The artist’s best chance for fulfillment in discipleship to Christ lies in faithful participation within an adopted spiritual community. For some their art will be practiced and well received in that community, while others may practice their art in other settings such as the local art community of their city or culture. Scripture describes and implies that artists and their art may play an important role in various aspects of the life of the believing community—these may include celebrating, worshiping, processing, teaching, instructing, caring, proclaiming, praying or in the general course of community life.
Regrettably, in every corner of the globe, we have discovered that the relationship between the artist and the church looks more like a divorce than a marriage. Though artists might hope to lay claim to personal and spiritual support in the church, there is often a painfully tragic distrust in both directions.
Discomfort with the arts
The church often expresses an uncertainty about artists and their work. It
might be a concern about the emotional and material immersion of artists in
the world, an incomprehensible art technique, perhaps the refusal to be accountable,
or concern about past connection to false religions and the occult. In parts
of India, for example, many Christian communities will not accept the recovery
of indigenous art forms, fearing them to be inseparable from Hinduism or Buddhism.
In South and Central America, Christians who have left Catholicism have great
difficulty accepting the world of “images,” fearing the power
of idolatry. It is as if we are witnessing the “meat offered to idols”
issue played out again today (I Corinthians 8, Romans 14).
The artist often fears structured authority, the repetition of abuse, or simply lives with a certain indifference toward the church as an institution that has become deeply entrenched and unmoveable. Many artists simply cannot embrace the struggle for acceptance which they sense lies ahead of them, and so just stay away. While at times the church may do too little, it may be that at times the artist can expect too much. What is needed is constructive dialogue that will restore trust and explore how art can help to enrich the life of the faith community and serve to cultivate a new openness to artistic expression.
Awakening
However, this is not the whole story, as currently we are witnesses to a world-wide
awakening of artists in the Body of Christ. As recounted by members of our
group, God’s Spirit has ignited fires of hunger, passion and artistic
brilliance in isolated signal posts in every part of the world; in India,
Australia, Colombia, North and South Africa; on Mohawk and Sioux aboriginal
tribal councils of the United States and Canada; in the theatres and sound
stages of London’s West End; in the emergence of Japanese “Gospel”
choirs; in the opera houses and dance theatres of Latvia; New York’s
Metropolitan opera and in Times Square; in the congregations of the Philippines;
in the film studios of Hollywood, and in the street gutters of Toronto. It
is happening in universities, in prisons, in churches, in nightclubs, in galleries
and in pubs.
God is not waiting for the church to reclaim its historic heritage or to affirm the artistic gift. He is raising up highly gifted people of vision all over the world, who are both artists and Christians, to honour “the God who speaks in pictures,” who invented all music, who wrote “the” great story full of pictures of the past and images for the future, who smiled as David danced and who is designing a new world to come. The same Spirit who filled Bezalael, Zerubbabel, David, Joseph and Daniel with wisdom and indefatigable, tenacious, workmanlike faith, is at work again to herald His glory, to witness to His coming, and to reaffirm life made by Him in the whole creation.
The arts and worship
In recent times we have also seen much evidence of renewal in worship. It
will be obvious to all who have been touched by that renewal that the arts
are playing a significant role. We have commonly understood that our faith
journey is shaped by what we understand with our intellects, but that is only
part of the story. The renewal of worship in our day is at its heart a case
of the awakening of our aesthetic sensibilities that have been dormant for
so long.
If we accept that worship has a significant aesthetic character, it will be clear that the arts fit well into our worship contexts. The arts can contribute to the renewal of worship as worship can contribute to a renewal of the arts. The arts are able to open to us windows to the transcendent. They are suggestive of a spiritual reality and are a way to connect with that which is beyond. When placed in the context of biblically rooted worship, the arts are powerful in their ability to open our eyes to see more clearly.
When a community gathers for worship one of the purposes of that gathering is to remind us of our story. Memory is essential as we recall the biblical narrative and the grace of God in our lives. To engage the memory is a work of the imagination. Art can capture things for us where words alone fail. Art can both remind us of what we have forgotten and help us to see what we have never understood. It is time for the church to employ all of the arts in worship, so that they might do their work and give glimpses of truth, beauty and glory. When we have rehearsed our story, we are renewed and empowered to live out that story, in conformity with the beauty of the image of Christ.
