such basic truths that we rarely consider the implications of them.

We must remember that these things (language, words, letters) are all symbols.  Language is a patterned organization of words, and these words are an organization of sounds (represented by letters) which symbolize ideas and things that occur in physical reality.  For instance, in English, the letter “c” followed by an “o” followed by a “w” form the word cow, which, when sounded out (by our lips or in our minds) makes the word that we recognize as what English-speaking people call the placid, horned bovine we obtain milk and meat from.  The word cow symbolizes the sounds that correspond to our idea of a cow.  This concept works for virtually anything in Creation, be it a physical creature, an idea that has no direct physical correlative, or even a nonsensical series of sounds.

When we arrange words (which symbolize the sounds which represent the creature or idea, etc., that we recognize) into longer patterns, we are capable of symbolizing much more complex ideas by combining multiple concepts, such as action, time, state of being, etc., by the use of phrases and sentences (such as the one you are currently reading).  By this method complex communication is possible between thinking beings.

This being so, realize this: communication is only possible by means of symbols (whether audible, visual, or tactile), and symbols are the basic tool of the artist.  This means that, insofar as any type of communication is involved, artistry is inevitable and inescapable.  In point of fact, the Ultimate Artist (the Triune Creator-God) has made symbols the basic mode of creaturely existence, since everything that has been created finds its true meaning in the fact that all things symbolize and reveal some aspect of God and His attributes and character. This is especially true of the one creature who has expressly been made in the image of God, mankind (for the previous sentences, please see Gen 1; Ps 19, Rom 1, etc.).  All things, especially man, find their deepest meaning in the fact that they reveal something of God as His symbols.

This is even more true of more abstract parts of Creation, like language, words, and letters.  The human penchant for organizing symbols in increasingly complex patterns to communicate things is rooted in the fact that we are made in God’s Image, and we are thus like Him in that way.

Like God, men communicate through symbols (like sounds, letters, words, and language), and by a particularly complex organization of these types of symbols, we speak and write to each other about all manner of things, frequently in recognizably artistic ways such as poetry, narrative, parable, etc.  This is even true of written and spoken forms of communication that seek to present a maximum amount of content by minimizing as much as possible “artistic” ornamentation, forms which we normally think of as discursive or didactic (teaching) forms (such as a reader may find in the books of James or 1 John).

However, even the most didactic of language is still unavoidably artistic.  Why?  Because language (both written and spoken) must utilize symbols, and the symbols that comprise the language and its inherent ideas by their very use constitute an act of artistry.

Anyone who uses language to communicate must, whether intentionally or not, engage in artistry at some level.  This means that even the pastor who disparages the artistic as a means of communicating Christ gives the lie to his disparagement in direct proportion to his skill at preaching or teaching (the more skillful he is, the more artistic; but, even if he is only marginally skillful, he still exhibits artistry).

In Scripture, we see this type of artistry raised to the pinnacle of its possibilities, as, under the forms of these different symbols, spiritual Reality and Truth is communicated (the Word does not return void on any level).  Thus, even the most basic constituent of the form of Scripture screams out to us that artistic communication of God’s Truth is not only possible, it is necessary and deliberate, for God in Scripture has enshrined His Word through symbol and art.

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The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do, Part 18

In the past few weeks, we have examined the parameters of the intersection of witness and art.  Prior to these, we looked at the necessity (and value) of theology and the place of Scriptural content in Art.  In this post, we will begin an examination of the meaning of the form of Scripture, and what implications that form has for us as artists.

Scripture itself has, of course, come to us in written form, as 66 books which encompass a number of literary forms such as poetry, historical narrative, parable, apocalyptic writing, etc.  (All of which we will examine, Lord willing, in future weeks as to their specific meanings to the artist.)  The amazing thing about this is that, despite the multiplicity of writers and styles, written over several millennia and multiple cultures, God Himself used these diverse writers, backgrounds, and styles to supernaturally and sovereignly reveal Himself and His character and ways both to the human writers’ original contemporaries and to us (cf. 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-32; Isa 8:20; Deut 17:19; 1 Cor 10:1-11; etc.).

In point of fact, it is Scriptural passages like 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21 that have caused Christians to believe that the Bible is “God-breathed,” and thus inspired by the Spirit of God Himself, and that show that God supernaturally overcame the short-comings of the human authors of Holy Writ to produce a book that is inerrant, infallible, and absolutely authoritative for mankind, able to equip the man of God for “every good work.”

This means that God used people to accomplish the high and spiritual purpose of creating for the benefit of mankind His Word written.  In past posts of this series, we saw that God used symbol in creation itself (all created things symbolize the Creator in some fashion), and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ (both fully God and fully Man simultaneously) and the Sacraments Christ instituted, to reveal His Spiritual Reality through physical things, showing (among many other purposes) that created things and creatures are meant to be (and inescapably are) conduits and vehicles for the revelation of the Holy Creator-God.

The fact that God used human authors under the inspiration of His Spirit to reveal His Eternal Word likewise shows us that God intends for the created order, for patterned matter to carry and communicate spiritual content (e.g., God’s fingerprints).

For existence of the Bible, a physical, ordered imprint of God’s Spiritual Word teaches us that we as humans are capable of being used by God to reveal Himself.  This does not mean that any vehicle which God utilizes to reveal Himself will be anywhere remotely near to the unique, inerrant, infallible revelation of God as He is revealed in Scripture (a man named Marcion attempted, in the early centuries of the church’s history, to teach that people could create works equal to Holy Writ, and was swiftly and justly recognized as a heretic and enemy of the Faith).

