Artists who take their Christian faith seriously may feel isolated in an art world that often does not consider Christianity relevant to art, and may feel disconnected in the world of the church as well if the church does not give them a robust foundation for their artistry. There is good news, however. In recent years, a number of artists, theologians, and scholars have written about the nature of Christian artists, their role, how their work integrates into the larger church, and other related topics.
Several Christian books are particularly good starting points for Christian artists in search of encouragement, insight and better understanding. The five listed below are a selection of the best from both more personal and more academic reflections on Christians and their art.
Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, by Madeleine L'Engle
Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art is a very personal account of Madeleine L'Engle's experiences with writing and walking with God. Reading it can be like a drink of cool water on a hot day, as L'Engle is both a master of prose and someone constantly centered on God's love and miraculous power. She calls other writers to be open to the unexpected encounters and revelations that expand understanding and to live life in a creative manner.
Those looking for rigorous argument will not find it here, but the obvious joy in her life and writing reveals what an abundant life can look like, and so gives weight to her assertions.
Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity, by Michael Card
In Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity, Card primarily draws from his experience with music and songwriting, but his work is relevant to all kinds of artists. He lays out a view of creativity that is constantly centered on Christ and service to others.
In addition, he makes clear the importance of having artists integrated into the church so that their gifts can find full expression. A particularly valuable aspect of this work is the letters by fellow artists he has included at the end of the book. Their multiple perspectives complement Card's own views.
Beholding the Glory: Incarnation Through the Arts, ed. Jeremy Begbie
The essays in Beholding the Glory: Incarnation Through the Arts are written by both scholars and artists, and cover a wide range of art forms, from icons to music to poetry. As one might expect, the essays do not always agree, but they all provide a good starting point for an artist attempting to better understand how his art can actually assist and participate in theological work.
As the subtitle suggests, the particular aspect of theology focused on here is the Incarnation, something particularly relevant for artists, as they continually take ideas and turn them into material objects.
The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts, ed. Daniel J. Treier, Mark Husbands, and Roger Lundin
The Beauty of God: Theology and the Arts is another essay collection, but this one focuses on one particular attribute of art -- beauty. The essays are divided into groups centered around music, visual arts, and literature, and each section explores what role beauty has and what it looks like in those various art forms.
No matter whether one holds beauty to be essential to art or superfluous, these essays, with their sometimes-surprising views on what beauty actually looks like for Christian artists, will provide meat for mental rumination.
For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts, ed. W. David O. Taylor
Finally, For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts looks specifically at what art in the church should look like. It is thus most relevant for those artists interested in making church art, but also has worth for those working outside the church walls.
The varying views of some of the essayists on what artists essentially are, and thus on how precisely they fit into the church, are relevant for the self-understanding of all artists, and topics like patronage or artistic mentoring should have broad relevance also.
There are numerous other books on these subjects available, some of which can be found through the bibliographies of these five books. Unlike some valuable — but difficult — works on Christian art, however, the books discussed here are all fairly accessible. Thus even Christian artists new to theological reflection on art will be able to follow their ideas.
Ben Guthrie - Ben Guthrie holds a B. A. in Literature from Patrick Henry College and an MLitt in Theology, Imagination and the Arts from the University ...
