Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Christian Art, Update...
Today is Pimp Other Blogs Day. I was reading Church of the Masses and she was (as a screen writer) critiquing the state of Christian Art. Give it a good read.
It pains me that someone has spent millions of dollars on something that in the long run will hurt more than help. Even if this idea is ten times as good as she says (heck a thousand times) there are several dozen crappy ideas waiting in the wings. I try in all of my fiction to write real stories about people you might identify with (I usually fail IMHO, but I try). I know that there are many Christian artists out there struggling to do good things and might feel as I do that if they use real language, situations, or depictions that they will be shunned by the masses of Christians and because the artist wears the label Christian and the history of bad art that has gone before they will be shunned by non-Christians.
I see this happen in contemporary Christian music. There is finally some good music out there that can appeal to a broader audience (I'm thinking of Switchfoot and POD) and they get slagged by both sides. Amy Grant got (you should pardon the expression) crucified when she went "mainstream". Heaven forbid you should create art that doesn't mention God at all, even if it is positive.
What's the solution? I don't have one. Or maybe I do. Maybe I or someone who has discipline and talent that I don't have can break the mold. There's always hope and LOTS of prayer. ¶
12:00 PM
Today is Pimp Other Blogs Day. I was reading Church of the Masses and she was (as a screen writer) critiquing the state of Christian Art. Give it a good read.
It pains me that someone has spent millions of dollars on something that in the long run will hurt more than help. Even if this idea is ten times as good as she says (heck a thousand times) there are several dozen crappy ideas waiting in the wings. I try in all of my fiction to write real stories about people you might identify with (I usually fail IMHO, but I try). I know that there are many Christian artists out there struggling to do good things and might feel as I do that if they use real language, situations, or depictions that they will be shunned by the masses of Christians and because the artist wears the label Christian and the history of bad art that has gone before they will be shunned by non-Christians.
I see this happen in contemporary Christian music. There is finally some good music out there that can appeal to a broader audience (I'm thinking of Switchfoot and POD) and they get slagged by both sides. Amy Grant got (you should pardon the expression) crucified when she went "mainstream". Heaven forbid you should create art that doesn't mention God at all, even if it is positive.
What's the solution? I don't have one. Or maybe I do. Maybe I or someone who has discipline and talent that I don't have can break the mold. There's always hope and LOTS of prayer. ¶
12:00 PM
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
<< Home