However, while it is true that any revelation of God that comes through our creations will not be infallible or anywhere near the revelation of God in Scripture, it is also true that vital spiritual content can be communicated through human activity and artifacts.  This can, for artists, be specially underscored by the fact that the Bible encompasses a number of literary artistic forms (poetry, parable, etc., as mentioned above).

This further means that God not only used human authors, but also that He used humans skilled as artists.  Solomon, David, and Asaph were skilled poets, Moses a narrative storyteller of the highest order, and so forth.  Though today we cannot be used to enscribe infallible revelation through our various arts, we can still be used of God to communicate Truth about who He is and what He is like.  The traditions and history of the Church are replete with instances and examples of godly Christians who glorified and revealed Christ in and through their art.  Let us today, with the vision of Scripture filling us, do our part to extend the traditions of godly art into the future.

For additional teaching on Worship, Art, and the World visit www.patreon.com/kempercrabb

The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do, Part 17

Last week we examined the risks and attendant evils connected with overreactions to the anti-artistic legalisms which too often face artists within the pale of the Church.  We saw that, while legalisms must be resisted, we cannot react into libertinism (living as if there were no extant rules of godly conduct) or the temptation to “hide our light under a bushel” by trying to pretend we are not Christians at all (as some Christian artists have done to try to achieve fame or influence outside of Christian circles and/or marketplaces).  We must always bear the Name of Christ and never deny His Lordship (cf. Matt 10:32-33).

Nonetheless, our art must not necessarily be in the form of a gospel tract (though there are a number of artistic tracts and evangelism tools).  As I have argued extensively throughout this series, our art should be an extension of our lives under Christ’s Lordship.

This means that our music (or dance, or plays, etc.) should reflect the fact that our lives are made up of a number of different functions and modes.  At times we play.  Other times we work.  Other times we engage in private or formal worship.  Sometimes we evangelize.  At times we eat (or dream, or nurture our children, etc.).

Our lives are many-faceted, and this is a good thing, as we experience the knowledge of the Reality of God and Christ’s Lordship under a variety of situations and circumstances (both pleasant and unpleasant, as a study of the lives of Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Paul, or Job clearly shows).  Our task as artists is to mediate (e.g., share) our knowledge and vision of God under all these modes of life to others through the vehicle of our art.

If we do this properly, those who are exposed to our artistry will see that our artistic representations ring true, and will take them seriously, hopefully resulting in their understanding and embracing the multi-faceted Lordship of Jesus.  Part of the appeal of the gospel is that Jesus’ Rule and Plan is over all of the arenas of life, not just over our private emotional and “religious” lives.  Jesus’ Lordship extends over our familial lives (including education, extended family relationships, and even sex), our political lives (the values by which we vote, and Christ’s Absolute Sovereignty over the kings of the earth [cf. Rev 1:5]), our work and business experience, our friendships, as well as our worship and prayer lives.

All of these areas of life are to be lived under the Rule of Christ, and consequently, the art that flows from a Christian’s life should reflect this across the board.

In a very real sense, all of life is worship under different modes: work, prayer, relaxation, friendship, politics, etc., as well as formal worship and evangelism.  Our art should reflect the complete spectrum of human life experienced in relationship with Christ Jesus.  If we only restrict ourselves to art concerning formal worship, prayer, or evangelism, the pagans who are exposed to it will conclude that (1) Christ’s Lordship is restricted to those areas, (2) other areas of life are relatively unimportant both to God and to us, and (3) that Christianity is irrelevant to most of life, and therefore unrealistic, and consequently untrue.

We must exhibit the fullness and joy (and sorrow and suffering) of life in Christ in the world of the Fall and of Redemption.  If we do not, we fail to bear a truthful witness to Christ the Creator, Redeemer, and Lord of all of life.

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The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 16

Over the last four or five weeks, we have seen that a Christian artist’s works, because of General Revelation and the Revelation of God’s Word, can be used by the Holy Spirit as conduits of the communication of Christ’s Reality.  We saw also how contexts (cultural, personal, and corporate) can aid and hinder audiences in their understanding and appreciation of those same works of art.  We saw last week the importance of consistent Biblical behavior (holiness) in individual and corporate Church life to having people take the content of Christian Art seriously.

During the course of this portion of our series, I have emphasized the truth that a Christian’s art does not always have to be explicit in spelling out the entire gospel, though it must never contradict Scripture or encourage sin.  As Christians reflecting the Lordship of Jesus over every aspect of life, it is legitimate to address artistically any area of life, provided the art represents the truth about that area in light of Scripture.

Because of the widespread influence of pietism (a philosophy that rejects the legitimacy of ordinary human life as a vehicle for spiritual Reality), I’ve spent a good deal of space and attention on countering its errors by pointing out the true liberty and tremendous scope of Biblical Christian Art.  However, in the understandable backlash against the legalistic restrictions of pietism on Art, there has too frequently been a tendency to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  The answer to pietism, which makes a god of a restrictive view of piety, is notto stop practicing piety.  The answer is to discern what true piety or holiness is in light of the Bible’s teachings, and to embrace and practice Christ’s view of piety and holiness.  To react to pietism to the point of rejecting piety (or holiness) altogether is to answer one error with another.  Scripture, not overreaction to a false doctrine, is what should rule our practice of holiness, in life and art (and everything else, for that matter).

Too many times have I seen Christian artists, in the name of liberty from pietism’s legalisms, fall into one (or both) of two sins, one a sin of activity and the other a sin of inactivity.  The first error, a sin of activity, is to begin to enact a lifestyle of worldliness and spiritual carelessness.  I’ve seen a number of hitherto devout Christian artists drift away from the spiritual disciplines commanded in Scripture of church attendance, frequent prayer, and Bible study into resentment against the Church, nonbiblical ideas of God and salvation, fornication and adultery, drunkenness, and drug use.

