Everything That's On My Mind

 Sunday, December 04, 2005

Sometimes, there's too much on my mind

I got off on a tangent in my sermon this morning, and unfortunately I'm not sure I ended up making much sense. I still think the point is valid, I just didn't express myself as well as I'd have liked. The point I was trying to make had to do with the lack of critical thinking when it comes to art within our society, and particularly within the Christian community. Artistic endeavors seem to have gone to one of two extremes, either treated as mere entertainment or propoganda. This trend seems to have created a society that seems to ignore the viewpoint of the artist and the message being communicated.

Art is an expression of the artist's soul. Art is informed by the artist's worldview and that worldview (right or wrong) comes through in the art that is created. This is true whether the artist is producing radical political performance art or churning out the latest cookie-cutter blockbuster for the local cineplex. We ignore that fact to our peril, because everything we consume influences us. We can choose to control its influence on us, or we can simply allow ourselves to be tossed about by each viewpoint we hear.

We can't (and shouldn't) try to simply ignore any art from worldviews we disagree with. It would be pointless to try, we can't avoid it. Besides, there's good and bad in all art, even art created with the best intentions and worldviews. There's bad theology in some beloved old hymns, not to mention current CCM. There's a current CCM song that says when you're sad, "angels in heaven cry with you." It's a sweet sentiment...but it's totally contrary to God's Word.

The key is for us to live life with brain and spirit engaged at all times. As Paul writes, "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Culture | Music

Sunday, December 04, 2005 - 02:14 PM Eastern Standard Time          Comments [0]

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