• Singers, musicians, dancers, actors, visual artists and television production crews make up the worship and creative arts team at Hillsong Church, in Sydney, Australia. The creative design team makes artworks for display on stage during sermons, at conferences, or in the church offices and foyers. A number of dance teams work individually on different projects, or can unite together for church services, special events, conferences, festivals, community events, album recordings for DVD and television production when required. The drama team is likewise involved in television projects, church services, the youth or children’s church, and runs weekly theatre-related in-house courses. Apart from providing the music for the regular services and events, Hillsong musicians, singers and songwriters serve an increasing number of people throughout the world with new praise and worship songs via their recordings.
Art that serves
We believe that biblical teaching on gifts in the Body can be said to apply
to artistic gifts, and here offer a few suggestions that demonstrate how the
arts can be a significant resource for the church, and how the church can
serve the artist and the arts.
1. Mainstreaming
All believers are valued members of the body of Christ. There is no place
for one part of the body to say to another “we have no need of you.”
The term “mainstreaming” refers to the efforts to integrate the
giftings of all members of the body—including artists—into the
mainstream of church life and mission. In several locations around the globe,
a new wave of creative arts pastors/facilitators has brought about huge steps
in addressing the challenge of integrating traditional gifts with artistic
ones. We find this combination of visionary, facilitator and bridge builder
to be encouraging and far sighted. The observations below are from a leader/artist
already working in such a role.
•The first priority for a creative arts pastor is to serve through their local church with the creative gifts they have, and to manage the creative resources placed in their care so that the arts, and the individual artists, can be released to achieve their maximum impact and excellence. They are responsible for pastoral care and leadership of the creative artists in the church, whether they serve within the church or out in the marketplace. The creative arts pastor, with an understanding of the vision and mandate of their local church, can inspire the artists of that church to invest their gifts into its vision and ministry, whilst leading them in the way that will most effectively make this vision and mandate a reality. These arts pastors/facilitators are also well positioned to take the creative ideas presented to them, and respectfully communicate these to their leadership, to demonstrate how the arts can work in tandem with other areas of the church to achieve all that God is calling them to.
2. Assisting in biblical interpretation
One of the places where the artist may be of help is in discussions about
biblical interpretation. Scripture is full of poetry, metaphor, story, and
examples of ritual and festival. Artists are used to working in an environment
where they seek to get at the truth of things indirectly and not just directly.
There is much in scripture that uses this more indirect approach, so artists
would be valuable discussion partners in these matters. For example, they
understand how metaphor is always grounded in the physical and artful properties
of the real, tangible world around us, and yet infer layers of reality that
include the transcendent. Eyes and hears for only the rational or the “spiritual”
have missed much along the way.
3. Cross cultural communication
The arts can be of immense value for cross cultural communication. It is surprising
just how reluctant most mission organizations have been to take up the arts
and put them to work in the task of mission. The value of the arts is evident
not only in cases of cross cultural mission but also in urban mission. The
good work that has been done in contextualizing the gospel in traditional
and indigenous communities must be transferred and applied in the urban setting.
The artist can be an invaluable resource here.
4. Leadership
Many gifted artists also possess leadership ability. Our hope is that artists
will find their way into positions of leadership within the church and within
the culture, so that they might have more significant opportunities to serve
with their gifts, and influence and provide direction on matters related to
the arts and faith.
5. Fellowship
Artists, like other professionals, are part of a special interest group with
its own industry needs, benefits, and dysfunctional systems of behavior and
organization. The church can be a place where artists can meet together on
a regular basis for discussion, study, encouragement, prayer support, and
a biblical perspective on specific issues related to the integration of their
work and their faith. At present, organizations established to promote the
arts and the Christian discipleship of the artist are carrying most of that
responsibility.
OBSTACLES
The relationship of artists to the church, and the integration of their
gifts into the life and mission of the church are hindered by the following
issues;
• The marginalization and wounding of artists by the church
• Artists who feel their gifts have been abused by the church
• Artists who have abandoned the church
• Artist who prefer isolation to community
• Lack of understanding of how artists can contribute to the life and
mission of the church
• Few artists, or those who understand art, in spiritual leadership
in the church
• Weak character and selfishness in the artist
• Artists in the church who lack humility and a servant heart
• Lack of discipleship for professionals in the church
• Few “art friendly” church environments that nurture the
arts and the artist
• Cultural circumstances unique to each nation that interfere with reconciliation
• Artists who fear that the church will limit or censor their artistic
expression
• Artists who fear that the church doesn’t understand or value
the arts
STRATEGIES
Re-integration of artists into the life and mission of the church can
be helped through:
1. A well-developed reconciliation process for re-connecting arts, church and mission leaders that facilitates mutual openness, understanding and healing.