This drift has been largely fueled by anger and/or despondency at what these artists considered (correctly) to be unbiblical legalisms and a lack of concern about (or outright disparagement of) Art and artistic vocations by the Church.  In their unguided reactions to the legalisms touted by much of the Evangelical Church in our day, they have overreacted many times into outright sin (two wrongs do not make a right).  The Church has generally viewed these overreactions as a justification for continuing Her legalisms, rather than seeing that these tragic situations are the result of those same legalisms that the Church thinks will keep Her safe from just those same sins.  This series has intended all along to help address this problem, and give some perspective (Biblical, historical, and artistic) and elementary guidelines to help us, as the Church, deal with this problem.

The sin into which these Christian artists have fallen has, of course, been vaunted by the society-at-large as a proof of the hypocrisy and untruth of the Faith.  It has also been tragedy and confusion for those artists who have enacted this sinful overreaction.

The other error which flows from the overreaction to pietism has been one of inactivity, of what I call “hiding under a bushel.”  In this error, artists make the decision to hide, or downplay as much as possible, their faith.  This is normally justified as exemplifying the true freedom of Christian practice, though it is actually driven by anger and/or embarrassment at the Church’s state, or a desire for fame or the world’s good will to the end of becoming famous or successful in the artist’s chosen field of endeavor.

Now, those readers who have followed this series for any length of time can attest to the fact that I argue at length for the necessity of making art that embraces all of life in a Biblically balanced way, and that need not be explicitly theological in order to be truly Christian or a vehicle for God’s Truth.  Nonetheless, to attempt to make art that hides deliberately the Faith that undergirds it, is not Biblical.  It is an assault on the Maker.  As Christian artists, we dare not make art that obscures the Truth of Reality in Christ, lest we fool ourselves into thinking that we can serve God by such a subterfuge.

If we are embarrassed by the Church’s state, the answer is not to distance ourselves from or abandon Her; we should rather be honest about Her failings, and attempt to change Her, showing in our own lives and art what She is to be.  If we are angry, we must forgive, and walk in love (Mark 11:25; Luke 17:4; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13).  If we are so concerned to be famous that we begin to self-consciously suppress our open faith in Christ (even if our goal is to “reveal ourselves as Christians once we’ve made it big”), we must repent and put away our idols, trusting that God will raise us up in the world’s estimation according to His Will, since “Promotion comes from the Lord” (Ps 75:6).

Jesus was very clear on this subject in Matthew 10:32-33: “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”  At risk of our immortal souls, we must never deny, by word or deed, the Lordship of Christ, even if we think that by doing so, we are “evangelizing” or “doing it all for Christ.”  The end still does not justify the means.

Please remember, by saying this I am not saying that all our art must be cast in the mold of a gospel tract (as I’ve explained in the past, that would probably hurt evangelism, as indeed it has).  But neither are we to avoid clear expressions of our faith.  Our art should flow from, and be a reflection of, our lives in Christ, if it is to ring true and be taken seriously at all.  Sometimes we pray.  Sometimes we play.  Sometimes we do business.  Sometimes we go to church.  There is a natural place and balance for all these things as we live out our lives as people (and artists) before the face of Christ.  Our art must reflect the full spectrum of our lives under His Lordship.  Let us never deny Him any part of that, regardless of what the cost may be in this world.

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The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 15

In the last couple posts, we discussed the fact that, because of General Revelation and Scriptural Revelation, a Christian artist’s works can be used by God’s Spirit as conduits of communication of the Truth of the reality of Christ.  We also saw how contexts helped the understanding of audiences in perceiving the insights embedded in those works of art.  We further saw how cultural contexts aided and hindered audiences in their grasp of, and embrace of, those same works of art.

Cultural contexts are, by their nature, vast and all-enveloping within any given culture (affecting even the smallest of artistic interactions in a culture).  This week, we will move to a consideration of two smaller, interlocking contexts: The Church and individual Christian artists’ lives and actions.

In some ways, this is the same situation on two levels, for Scripture teaches that Christians (despite modern tendencies to see the Faith as a strictly individual undertaking, and the Church as simply a collection of gathered individuals with common interests) are actually to find their identity in the corporate entity of the Church as “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people” (1 Peter 2:4-10).

Thus, each individual Christian, as a royal priest of God’s Holy Nation, the Church, represents both the entity of the Church and the Lord Jesus Himself (since the Church is Christ’s Body on earth, of which He is the Head (Eph 4:7-16; Col 2:19).  As a priestly representative of Christ and His Church, every Christian’s actions reflect upon both his Lord and his brothers and sisters in Christ.  As John Donne said, “No man is an island.”

The individual Christian’s representative actions are one half of a sort of feedback loop, the corresponding action of which is the corporate action of the Church as a Body, especially in worship, wherein the individual Christians are taught from, and see acted out, the Word, which in turn forms each Christian’s idea of how their lives should be lived out in light of the Spirit’s Illumination of Scripture.  This work is of such importance that God has established a government of ministers over the Church (Jer 3:15, 23:4; Acts 20-28; Eph 4:11-13; etc.) to see that the Church’s tasks are well-ordered.  These servant leaders face a greater responsibility and a stricter judgement if they fail at their oversight, especially in their task of teaching the Bible (James 3:1; Heb 13:17; Ezek 33:6; etc.).

