Clarification.
Ok. I wrote last night's post in a hurry. And to be honest, I had this huge idea in my head but couldn't quite get it out like I wanted to. Which is why I am an artist who makes stuff and not a writer (like you couldn't tell? Puh-leeze.) I'll let Stephen King explain:
The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them - words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than a living size when they're brought out. (from The Body - which, when he's not being completely disgusting? King can write a beautiful sentence or two.)
Anyway, back to last night's post. I'm so fascinated by the idea that we, as artists, may have a different type of "sight." Or maybe a deeper version of what some others have? I don't know.
I didn't mean for that last post to sound like "Because we are teachers, if you're a good little Christian artist you will make sure all of your work reflects God somehow so the unsaved can see Him." I think, really, if you're a good Christian artist then you won't have to look for God. If you're making your art honestly, God will be there.
Maybe, as Christian artists, our goal is sometimes even the reverse? Maybe as people of faith with a creative streak we are obligated to make sure God is represented as fully and honestly as possible, even if that honesty isn't something that some Christians want to hear. Maybe aside from bringing God to the outside world? Maybe we're supposed to also keep some "insiders" from feeling too comfortable or from forgetting just how huge and wild our God is and that we're supposed to fear Him. Fear. Because He is so much more of anything and everything we can imagine. That's one reason why I like Madeleine L'Engle's interpretation of a cherubim. I think instead of saying, "This is what a cherubim really looks like"? It's more like she's saying, "We don't know what a cherubim really looks like so let's not pretend that we're so smart and claim that we do. And also, the idea of cherubim as fat little baby angels is kind of insulting to a God who is to be feared according to His own word!"
So that is what I was trying to get at. Maybe as Christian artists, our role as teachers is to be both messenger and guardians of God. Messengers of His love, beauty, power. And guardians of His reality in the sense that we can often see above and beyond what some people comfortably settle into as their image of what God is. Maybe we are to be the fire that heats those that have become lukewarm, like John talks about in Revelations?
Does that make any sense? Did I actually clarify anything or did I just confuse it more? Again, not a writer (me make pretty picture with many colors.)
The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them - words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than a living size when they're brought out. (from The Body - which, when he's not being completely disgusting? King can write a beautiful sentence or two.)
Anyway, back to last night's post. I'm so fascinated by the idea that we, as artists, may have a different type of "sight." Or maybe a deeper version of what some others have? I don't know.
I didn't mean for that last post to sound like "Because we are teachers, if you're a good little Christian artist you will make sure all of your work reflects God somehow so the unsaved can see Him." I think, really, if you're a good Christian artist then you won't have to look for God. If you're making your art honestly, God will be there.
Maybe, as Christian artists, our goal is sometimes even the reverse? Maybe as people of faith with a creative streak we are obligated to make sure God is represented as fully and honestly as possible, even if that honesty isn't something that some Christians want to hear. Maybe aside from bringing God to the outside world? Maybe we're supposed to also keep some "insiders" from feeling too comfortable or from forgetting just how huge and wild our God is and that we're supposed to fear Him. Fear. Because He is so much more of anything and everything we can imagine. That's one reason why I like Madeleine L'Engle's interpretation of a cherubim. I think instead of saying, "This is what a cherubim really looks like"? It's more like she's saying, "We don't know what a cherubim really looks like so let's not pretend that we're so smart and claim that we do. And also, the idea of cherubim as fat little baby angels is kind of insulting to a God who is to be feared according to His own word!"
So that is what I was trying to get at. Maybe as Christian artists, our role as teachers is to be both messenger and guardians of God. Messengers of His love, beauty, power. And guardians of His reality in the sense that we can often see above and beyond what some people comfortably settle into as their image of what God is. Maybe we are to be the fire that heats those that have become lukewarm, like John talks about in Revelations?
Does that make any sense? Did I actually clarify anything or did I just confuse it more? Again, not a writer (me make pretty picture with many colors.)
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