Easter

GOD EFFORTLESSLY

CREATED

THE WORLD

AROUND US

BUT HE DIDN’T STOP THERE

IN HIS OWN LIKENESS

HE MADE MANKIND

HE MADE US

HE MADE ME

HE MADE YOU

GOD ALMIGHTY

CRAFTING

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

SOMEONE BEAUTIFUL

SOMEONE UNIQUE

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

RARE

MIRACULOUS

UNPRECEDENTED

YOU

BREATHED

TO LIFE BY

THE GOD

OF THE

UNIVERSE

BUT BEING

MADE BY GOD

AND FOR

HIS GLORY WAS

NOT ENOUGH

FOR US

IN TIME

OUR HEARTS BENT

AWAY FROM HIS

AND WE WALKED AWAY

WE WALKED OUR WAY

THINKING SOMETHING

OR SOMEONE ELSE

WAS

BETTER

LIKE FOOLS,

WE ABANDONED THE GOD

OF ALL CREATION

BUT REBELLION WAS

BITTERSWEET

AND SOON DEATH CAME

EVERYTHING WAS TORN

AND BATTERED

AND BRUISED

AND BROKEN

AND ALL

OUR WELLS

RAN DRY

WE WERE WITHOUT HOPE

AND WITHOUT GOD

WITH NO WAY

BACK TO

HIM

BUT GOD

IS RICH IN MERCY

AND HIS LOVE FOR US

WOULD NOT FAIL

GOD HAD A PLAN

AN UNTHINKABLE PLAN

HE WOULD SEND HIS

ONE AND ONLY SON

IN HUMAN FLESH

THE INNOCENT FOR THE GUILTY

A DIVINE EXCHANGE

BEYOND COMPREHENSION

THE SON OF GOD

WOULD BE OFFERED

IN OUR PLACE

TO BE TORN

AND BATTERED

AND BRUISED

AND BROKEN

UNTIL DEATH CAME

HE BREATHED HIS FINAL BREATH

AND FREEDOM RANG

CHAINS WERE BROKEN

DEATH WAS FINISHED

AND IN THE END,

HIS LOVE WAS GREATER

THAN THE GRAVE

AND LIFE FOR US WAS BORN

HALLELUJAH

GOD’S LOVE IS

HIGHER THAN THE

MOUNTAIN OF OUR MESS

IT RUNS DEEPER THAN

THE STAINS THAT MAR US

FOR HE WAS PIERCED FOR

OUR TRANSGRESSIONS

CRUSHED FOR OUR INIQUITIES

THE PUNISHMENT THAT

BROUGHT US PEACE

WAS ON HIM

AND BY HIS WOUNDS

WE ARE HEALED

IT IS GRACE

IT IS GOD

(from Passion2010)

Hate the Christian Art, Love the Artist?

I just read and replied to this article http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/film/features/25335-hate-the-christian-art-love-the-artist

My reply contained a lot of things I wanted to share anyway, so, why not make a note of it? I'll probably blog this later, hurr durr.

Sup'. I'm a Studio Art major at a Christian University. Anyway. I'm currently in an Aesthetics class (which for you non-art people, it's a philosophy/art class that deals with the questions 'What is art?' and 'What is beauty?'). We get a Christian worldview in this class, and it's really allowed for a lot of scrutiny towards "Christian" art (which, like calling music "Christian" is a misnomer).

We talked about kitsch and how is plagues Christian art. That rampant cheesiness, that always-sunny-Jesus-loves-you-have-a-cupcake attitude. And how that's cheap and shallow - and it is. There's nothing wrong with showing the good things in life; but you can't show the good in this world without the bad. To do any different is a lie. Christians are called not to ignore evil in the world. Quite the contrary - we fight against it! Downplaying evil is playing into the devil's hands.

In the words of author Ted Dekker, "We Christian writers [or insert profession] must paint evil with the blackest of brushes, not to sow fear, but to call out the monsters to be scattered by our light. If Satan cloaks himself as an angel of white, intent on deceiving the world, any attempt on our parts to minimize evil is only complicit with his strategy... Turn to the light; don’t fear the shadows it creates."

What a lot of Christians fail to understand is that they, especially as artists, can serve God and influence the kingdom for Christ's glory WITHOUT creating explicitly Christian work. I can glorify God in drawing a comic book, when I do it to the best of my ability and live my life in a way that reflects Christ to everyone I come in contact with. It's less about the body of work, I think, and more about how we as Christians treat the people that work brings us to. Like To Write Love on Her Arms, which has brought so much hope and healing to people - is actually founded in Christ, but without plastering that label on everything. It's there, in the subtle text, but you know that they are in the business of redemption not by what they say, but what they do.

Like a Christian who wears a t-shirt that spells out their faith in Christ is catchy phrases or manipulated popular logos are things that are blatantly Christian. They hardly do anything for the Kingdom. They lack depth and give people the excuse to say "Look at this, it means I'm a Christian" instead of "Look at my life, how I act and treat others and fight injustice, and see Christ in me". It gives Christians an excuse to be complacent and inactive. Instead of having to live the principles of Christ, they can make a "Christian" movie or "Christian" music, draw and paint "Christian" subject matter, wear Christian t-shirts and wear Christian symbols - all without actually living a Christ-glorifying life. I hear all the time of Christian musicians living a lie or treating people around them badly. And it's not just music.

We've been convinced that the only way to serve God and to be a good Christian is to serve in the ministry, in a church, or by plastering ourselves with Christians labels and clothes and signs and banners, by insulating our lives with wholesome music and movies and television. Truth is, you can be a Christian in ANY field. Louie Giglio once tweeted "There are no insignificant roles/jobs. Everything (but sin) can be done as worship to Jesus, making everything we do matter."

I'm in the arts because I love art. It's a gift God gave me. I'm going to use it. I'm going to draw comics and maybe things for video games; and you better believe I'm going to do my best to glorify God in everything I do without penciling Power Mark or working on Christian video games. The Entertainment industry needs Christians. The Arts needs Christians. Not separated, not in a little corner (those are the Christians over there, don't mind them), but actively engaging the fallen world in which we live. Building relationships, being love. To everyone we meet.