Thus, there are two spheres of interlocking contexts for every believer—the individual and the corporate (e.g., the Church).  Both of these spheres can (and will) radically affect each other.  They should do so positively.  They frequently do so negatively, unfortunately.

What we must realize is that each of these spheres represent Christ in the society around them, the individual representing Christ (and a small picture of the Church) in his solitary actions, and the corporate actions of the Church, as the larger Community of Christ, representing their Lord in a broader (and potentially much farther-reaching) fashion.  Each of us, as Christians, represent Christ both as members of Christ’s Body in our actions together as the Church and as individuals in our actions to the society around us.

Why?  To what purpose?  We are called and commanded to follow Christ’s example as His Body and priests so that the world can see acted out in our lives how Christ acted, and thus see how His actions have changed and cleansed us, so that unbelievers may come to believe in the gospel’s Truth and Power, and want Christ to change them as well (1 John 1:6; 1 Cor 11:1; etc.).  Thus, much stress is laid on the responsibility of Christians to obey His Commands (1 John 2:3-5; John 14:21, 23, 15:10; etc.).  If we do not act as Jesus did, the world will not take the gospel seriously, because they won’t believe it really changes lives.

The Lord Himself gave an example of this, as recorded by John the Apostle in John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is as clear as a bell.  Love each other as He has loved us (e.g., act as He has acted), so that everyone will know that we are Christ’s disciples.  The converse is also true: if we do not love each other as Christ loved us (e.g., if we do not act as Jesus did), it will be known that we are not His followers, and thus we will fail to be what we are called by God to be.  We will, as individuals and the Church, be accounted hypocrites and irrelevant to the pagan culture around us (Dr. Francis Schaeffer treated this topic most excellently in his little book The Mark of the Christian, which I highly recommend).

What does this have to do with Christians and art?  Everything.  If our lives, both as individual believers, and as the Church, do not reflect the authentic Christ-like holiness that the Bible demands of us, then the culture around us will be justified in concluding that the insights and Truth embedded and carried in our works of art are, at worst, hypocritical or deluded lies, or, at best, either irrelevant or something other than they are represented to be.

Truth is not just rational, propositional concepts.  Nor is it only sentimental and emotional.  It is much broader than these things, though it does encompass them.  Truth is meant to touch and change the entire spectrum of human experience and reality.  Truth, though absolute, must be communicated in a context.  If the context (our individual and corporate lives) does not match up to the Truth of Christ carried in our art, it seems to the unbelieving audience to give the lie to God’s Truth and invalidate it.

If our walk doesn’t match our talk, then the infidels around us will conclude that the gospel is a lie (which is understandable, unfortunately).  Our art, even if it is not explicit in its presentation of the gospel (as we’ve discussed in the past four posts), should nonetheless be produced from the context of godly Christian lives.  The consistency between art and life will speak volumes to the surrounding unbelievers, and will gain us legitimate respect and the freedom to speak to people who will listen.

There has been much ballyhoo in recent years about outspoken Christian musicians and actors in positions of cultural prominence.  All too frequently, though, their proclamation of the gospel has been compromised and damaged in the eyes of the world by their subsequent ungodly actions and lifestyles, leaving their nonbelieving audiences feeling that Christianity is a farce.

May God deliver us as Christian artists from inconsistent lifestyles, so that we can establish contexts of holiness in our lives, from which can flow works of art which can be effectively used by God’s Spirit as channels of Christ’s Grace and Mercy.

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The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 14

Last week we saw that, due to General Revelation and especially Scripture’s Revelation, a Christian’s works of art can be used of the Holy Spirit to reveal both to nonbelievers and believers aspects of the insights concerning Truth that come with the Christian artist’s corrected perspective as he submits his vision of reality to the Word by the Spirit.  The insights imbedded in these works of art can thus be used to confirm and strengthen the faith of Christians, and to be conduits of Grace to non-Christians, drawing them toward belief.

In the post prior to last week, we discussed how it was that contexts helped the understanding of works of art to their audiences.  General Revelation forms a backdrop against which all men can grasp some spiritual understanding of an art-work.  Christians, who by definition have experienced Spiritual Rebirth (John 3:3-8) and should be submitting their beliefs and views to the inerrant Word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21; etc.), have a range of knowledge and experience that far surpasses—in terms of Truth and breadth of spiritual insight—that of infidels.  Because of this, a Christian’s spiritual understanding of a work of art (or anything else, for that matter) should vastly surpass that of a non-believer; a Christian has a much deeper and broader spiritual context for understanding art.

Another factor is the amount of influence Christianity has had in forming the cultural backdrop against which a work of art is to be viewed.  For instance, in India, the culture that has formed (e.g., the views of man and the world, of society and relationships, of forms and content of art, whether architecture, dance, music, poetry, drama, prose, fashion, etc., of what is good and desirable in these areas and what is not desirable) has been shaped primarily by Hindu thought, which reaches generally very different conclusions about all of the cultural categories (conclusions that, from a Biblical perspective, are generally quite destructive spiritually).

This is true of any pagan culture, such as Japan (formed by Shinto and Buddhist thought), American Indian culture (formed by Animist thought), or any culture not primarily formed and cleansed by Christian influence (this is even true of Islamic cultures, though these cultures are at least somewhat closer to a Christian perspective, since Islam is a Christian heresy).

A work of art by a Christian, viewed by an infidel culture, will necessarily be subject to a more limited understanding spiritually, since the spiritual context is limited more or less to General Revelation (which is true) plus their pagan religion’s conclusions about reality (which are false).  So, although a work of art from a Christian perspective would easily reinforce the knowledge inherent in General Revelation (which every person knows deep down [Rom 1:18-19ff]), it would also fly in the face of the pagan conclusions of that culture, producing a tension that would either result in a change in the pagan perspective toward a Christian one (what Christians pray will happen by the Spirit’s Power) or a rejection of at least that aspect of the Christian’s work of art by the pagan.

