There is much in scripture that we can draw upon as we seek a basis for understanding and affirming the arts. The bible itself comes to us in an artistic form and consists mainly of narrative or story and poetry. There is also the rich imagery of the biblical text in both Old and New Testaments. Metaphors abound as the writers attempt to help us grasp what God is like or make plain how we are to live. The use of story allows us to enter into the life and times of biblical characters, and in the process we are moved and instructed in ways that are not easily forgotten.
Biblical references to the arts
When the biblical narrative first introduces us to God, it is as creator and
maker, the author and imaginer of all Creation. The “cultural mandate”
(Gen 1: 28) calls us to responsible practice in the shaping of culture and
care for the created order, and involves all human “making” including
the arts. God demonstrated His original intention to create a world that was
both functional and aesthetic when He placed trees in the garden that were
good for food and beautiful to look at (Gen 2:9). This would have been of
little consequence had He not created humankind in His image (Gen: 1:26) with
the ability to appreciate beauty. Bezalel and Oholiab were called and equipped
to lead the faith community in artistry for the tabernacle (Exodus 31 –
39). In the wilderness journey we observe God commissioning and using a visual
artifact—a sculpture of a serpent—to bring healing, forgiveness
and restoration to His rebellious people (Num: 21:1-9).
We discover David the musician, dancer and poet, and Nathan the prophet and storyteller; the imaginative visioning of Elijah and Elisha, of Jeremiah and Ezekial—imagination not limited by circumstances, but able to see beyond the difficulties of the present to what has been promised; the memorable poetic images of Joel, Amos and Habakkuk; and the attention-getting street theatre of the prophets. Biblical accounts of festival and ceremony (which included music, dance and poetry) speak of the need for creative celebration with rituals and symbols that bond the people of God to their story.
There are also examples of distortion, as the people of God used dance, music and visual art in idolatrous celebration (Ex 32), while 700 years after God commissioned and powerfully used the sculpture of the serpent in the desert it had to be destroyed because the people were worshipping the created thing rather than the creator (II Kings 18:4). Idolatry, pride and impurity are ever-present temptations, and art can be a ready servant employed to support sinful practice. It is just such distortions that underline the need for the church to re-educate the imagination through engagement of the biblical story. We shall see, however, that human distortion is not a reason for abandoning God’s good gifts.
Jesus told parables. These short stories were rich in meaning and still speak to us in the 21st century. Images for Jesus in the gospels—the lamb, the vine, the door, and the shepherd—all serve to inform our sense of His identity and work. Baptism, the bread and the wine speak to us of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Songs, hymns and spiritual songs were a part of the life of the early church. The book of Revelation is full of imagery that calls out to the human imagination, and invites us into the grand story of what God has done and will do for us in Christ.
Biblical terminology for art and artist
Scripture makes very respectful references to artistry. The terms in the bible
referring to what we call “art” include artistic design, workmanship
and celebration in song, dance and music. In the bible, creative specialists
like Bezalel (Ex 31 and 35), Hiram (1 Kings 7), and those skilled in music
(1 Chron 25) are referred to as “skilled craftsman,” “designer”
and “skilled person.” The idea behind these various Hebrew words
suggest a very high level of skill, knowledge, understanding and wisdom in
dealing with these creative activities.
Theological themes
1. God
The Christian tradition has affirmed belief in God as triune—Father,
Son and Spirit. God creates the world, sustains it and providentially cares
for it. There is a unique, divine breaking into time and history in the coming
of the Son. The Son comes to do the work of redeeming all of creation from
the effects of humanity’s wilful separation from God and restoring it
to God’s original intention for all that has been created. The Spirit
remains in the world for purposes of transforming fallen creation, the restraining
of evil, and the enabling and enlivening guidance of the people of God. As
triune, the nature of God is inherently relational, while the holy, creative,
imaginative, loving and providential nature of God shapes divine action in
the world.
