Archive for: Christian
Our family is naturally artistic. Both sets of parents (mine and my in-laws) have creative talents that they have used all their lives—some professionally. My wife is a singer and pianist (in addition to leading worship for our church, she actually teaches piano) I play and teach guitar, our daughter is an exceptionally talented dancer and illustrator, our son plays drums and writes very creatively…OK, sorry, sounds like I’m boasting but you get the point. Well, what is the point?
We have many friends who, by their own admission, don’t have a natural “artistic” gift. They love to say things like, “I can play the radio—that’s the extent of my musical ability”. So I could see them considering art and faith and thinking that this discussion doesn’t concern them.
However, art is all around us. You can play the radio—more specifically, music can be used as an evangelistic tool. Not just Christian music either. Songs evoke emotion and inspire ideas that spark conversation. Those conversations often turn to spiritual things; especially with the type of lyrics that today’s popular artists write. Whether you connect with them or are offended by them; in order to be effective in evangelism, we have to understand what speaks to unbelievers—and clearly music is one of those things.
Read that paragraph again—and substitute the word movies in place of music. Movies elicit deeply moving responses in everyone. Non-Christians aren’t devoid of emotions—sometimes I think Christians are. The themes and performances in today’s film can really open the door for opportunities to share the gospel.
Time and again the themes of redemption, sacrifice, moral choices, etc. appear in movies that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ, yet totally provide ample opportunity to use them as great illustrations or conversation-starters
[Iron Man, Transformers, Avatar, The Hurt Locker, The Book of Eli, Robin Hood, even Shrek!—faith and cinema is a widely discussed topic that will make for great future posts here...stay tuned]
The same principle can apply to a trip to the museum; painting, sculpture, dance, etc. Art is something to embrace as a powerful source of inspiration for the gospel. Whole books have been written on this topic.
God is a creative God. If you do have artistic talents, or even if you don’t, by all means art in many forms can be used to further the gospel message. However, I think there are two things every artist should try to avoid:
- Thinking the content of your work always has to reflect a Christian or Biblical theme (you honor God by your talent and what motivates you), and
- Sacrificing quality for content (in other words; if you’re a sculptor, try to avoid making glow-in-the dark crosses and plastic statues of Jesus).
Paintings, music, dance, movies…like it or not, artwork elicits emotional responses. Of course the content is significant for attracting the attention of the recipient, but the presentation of the piece itself is equally powerful.
A beautiful subject can be expressed through work that, by lack of quality presentation, comes across as anything but beautiful. On the other hand—a beautiful work of art can have as its’ subject matter something horrible and ugly. This is one of the concepts discussed by the art theologian Hans Rookmaaker in his book Modern Art and the Death of a Culture.
Take, for example, Schindler’s List. There is no denying that the subject matter is deeply disturbing and the movie was made with such realism that you can’t see it without feeling the pain it evokes. However, despite the ugliness of the content—it is an amazing film. Every angle, every scene, is really artfully directed—which is why Stephen Spielberg’s career can be defined by this one film. (Yes—I love Jaws, too).
Although Spielberg was already a highly respected director; his credibility as someone with something to say was raised to a whole new level with that one film. The significance of the entertainment value of Indiana Jones, ET, and other creative ventures he has directed and produced pale in terms of the impact Schindler’s List can have spiritually as well as intellectually.
So why should this matter to Christians?
Because excellence precedes credibility.
Prior to the 19th century, great works of art were a common product of lives lived for Christ. Somewhere along the way, believers surrendered the initiative of creative expression. Christianity used to influence popular culture and the arts, now we just struggle to catch up and catch on.
As I mentioned in the previous post-the fear of giving in to temporal and aesthetic pleasure can be a powerful deterrent to creativity. By sterilizing our imaginations to present plastic subject matter, we lost the right to be influential in the larger scheme where art influences culture and therefore society.
It matters because just as in the sciences and humanities, Christian thought has somehow become less-than in regard to the perception unbelievers have of thought-leadership. Our message-the Gospel- is the most important truth anyone will ever hear.
One way in which individuals earn the right to be heard is through recognition as someone who has impact. Art is one way we can do that.
But not everyone is talented in the arts—so how does that apply to each and every believer?
College, career, military…adulthood: cue the Jaws theme. As a parent with a soon-to-be independent child (whether college or career) I can’t help but be concerned about the spiritual foundation we have helped her build.
- Did we display enough spiritual disciplines?
- Were we diligent enough to educate her in sound, orthodox doctrine?
- Is she prepared with apologetics enough to refute derisive attacks on her faith?
- If so, will she share it with the unsaved she will undoubtedly become friends with?
While all of these are important aspects of Christian parenting, the main thing is to pray that our children develop faith and a Christian worldview of their own. Stating the obvious I know. And volumes have been written on how kids run off to college and immediately shed their beliefs—they become promiscuous, drink heavily and may even get a tattoo (oh, the horror). Advice abounds on how to crank out the “world-proof” believer.