The tension produced by the clash of Christian perspectives and pagan ones is inevitable in a fallen world, and the history of the expansion of God’s Kingdom (Mark 4:31-32; Isa 9:7) is a study in the Godly exploitation of this tension, as Christians seek to order their communications (artistic or otherwise) according to the patterns of the Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit, trusting that the Spirit will draw men to Christ through the obedient actions of the Christian.

This, of course, is a very important study for the Christian artist (in a way, this whole series, even this column, is due to the need for Christian artists to understand this discipline).  Scripture and Tradition are replete with examples of how a Christian can more effectively communicate with pagans, artistically or otherwise.  (I would suggest, for beginners, a careful study of St. Paul’s interaction with the Greek intellectuals on the Areopagus in Acts 17:16-34, which was looked at in some detail earlier in my posts.)

Our own culture, and Western culture in general, has largely been shaped by Christian thought in past, although this is changing, as resurgent forms of pagan thought (rationalism, reductionism, materialism, New Age religion, etc.) continue to undermine the basis of our civilization.  Though this means that, on many fronts, the Christian artist is faced with the same tensions that confront him in pagan cultures (there are growing numbers of non-Christians in our midst), he is still able to rely to a greater extent on what the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer called “Reformation memory,” the lingering influence of Christian belief in our culture.  Even most nonbelievers (though they may not admit, or even realize it) have been influenced to some extent by Christian beliefs.  For instance, they may value the relief of poverty and suffering; have vague ideas about God as Trinity; Christ as being God in the flesh, and Savior; belief in Heaven and Hell; etc.) though their ideas on these issues may depart radically in some respects from their full Truth in Scripture.  Nonetheless, they will probably have some idea, some context, for the concepts expressed in a Christian’s work of art, and what they mean.  This is, in some ways, a tremendous advantage for the artist, since the ultimate goal for the Christian artist is to communicate, through their God-given artistic vision, experience and knowledge of the truth of God in as complete a fashion as possible.  The greater the shared context of a culture with Christian belief, the easier it is to communicate Christian Truth artistically or otherwise.  This is one of the reasons why the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) is so important: Christians must work to bring individuals, families, peoples, and culture under the sway of the Gospel, so that Christ may be known to all.

These are, of course, very general observations of a very complex subject, since it is also true that our own culture, for all its Christian heritage, has, in some areas, never been fully Christianized (for instance, we still hold some reductionist ideas).  It is also true that pagan cultures have much less trouble believing and embracing the supernatural and mysterious elements of the Faith than our own rationalistic and reductionistic culture.  Nonetheless, these general observations are, in my estimation, generally true.

This discussion of a larger context leads us to consideration of two smaller contexts—the Church’s and the individual Christian artist’s lives and actions.  With these issues, we will, Lord willing, contend next week.

For additional teaching on Worship and the Arts visit www.patreon.com/kempercrabb

The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 13

Last week, we saw that it is not necessary to always be explicit concerning our faith (e.g., presenting the plan of salvation or having “Christian” or “Jesus” written in giant letters across our art) in order for our creations to serve God and His gospel.  This is because, as we saw, God has inescapably revealed some knowledge of Himself to every man through His Creation (Rom 1:18-20; Ps 19; Gen 1; etc.).  Romans, chapter 1, teaches that all men know deep within themselves five things: 1) God exists; 2) He made everything; 3) He is holy; 4) we are not holy; 5) He holds us accountable.  The kicker is that unregenerate man attempts to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18), fighting both consciously and unconsciously to twist the nature of Reality in his mind so that he can try to convince himself that he is free from responsibility to God.  According to Romans, chapter 1, though (and the rest of Scripture, as well), he will fail to completely suppress these Truths on some level of his being.

It is in light of this General Revelation, then, that art that presents Reality as it truly is (that is, Reality as it is presented in the Bible), will reinforce Creation’s witness to God and war with unregenerate mankind’s attempt to deny the Truths that God has inescapably written on our very beings.  This is why art that is not what many Christians would normally think of as explicitly Christian (e.g., a love song, or a dance about Spring, or a painting of a landscape, etc.) are still vehicles for a witness to Christ the Lord, provided they do nothing to contradict the true picture of God’s Reality as revealed in Scripture.  All Truth is God’s Truth, and points to Him.

This is why an artist can still be a Christian artist even if his art is not always explicit about his faith, just as a Christian can be a mechanic without chiseling “Jesus Saves” on the metal of every engine he works on, or a baker without decorating every cake he bakes with Scriptures instead of “Happy Birthday.”  What the artist (or the mechanic or the baker) must not do is promote sinful actions or attitudes.

General Revelation forms the basic context for all meaning and art, and it is against that backdrop that art is made.  There is, however, a more explicit context involved in the making of art.  That more explicit context is the context of our individual lives.  We can appreciate aspects of the art of infidels (wherever those aspects square with revealed Reality) despite the unbelief of the unregenerate artist, because of General Revelation.  On the whole, though, infidel art will necessarily depart from Reality because of unbelieving man’s drive to suppress revealed Truth (this doesn’t mean that an unbelieving artist won’t have parts of the body of his work, say a song or painting, that conforms to the basic tenets of generally revealed Truth; it simply means that in many or most places it will depart from that Truth). 