2. Creation
The Christian tradition has consistently affirmed a clear distinction between
Creator and creation, affirming that all that exists has come into being by
a divine act (ex nihilo, out of nothing). All too often we find the doctrine
of creation reduced to a discussion about the truth or falsehood of evolution.
Such a reduction misses the importance of understanding the beginning of our
story—without which nothing in scripture has any context or ultimate
meaning.
The creation story introduces us to what has been called the cultural mandate—to be fruitful, multiply, care for and steward the earth. This has profound implications for how we respond to what is given to us in our various cultural settings. Those who stand in covenant relationship with God are called to approach nature and culture in a way that complies with what God requires of us. The created order offers us a glimpse into who God is and tells us of his power and glory (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:20).
God approved His handiwork as “good.” It follows then that creation is best understood as a gift that God has given us to enjoy and upon which we are to exercise faithful stewardship. Humanity is called to exercise its own resourcefulness in maintaining order that is God-honouring and allows for human flourishing. This call to order the world is an implicit affirmation of the goodness of creation, and a call not out of the world but into the world. It is a call not to escape but to engage, and to be at work in the business of formation and transformation.
4. Fall
There is, however, a complicating factor. The biblical narrative also tells
of human failure to follow God’s instruction. Humanity exercised its
freedom to win for itself autonomy—to operate independently of God.
Humanity’s move to autonomy was one that affected not only its relationship
with God, but also carried profound consequences for all of creation. Now,
neither humanity nor creation is in the state that was originally intended.
Both have fallen short of God’s intention and are now in need of redemption.
It is here that we can see the very close relationship between creation and
redemption, something we will attend to shortly. The fall is one reason for
creation’s orientation to the future—a future when all things
will be made new.
5. Incarnation
At the heart of the Christian story is a claim that God does not remain hidden,
but is revealed to us. God breaks into history and takes on the form of a
man (Phil. 2:5-9). Incarnation is central to the gospel and poses a clear
challenge to all negative claims about the created order. Orthodox theology
has at times given so much emphasis to the divinity of Jesus that the truth
of his humanity has been obscured. Incarnation says that in obedience to the
Father and through the work of the Spirit, the Son comes into a world which
was made through Him and which He continues to uphold (Col. 1:15-20). God
ventures forth in Christ, to reverse the fortunes of fallen creation, and
fallen humanity. Incarnation affirms our humanity and the order of the material
world. Faith that seeks to be negative about the physical world in favour
of an “other-worldly” spirituality ignores the powerful message
of the incarnation. Scripture makes clear that the church is the body of Christ
present in the world—bearing witness to the divine story of cosmic redemption.
6. Redemption
Redemption has a much wider scope than personal salvation or as we say, the
“saving of souls.” It speaks to the need of humanity and all of
creation to be reconciled to God. A narrow understanding of redemption fails
to capture the breadth of the story of God’s breaking into history.
What we think about salvation will have considerable bearing on what we value.
We will affirm what can be saved and ignore or neglect what we believe to
be outside of God’s redemptive purposes. The environment and the culture
are casualties of this kind of limited thinking.
7. Mission
When thinking about mission, it will be important for our purposes to reflect
upon it in the context of the broad spectrum of theological themes. Central
to our understanding is the nature and outworking of the kingdom of God. His
kingdom—his rule and reign—is both a present reality and a future
hope. Second Corinthians 5 makes it clear that mission is God’s “ministry”
(God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself) and He invites and commissions
us to participate with Him in it (He has given to us the ministry of reconciliation).
Unless a kingdom perspective of the Lordship of Christ over every area of
life permeates our understanding of mission, we will continue to express a
reduced story that communicates a reduced vision of the over-arching work
of God to restore all of creation (the cosmos) back to His original intention.
In the coming of Christ through incarnation and in His life, death and resurrection, the future has invaded the present. The renewal of the human community begins in the church but does not end there. While the community of faith lives in anticipation of what is to come, it embodies that hope in all that it does. These facets of the gospel narrative open for us a holistic perspective on the nature of mission and provide the context for faithful living, including the work of artists.
TO: Act 1 Scene 3