Now, it may sound like I take that lightly—far from it. While issues of behavior are serious, we need to be clear with our children on what defines us as fallen and what redeems us as saved. In other words, if we can instill within them the complete truth of the gospel and the deeper perspective on spiritual maturity—they are capable of great things! However—one of the pitfalls we face is making the assumption that they already have a Christian worldview and a solid, biblical faith.
Going back to the original questions concerning spiritual disciplines, doctrine, and apologetics—complacency is our enemy (well, in addition to Satan of course). Because we believe something and have always brought our kids to church, prayed with them at home, etc. there is still no guarantee they will confidently pursue spiritual growth once they are out on their own.
As our children mature and reach young adulthood, we should be engaging them in deeper conversations—challenging our children with questions that will cause them to reflect upon their beliefs, and, encourage them in evangelism. You’re really never too young or old to share the gospel.
There is a direct correlation between knowing Him and making Him known. If we can encourage and equip our teens with that idea—it just might be the cornerstone to a strong foundation that will sustain them as they venture out into the world.
Most significantly, we have to trust the God who saves us to watch over our kids when they reach adulthood and experience independence for the first time.
Most of us don’t have the spiritual gift of evangelism, but we can still share the gospel using the gift we have been given. Let’s think about it…
Do you have the gift of hospitality? 
Great! A college librarian we know brews the best coffee on campus. Faculty and staff return books at “coffee time,” to sip Kona or Sumatra and munch a homemade cookie. She loves visiting with each person, just sharing life with them. God knows she is prepared to share the gospel when the time is right. She gets frequent opportunities because she prays for them.
Maybe you have the gift of encouragement.
You’ll be a natural at sharing the gospel if you just think of the joy, the confidence, the support, and the promise of heaven that your friend can receive from a growing relationship with Christ.
- Make encouragement a habit.
- Tell your family and friends how much God loves them no matter what mistakes they’ve made.
- Be ready to share the gospel with those who are weary and worn — remind them of the One who has invited all the weary ones to come to Him for rest.
- Tell them the simple gospel so they will know the way.
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Prepare to let out a gasp—–I don’t always care about the lost. Phew, OK—got that out.
So, what does that mean and why does it matter?
If you know anything about Larry Moyer and EvanTell, you have probably heard about Larry’s (and as a result, the ministry’s) “heart for the lost”. And if you’re new to EvanTell and Evangelism.net, you will quickly understand what I’m talking about. The concept of concern, or heart, or caring for ‘lost’ people is pervasive throughout our curriculum, Larry’s books, our articles, etc. It is expressed as a primary (if not THE primary) motivator for evangelism.
But sometimes I not only don’t care about the lost, I have disdain and contempt because of their general attitude toward believers. I don’t mind being honest and admitting that. Christians are consistently the only people group who anyone can safely ridicule without fear of retaliation. Try commenting negatively about any non-Christian special interest group, religion, “campus” club, ideology, nationality, etc. –then see what happens. Try the same with Christians and it’s not only OK—it’s most often encouraged. So naturally, it’s easy to project ill-will toward those who propagate the negative stereotypes of Christians and, more seriously, mock God. The warrior in me loses patience knowing that they speak in ignorance about that which they do not know.
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Alarm rings. Shower and shave (or make-up). Pray. Coffee or tea, maybe something to eat. Kiss spouse (or the pet) if you have one. Hug/bless each child even if they’re bigger than you. Get in the car, bus, train, or airplane. Email, phone, income or outflow, profit, non-profit or trying to make a profit; stethoscope or isotope, hammer or hemi, teacher or tailor. Working again for the Lord. Sound familiar? Then join this blog and really dig in! We’re going to gnaw on questions that vex people who are trying to live a Christian life at work and when they get home, too.
They let old or young bloggers in here. My name is Mary Margaret (MM) and I have a background in the workplace as a long-time management consultant and business owner. I’ve got first-hand experience that work is often a tough place, and sometimes an amazing place, to live as a Christian. Really living as a Christian is a joyful/frightening, rugged/restful, complex/simple life here in the world we’ve got.
We’ll talk about real people at work, some of the questions they have had and answers they’ve found. We relish your observations and reactions. We applaud hopeful signs of Life. Oh, and we use the word “guy” to refer to both men and women.
What do you think about questions like these to start the conversation?
- Is there such a thing as a “Christian ethic” at work? What about your workplace — what’s the ethical basis there?
- Who can you trust? How did you come to that conclusion? (BTW, don’t just say “Jesus” unless you’ve actually thought that through…don’t you think there could be implications?)
- When the fabric of morality rips and the adultery or racism or graft break through, what can a Christian business guy do?
- Is it better to have a Christian fellowship, or a service fellowship for everybody that Christians join?
- What can a Christian parent do that a non-Christian parent cannot do?
- Do you have a mentor at work? Is that mentor a Christian? Does it matter?
If you don’t like those, put up some of your own and let’s get the conversation going. Next week, #1, unless you change my mind. See you guys.