There is (or should be, at any rate) a difference for Christian artists, because Christians live in the light of Special Revelation, the Word of God which reveals the coming of Christ as the Maker and Redeemer who has come to reconcile man to God, and everything men need to know and do to live in the fullness of the Revelation of Christ (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-20).  Because of this, we are to strive to conform every aspect of our lives and being (including our practice of Art) to the scope of Scripture, even down to every last thought we have (2 Cor 10:4-5).

The expanded revelation given in the Bible informs believers to an exceedingly wider degree about the meaning of created things, the legitimate ways to think about and make use of things, and even the short- and long-term end of things (including man and his constructs).  The depth and breadth of Scripture’s revelation should inform everything we do, including our artistic expressions.  Special Revelation, which is so much more detailed and comprehensive than General Revelation, should allow artists to address any area they work in with much greater authority, confidence, and insight, resulting in art that reflects God’s Reality to a must greater degree than that of men limited to General Revelation alone.  This is why it is so important that Christian artists should work to shape their art to the warp and woof of the Word of God.

This is actually the basis of how Christian Art should work.  The Christian artist, having been enlightened and reborn by the Holy Spirit (John 1 and 3), submits his life, thoughts, and vision to the Spirit-energized cleansing of the Word, and brings his renewed vision to the artistic task, infusing it with the insight born from above.  This should result in a clarity and purity of artistry that testifies in ways both obvious and mysteriously subtle of the Truth of the Biblical vision.  (Of course, this presupposes the consistent submission of the artist’s practice to the Word and Spirit and of a certain amount of maturity in that same practice.  Even in a beginning practice of this, though, there should be an interior witness to the numinous quality of the art, simply because of its orientation.)

The resultant works of art can hopefully be used of the Holy Spirit to reveal to nonbelievers and believers the aspects of the insights that come with Special Revelation, and thus to confirm and strengthen the faith of Christians, and to be conduit of Grace to infidels, drawing them toward belief.

This is especially true if works of art are seen against the backdrop of a faithful Christian’s life, and we will, God willing, begin to examine that next week.

For additional teaching visit www.patreon.com/kempercrabb

The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 12

Over the last few weeks, we have seen that the attitude that rejects the senses, the body, and the physical world and related human experiences such as sensuality, sexuality, and violence as they are presented in the Bible (e.g., Prov 5:18-19; Ezek 23:19-21; Judg 3:21-22; 1 Sam 15:32-33; etc.) arises from a pagan thought system called Platonism, and not from Scripture’s teaching.  We saw that every area of life that is not sinful is good, and that there is thus no neutral zone: a thing is either a sin or it is good (and, if it is good, it is a vehicle for righteousness).

This means that an artist is free to address any theme or area of life as a Christian, provided he does not promote sin.  Indeed, the purpose of doing any vocation, artistic or not, is ultimately to promote righteousness and help inhibit sin, but this is possible even by simply representing life as it is, provided that it is truly represented as it actually is.

For instance, a novel or song that represents life as actively having no spiritual dimension, or promotes the idea that there is no ultimate punishment for wickedness, or that evil is not actually existent, would not be representing life as it actually is, since the infallible and inerrant Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16-18; 2 Peter 1:20-21) teach us that all the aforementioned aspects of life are in effect and do exist.  Thus, to create a work of art that denied these things would be to create a lie about life that fosters sinful beliefs about reality.  We must not, as Christians, do this.

This is not to say, however, that what we create must always make a scriptural connection, or have “Christian” or “Jesus” written in giant letters across it.  Remember that God has created everything that is as “very good” (Gen 1:31; 1 Tim 4:4; etc.), and, so long as those created things and categories are not perverted into sin; by God’s own assessment as Creator, they are intrinsically good in themselves, and need no justification.

The reason that we do not always need to explicitly connect created things and categories to Christ Jesus is because He has already done so, having created everything that is, individually and in concert, to reveal Himself by a mysterious means so that, deep down, everyone knows that created things all point to God.  (Romans 1:18-20; Psalm 19; Genesis 1; etc.—There’s more to be said on this point in the next post, God willing.)  This innate knowledge that all men have about God’s Revelation in the creation (Rom 1:18-20) forms the basic context for meaning and art.  Thus, we do not always need to be explicit in our art, provided we promote no sinful actions or attitudes.

A couple of illustrations from the Bible may be instructive here.  The Song of Solomon is a love-poem written by Solomon the king to his love, the Shulamite.  It is one of the most beautiful and sensual poems ever written, a celebration of courtship, love, marriage, and sex.  It was written to be read (and/or sung) in the ancient Near Eastern society of Israel.

Though the Song is part of our Bibles, it originally was a book of poetry that was presented as a separate art-piece (even though it was inspired).  The interesting thing about this is that though there are allusions to the poem in Biblical places and people in the rest of Scripture, there is no direct mention of God!  Yet this book is justly recognized by both Israel of old and the Church as being inspired Scripture.  It is recognized by Christians as being, on a secondary level, a picture of Christ and the Church, and a manual of principles to govern courtship and the marital sex life.  How can this be, since the poem does not explicitly mention God?

The answer is context.  The Israelite society of Solomon’s time recognized that this poem was set in actual historical circumstance in their culture, a culture which was self-consciously to be ruled over by God’s Covenant Law.  They recognized that it was their Scripture-infused and informed society which gave rise to the backdrop of the love-poem of Solomon, even though it was not explicitly spelled out that this was a “Christian” poem.  The ancient Israelites assumed, because of Scripture, that even things like love and sex and courtship were saturated with spiritual meaning (as indeed they are).  Because of this, Christians, who are the New Israel, share these assumptions, plus realizing that St. Paul in the New Testament explicitly teaches that the marriage relationship is one of the most profound presentations of the relationship between Christ and the Church that exists (Eph 5:22-23), and that, thus, on one level, the Song of Solomon does speak of Christ.

