A long and complex history
While we recognize the presence of a number of art forms in the worship and
mission life of the historical church, we have chosen to provide a brief sketch
of the visual arts because (1) when we look back to see how faith communities
dealt with the arts, we find that history speaks extensively of responses
to the visual arts, and (2) the history of the visual arts most clearly illustrates
the nature of the relationship of the church to the arts in general.
The early church took over the Jewish prohibition of idolatry that was commonly associated with images found in pagan religions. The Greek philosopher Plato—whose ideas carried considerable weight with the early church fathers—disparaged art as mere imitation. For Plato, sensuous experience was thought of in negative terms and art was considered incapable of taking us beyond mere sensuality.
Augustine readily affirmed the attractiveness of the created order, but warned of the danger of it distracting the soul from its search for God. Augustinian spirituality taught that the way to God is through the interior life of the soul and not through any knowledge of the material world, including that manifest through the arts. The legacy of this notion of spirituality is still very much with us today.
Although at various times throughout the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500 AD) voices were heard criticizing the use of expensive, elaborate, and even fantastical art in the monastic context, there was almost universal agreement that visual imagery was a valuable and even indispensable resource for teaching, particularly for the illiterate. In this respect, the use of visual art in the west differed somewhat from its use in the Byzantine (Eastern Orthodox) church, where icons were viewed not primarily as didactic tools, but as actual embodiments of or links to the holy person represented in them.
In the west, visual art played a central role in the liturgy and devotional life of the church. Cathedrals, abbeys, and parish churches were adorned inside and out with frescoes, sculptures, and stained glass, while the utmost craftsmanship and valuable materials were lavished upon liturgical implements. Manuscripts of the bible, the writings of the church fathers, and other liturgical and theological writings were illuminated with elaborate images, sometimes solemn and awe-inspiring, sometimes highly narrative and even whimsical.
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century ushered in a new era that saw the emergence of theologians such as John Calvin who were deeply suspicious of the arts and contended that any use of images in religion would lead to idolatry—though the gift of artistry was still viewed as God-given and so to be accepted and appreciated. The Protestant Reformation thus turned to emphasizing the word as central for the worshiping community, all but eliminating the visual arts.
The Counter-Reformation of the 16th –17th centuries was a significant force in Catholic Europe. Hundreds of magnificent works of religious art were commissioned, most of them marked by theatricality and emotional fervor calculated to inspire piety, devotion, and loyalty to the Catholic Church and its doctrines.
The best art of the early 18th century was religious art. But in the latter part of that century, a time when the institutional church was subject to harsh criticism, art tended to record details of daily life with little attention to religion. Art focused on earthly, not heavenly reality. In the 19th century art became almost a substitute for religion, and it was believed that through the aesthetic sense one could come to knowledge of the divine. Along with the elevation of the artist as a special figure able to live outside the religious and moral norms of society came prophetic voices warning against the moral bankruptcy of the artist, and the loss of spiritual reality in an increasingly secularized society.
As artistic expression moved further from religious sensibilities in favour of the rugged individualism of the artist, Christians in the 20th century increasingly removed themselves from the world of the arts. With absence came the loss of influence. They hid their light and cursed the darkness. The social and spiritual revolution of the 1960’s, however, while challenging the existing social order even further, contained within itself the seeds of a new openness to creativity. During this period, a number of creative young people became Christians and sought to express their newfound faith through their artistic gifts. Although the initial movement was mainly towards contemporary music, it also began to spark renewed interest in theatre, dance and the visual arts. At the same time, men like Hans Rookmaaker and Francis Schaeffer—who believed in the Lordship of Christ over every area of life—began to disciple many of this new generation of believers to understand the place of the arts within a biblical worldview.
Nonetheless, the majority within faith communities simply neglected the arts, having no understanding and receiving no teaching about the place of the arts in the life of faith. It is also true that many held to a spirituality that remained suspicious of the sensuality of the arts and their material, embodied nature. There have been numerous signs of change in the church in the past two decades, as a significant number of local churches have demonstrated a new openness to the arts and to artists. The arts are playing a greater role in worship and some churches have set aside gallery and performances spaces for visual art, drama and music performance. In addition, a large number of organizations devoted to the arts have been formed by Christians and now carry considerable influence in promoting the arts and networking artists.
Postmodernism
Postmodernism has become a major theme in academic and other circles, as we
try to discern the meaning of changing social and intellectual patterns. Postmodernism
is very much a western phenomenon, but with western culture being exported
around the world, other cultural settings already have been or will be touched
by its influence. It offers a perspective that challenges views on truth,
rationality and meaning that have dominated the west for the past three or
four centuries. The emphasis on “abstract” reason is being overtaken
by an emphasis on “concrete” embodiment. The neat, clean logic
of propositions is being replaced by a more open-ended emphasis on narrative.
The “visual” has eroded the primacy of the “word,”
and ultimate truth is no longer acceptable in a pluralistic world of competing
stories and relative “truths.” Grand (or “meta”) narratives
such as Christianity have been rejected as inadequate containers for the perception
and engagement of reality. And, as we all need life-directing stories, people
are now constructing their own narratives and consequently their own “truths.”
Despite the more negative aspects of postmodernism, it allows for a new openness to “spirituality” and more attention to the aesthetic side of life. In leaving the rigor of western reason behind, postmodernism readily embraces the arts, whether music, dance, film, visual art or theatre. Or put another way, symbol, narrative and the poetic have become common and accepted ways to communicate. The power of the arts to move both heart and mind is unquestionable and their presence is everywhere. We are in a transitional moment in history and these important changes must be considered as the faith community seeks to give shape to its global mission.
Imagination
Earlier we made it clear that the gifts of creativity and imagination are
woven into all aspects of human life and do not belong to the arts alone.
Imagination is the ability to look beyond what is immediately present, to
what might be. We could say that imagination helps us to order our worlds
and make sense of our experiences. It puts us in touch with a larger narrative—God’s
story—and helps us to see things differently.
To clarify, the role of the imagination is not to take us away from reality, but to expose us to new ways of seeing things. That is why the parables of Jesus are so powerful—they invite us to imagine things we have not thought before. Today we often have our thinking, acting and values shaped by the prevailing ideas of our various cultural settings. The gospel comes to us as a living word and draws us to think imaginatively of how things could be different. Imagination is capable of moving us closer to the truth about the world as we look through the lens of scripture. As an imaginative activity, art too can open our eyes to see old things in new ways. This important role for imagination suggests that our faith communities need to do their part in cultivating an imagination well rooted in the biblical narrative and the images of scripture.