What makes good Christian art? A quick introduction.

If you go to one of the many cathedrals in Europe, for example you will see some of the most beautiful art and music that was created specifically for church. However, I have seen that many Christians have lost sight of the value of creating this type of art. Christian movies, music and other art seem to be exclusively interested in catering to a Christian audience. This wasn’t always the case, however. Artists such as J.R.R. Tolkien were able to create art appealing to a wider audience by weaving religious themes into his works less explicitly. This level of artfulness seems to have been lost in the modern day, with Christians consistently making art that can’t be enjoyed by non-Christians.

How do we create good Christian art?

How can we create art appealing to both Christians and non-Christians? I don’t think this can be easily answered in one short article. Even though I am a Christian myself, I have often struggled with appreciating art put out by Christians. Much of it can feel overly simplistic, or even like propaganda. I think we should start with what makes good Christian art specifically. I will outline two things I feel are important for Christians making art to consider. This is not an exhaustive list, but it should provide a springboard for sharing ideas on how to improve art produced by Christians.

1. Art created for the church should glorify and point to God, while still allowing artists to show their God-given talents.
2. Art that isn’t specifically intended for the Church should present Christian themes in a manner that anyone (Christian or not) can appreciate.

How do we fix this problem?

For my first point, I’ll start with the example of music that falls under the umbrella of “worship music”. I have noticed that songs in this genre can be very simplistic in structure and lyrics. This is often done out of a desire to create songs that non-musical church members can sing easily in services. However, this mentality can prevent churches from performing pieces that glorify God through their intricacy and beauty of composition. Many hymns are good examples of this type of piece, with complex melodies and lyrics meant to teach about God. This helps the congregation see God’s intricacy and beauty in a way that is hard to see in simplistic artwork.

For my second point, I will go back to my earlier example of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien was an author who created extremely high quality works of literature. He was also a devout Catholic Christian who wove themes of his faith throughout his art. Even though his faith deeply influenced many aspects of his artwork, he never intended his works to be taken as allegorical (like The Pilgrim’s Progress or The Chronicles of Narnia). Many modern Christian artists seem to have a much harder time incorporating their faith into their works in the manner of Tolkien. Christian movies and fiction books are oftentimes more concerned with preaching at non-Christians than with making high-quality stories that anyone of any faith can enjoy. This makes it very difficult for non-Christians to appreciate many works of art created by Christians in the modern day.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, these issues can’t be resolved in one article or by one person. However, I I think Christians are doing themselves a disservice by creating so few works that can garner an audience of Christians and non-Christians alike. If the Christian church was able to do this more effectively, we could potentially have a much greater influence on the rest of the world at large. I will expound on this more over my next articles. I hope to help more people think deeply about how the arts are viewed in the Christian church. These topics influence more than many people would think, as they reflect how we view other areas of our beliefs.

I want to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.