Yet the Song itself, in both its poetic beauty and its exemplified principles of love, is revered as art by huge numbers of people who don’t care a fig for Christ, and either don’t know about or reject the Biblical context for its imagery.  Solomon wrote this poem as a love-poem (despite his being informed by Scriptural contexts), and as a poem alone, it is superlative art.  He didn’t feel the need in this case to be explicit about his whole catalogue of beliefs, because the context of his life and society gave it deeper meaning.  Still, it works on its own, as a prototype of beautiful love poetry.  This is not wrong, or evil.

The same principle rules another part of sacred Scripture, the Book of Esther, a riveting historical account of Queen Esther’s effort to save the Jews from the machinations of the evil Haman.  The book reads like a short story, but, once again, it does not so much as mention the Lord.  Again, it is the context of knowledge about Israel and her history with God that informs its meaning to the Church.  Yet, even someone who knew nothing of Scripture, God, or the Jews could read this tale and be enthralled.  It works, both as a story and as an artful retelling of history.

We see, then, that being explicit concerning our Faith is not always necessary.  To write a song or novel about love, relationships, or history on the terms of the song or novel itself is not only not evil, but may, in many situations, gain credibility for a larger Biblical context by demonstrating the depth and universality of created human experience.  It is alright to simply be human, provided we eschew, and do not promote, sin.  As to the context issue, and questions of General Revelation, we will, God willing, take those up anew in the next post.

For additional teaching visit patreon.com/kempercrabb

The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 11

Last week, we continued to see that the attitude that rejects the senses and the body (and God’s Creation) as evil, and thus rejects the way that related human experiences such as sensuality, sexuality, and violence are presented in the Bible (Prov 5:18-19; Ezek 23: 19-21; Judg 3:21-22; 1 Sam 15:32-33; etc.) is due to a pagan system of thought known as Platonism, and not to anything in Scripture itself.

Platonism teaches that only non-physical things (like the human spirit) are good, and that all physical things (the human body, the physical world) are evil and to be despised. The system became influential (and continues to be so) in some areas of Christian thought because of a confusion about what the biblical terms “the world” and “the flesh” mean, a confusion that seemed to support Platonic conclusions. As we saw last week, a close look at the biblical use of the term “the flesh” not only did not support, but actually contradicted Platonic thought. Let us see if the same is true for Scripture’s use of “the world.” 1 John 2:15-17 saith: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh—is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” Does this mean the Platonists are right? Is the world itself of physical matter—intrinsically evil? No. This passage specifically tells us “all this is in the world, e.g., “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).

The Apostle John (who wrote this epistle as well as the Gospel that bears his name) uses the word “world” to denote the system of pride and rebellion that wishes to replace the rule of the Holy Triune God, not to denote the created order. The “world-system” (rather than Creation) is “not of the Father” (1 John 2:16), and is already experiencing the judgement which leads it inexorably to final destruction (John 12:31; 1 John 2:17; etc.).

Satan is called “the ruler of this world” in John 12:31, (as he is in John 14:30, 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2) because he tempted our parents, Adam and Eve, into committing the same sin of which he was guilty: wanting to be God himself (Isa 14:12-15). This lust resulted in both humanity’s bondage to sin and death (Rom 5:12-19) and in the three conditions that describe and define the world-system in 1 John 2:16—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Jesus has formally displaced Satan’s and sin’s rule over the world-system by His Redemption and the spread of His Kingdom, which is gradually displacing Satan’s rule in the lives and institutions of men (John 12:31; Rev 1:5; Matt 13:31-33, 16:18; Eph 1:20-23; Phil 2:9-11; 1 Peter 3:22; etc.). Doesn’t this still beg the question of the innate evil of the physical world? Nay.

St. Paul teaches us in 1 Timothy 4:4 that “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” In the earlier verses of this chapter, Paul even teaches that the belief that the material world is not to be enjoyed is a doctrine of demons. Remember that Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), wrote these words long after the Fall of Man in Adam (Gen 3), a re-affirmation of God’s having confirmed His Creation as “good” in its beginning (Gen 1). “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof,” as Psalm 24:1 says.

In the sense in which St. John uses the term “world” in the New Testament (and elsewhere by the other writers of Scripture), “world” means the sphere of life in which God’s Lordship is rejected, and where the things of this life become ends in themselves and/or are worshipped. Any created thing, brothers and sisters, can become an idol. This is the world-system.

It is not, however, the created order that we normally refer to as the world. The world, as opposed to the world-system, is good and is God’s. This includes every area of life that is not sin. Grasp this concept, y’all: If something is not sinful, it is good. There is no neutral zone—a thing is either sin or it is good (and if it is good, it’s a vehicle for righteousness).

Everything in the world that is not sin—even physicality, sex, and violence (in their God- ordained places), etc.—is good. This is an important point, folks, because of the implications for our worldview and how it impacts our subsequent view and practice of the Arts. Next week, we will (God willing) take up this viewpoint.