2. A biblically-based curriculum for artists on spiritual walk, leadership
training, teamwork, administrative process, and the role of the artist in
church and community.
3. An organized, cohesive, church-supported engagement of community and professional
artists, in ways that are conducive to the building of genuine relationship
and dialogue.
4. The cultivation of financially viable commissions that respect the need of the artist to make a decent living, and that pay for the amount of materials and time required for excellence in any art form.
5. The cultivation of far greater access to foundation resources (private and institutional) to support art projects, artist development initiatives, and especially arts leadership training in each country. Investment in leaders is perhaps the wisest investment of all.
6. The formation of a creative arts pastor/facilitator leadership training program in which spiritually mature artists are employed to nurture the artists in their church, integrate the arts into the life of the congregation, identify and train upcoming arts leaders, and make fellow-leaders more aware of the place and role of the arts in the life of God’s people.
7. The development of a national and international network of arts leadership, to collaborate on strategy, funding sources, prayer, conferences and communication, etc.
8. The funding and support for training in arts management, because arts programs and initiatives need people with business and arts understanding to make them happen.
9. Development of virtual interactive forums on topics related to the arts and faith, and the design of web galleries where artworks can be shared, discussed and evaluated.
BIBLICAL CASE STUDY (3)
The work and walk of Bezalel the artist
Perhaps the greatest biblical example of the installation of an artist’s
work in the service of God, and certainly the first, is the commissioning
of Bezalel by the Lord and His servant Moses, to complete all the artistry
of the Jewish tabernacle. It speaks to important aspects of the artist as
a disciple, and illustrates a godly leadership model.
In an extraordinary work of moveable architecture, Bezalel was the first person in scripture to be publicly associated with the empowering of the Holy Spirit. He was the first man to be charged with encoding the revelation of God, and a theocratic worldview, into visual form. His art director was Jehovah himself. Now there’s a sobering thought!
Bezalel, whose name means,“in the shadow of God” (under His protection), was the craftsman/artist who worked principally in metal, wood, and stone; while Aholiab, who was associated with him and subordinate to him, had the charge of the textile fabrics (Ex. 36:1, Ex:36:2; Ex.38:22). Bezalel didn’t apply for the job. He was called and appointed in a very special way.
a) The artist was called (Ex 31:2).
The Lord called Bezalel by name for a specific creative task, demonstrating
that artists can be called by God, and that the pursuit of art can be a spiritual
calling.
b) The artist was filled with the Spirit (Ex 31:3).
Bezalel’s art in the service and praise of God required the empowerment
and guidance of the Holy Spirit. For the glory of the Lord to be revealed
in the tabernacle (Ex. 40: 34-35) through the indwelling of the Spirit, required
a Spirit-filled artist. The Old Testament concept of the Spirit being given
only on specific occasions to specific individuals in order to accomplish
specific tasks shows the importance of the quality of Bezalel’s work
to God.
c)The artist had a godly character (Ex 31:3).
Bezalel was filled with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, all of which
are aspects of a person’s character—the fruit of a process requiring
time and disciplined learning. Bezalel was a learner, an apprentice, nurturing
his art through the acquiring of godly wisdom, godly understanding and godly
knowledge. He desired to have his own life crafted into something beautiful
for the praise of the Lord.
d)The artist was skilled in crafts and communal skills (Ex 31:3).
Bezalel had the ability to take raw material and craft it into something beautiful.
He was engaged principally in works of metal, wood and stone (Ex. 31:1-11).
But he went further than his mere creative abilities; Bezalel also had the
skill of collaboration, recognizing his need to be complemented by other skilled
persons. By defining his specific role and the role of others in the artistic
process, he obtained the grandest manner of workmanship.
e) The artist taught (Ex 35:34).
Bezalel wasn’t blessed with knowledge, wisdom and skill to keep it to
himself. The Lord put in his heart the desire and ability to teach others.
The natural effect in the discipleship process of Bezalel was to reproduce
his knowledge in other gifted people, thus multiplying what the Lord had given
him. In teaching others, Bezalel reached mastery as an artist and craftsman.
f) The artist submitted to godly leadership
Bezalel puts the work of his hands into the service of the Lord and his appointed
leader, Moses. In holding himself accountable by bringing the finished work
to Moses (Ex. 39:33) so it could be inspected for obedience to God’s
word, he lays the foundation for his own blessing (Ex 39:43). In submitting
to godly leadership, Bezalel received affirmation of his calling, spiritual
gifts, artistic gifts, and the resources he needed through manpower and funding
to complete the work.