My intention is not to disparage the arts, it’s to put them in their rightful place in God’s kingdom. Some have a tendency to compartmentalize disciplines (science, art, philosophy, etc.) as being ends to themselves, only judged in the context of themselves (Grant could give a good explanation about how Enlightenment thought led to compartmentalizing of the disciplines).
Because we are imperfect, we “prophesy in part” according to I Corinthians. In the same way we can only present a part of the beauty, truth and love of God in art or any other form. But the more we get to know God, the larger that “part” becomes.
Our desire should be to give God the most possible glory through all parts of our lives, including art.
For example, when I watched the movie “Seven”, I was convicted of my apathy toward sin. This was a response the film provoked in me. Many people who watched the movie probably did not feel that way. So some good came out of me watching the movie. Of course, a much better and much truer movie would have been a movie about confronting people biblically and with love about their sin, leading them into repentance and restoration, and if they did not repent, showing God’s wrath (as opposed to man’s self-righteous wrath). That would have been more true, more beneficial, more challenging. The Boondock Saints would be an even more perverted, less true movie about a proper way to confront sin (at least I think, I couldn’t watch the whole thing).
JasonBuursma
Jul 11 2003
11:00 am
Jasonvb,
My intention is not to disparage the arts, it’s to put them in their rightful place in God’s kingdom. Some have a tendency to compartmentalize disciplines (science, art, philosophy, etc.) as being ends to themselves, only judged in the context of themselves (Grant could give a good explanation about how Enlightenment thought led to compartmentalizing of the disciplines).
Because we are imperfect, we “prophesy in part” according to I Corinthians. In the same way we can only present a part of the beauty, truth and love of God in art or any other form. But the more we get to know God, the larger that “part” becomes.
Our desire should be to give God the most possible glory through all parts of our lives, including art.
For example, when I watched the movie “Seven”, I was convicted of my apathy toward sin. This was a response the film provoked in me. Many people who watched the movie probably did not feel that way. So some good came out of me watching the movie. Of course, a much better and much truer movie would have been a movie about confronting people biblically and with love about their sin, leading them into repentance and restoration, and if they did not repent, showing God’s wrath (as opposed to man’s self-righteous wrath). That would have been more true, more beneficial, more challenging. The Boondock Saints would be an even more perverted, less true movie about a proper way to confront sin (at least I think, I couldn’t watch the whole thing).