For additional teaching on the distinction of the world and world-system check out the “Windows to Glory” series by visiting www.patreon.com/KemperCrabb

The Sons of Issachar: Knowing What Israel Should Do Part 10

In this post we continue examining the implications of the example of the Sons of Issachar (1 Chr 12:32) for Christian artists today (e.g., understanding the times and knowing what we should do).  Last week, we saw that the attitude that rejects the senses and the body (and thus rejects God’s Creation as evil), and consequently refuses to embrace the ways that such human experiences as sexuality, sensuality, and violence are presented in Scripture (Prov 5:18-19; Ezek 23:19-21; Judg 3:21-22; 1 Sam 15:32-33; etc.) is largely due to a pagan system of thought known as Platonism.  Platonism teaches that only non-physical things (like the human spirit) are good, and that all physical things (our bodies, the earth, and all matter) are infected with evil and are to be devalued.

This system of thought crept into the Church early on, as many men educated in Platonic thought (as all educated men of the time were) converted to Christ, but inadvertently carried this unbiblical view into the Church.  Please remember that these men of the Early Church were truly men of God who lived exceptionally holy lives and who were frequently brilliant thinkers.  The early Church Fathers are the ones who, in the early centuries of the New Covenant Church, amidst great conflict with heretics and frequent social unrest, fought to hammer out in uncompromising forms the clear Truth of the basic teachings of Scripture on such subjects as the Nature of the Holy Trinity, the Mystery of the Incarnation, and the Deity of the Holy Ghost (all of which were hotly contested by the heretics and pagans of the period), what we think of now as basic Christianity, the Creedal Truths that define orthodox Christian belief.

They were frequently persecuted, martyred, exiled, etc., for fighting for and holding these Truths.  The fact that the orthodox Church continued, the Reformation happened, and we are Christians today, is largely due to their efforts in handing on to godly men the unvarnished, clearly articulated Truth of the Bible.  These men were giants in the Faith, and we all stand on their shoulders (not the other way around).

How did this happen? How could the greatest Christian men of their time have made such a mistake (and they were truly great men and great minds—remember that we all are made of dust)?  Recall that they were educated in Platonic thought, which was the dominant philosophical thought-grid of their time.  The problem was that some of the basic aspects of Platonism seemed to be in accord with Holy Writ (though they were actually not, as we shall see).  This produced a confusion of terms, and thus a confusion concerning the nature of holiness.  The biblical terms in question: the “world” and the “flesh.”  Consider these passages:

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (Gal 5:17)

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells. . .So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Rom 7:18, 25)

“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Rom 8:13)

Whoa.  Maybe Plato was right.  NOT.

The word “flesh” is used at least three ways in Scripture: (1) The most general way is a simple reference to humanness; (2) It is also used to refer to the physical body; (3) Its narrowest use, the way it is used in the passage we looked at, is in contrast to “Spirit” and refers to the sinful human nature which includes the mind and soul.  

Let us look a bit more closely to see if the Platonic view assumed by many of the Fathers is applicable here.

Galatians 5:19-21 tells us what the shape of the work of the flesh (its practice and patterns) looks like: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

All of these things listed are clearly designated as sinful behavior in Scripture.  There is, please note, no mention of sensual enjoyment or physical pleasure in a godly context (such as sex in marriage, say) or of physically as such.  Only sinful activity in condemned.

Romans 7:13-8:14 tells us even more about the principle of the flesh (go and look this up, oh lazy one, that you may learn; the passage is too long to replicate here).  Verses 17-20 of this passage point out that what prevents the Christian from doing the good that he wants to do is “sin, that dwells in” him, the principle of sin, elsewhere called “the old man.”  Verses 21-25 of chapter 7 speak of the struggle between “the inward man” who delights in God’s law against the “evil that is present in me.”  Verse 23 speaks of “the law of sin in my members” that wars against the inward man of verse 22, e.g., the principle of sin that makes use of bodily desires to manifest itself.

Romans 8, verse 9 says that you are not in the flesh if the Spirit dwells in you, because, according to verses 10 and 11, the body is dead because of sin, but it will (for the Christian) receive life through the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.  Verse 13 says we are to put the deeds of the body that realize the leadings of the flesh-nature (the sin nature, the old man) to death by the Holy Spirit’s power.

St. Paul teaches in Romans 6:5-23 that, on the basis of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we are able to share in the Spirit’s power to put the flesh-nature’s deeds to death.  For what purpose?  Verses 12 and 13 tell us: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”  We are not to present our bodies to sin (the old man, the flesh-nature), but to God to be instruments of righteousness instead of instruments of unrighteousness.

Did you get that?  Yielding our bodies to God is the way of spirituality.  Romans 12:1 commands us: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

If God commands us to present our bodies as acceptable and hold sacrifices to Himself, He must not hate them after all.  1 Corinthians 6:13b underscores this when it says: “Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”  Pretty straight ahead.

The opposite of spiritual is not physical.  The opposite of spiritual is sinful.  Our bodies (including the senses) are the arena of our spiritually.  We are not spirits trapped or housed in bodies, but are spirits in bodily state.  Physicality is integrally bound up with spirituality (1 Cor 6:13-15; Phil 3:20-21: 1 Cor 15:12-15, 6:18-20; etc.).  Our bodies will be changed to an unfallen state at the Resurrection (1 Cor 15:12-58; 1 John 1), as the Lord Jesus is physical in His Glorified Body forever.

Christ’s Incarnation not only redeemed us from our sin, but also renewed God’s Image in man, sanctifying the full range of human experience and existence (John 1:25; Rom 5:11-19; 1 Cor 15; etc.) including the senses.  The senses are not evil; only the idolatry of the senses is evil.  The senses are good, like all created things, when used as God intended.  The bodily experience is necessary for spiritually and life.  This is good news for artists, but bad news for Plato and his ancient and modern followers who think that any category of human experience, even the sensual, is off-limits for a proper biblical expression.  We still, however, have not addressed the biblical concept of the world.  Next post, God willing, we shall.