Using God-Given Arts and Talents   
   

                                                                              Dr. Diane Howard        
                                                                          Copyright © 2008, 2009               

The Arts are God-Given Gifts that invite us to feel and experience Truth. Beauty transcends belief. Art awes, draws, and transports us to the living God. It enables us to transcend our limitations. It enables those who are dislocated to find location and those who are disconnected to find connection. It provides meaning and insight in the midst of seeming meaninglessness.

Christians should reflect God's beauty, wonder, and excellence in effective aesthetic communication and art. Our communicative and artistic work should reflect His Word, Truth, and Attributes. Although there are many artistic styles, our art should have truthful content and meaningful structure.

Through the centuries, some of the greatest and most significant art has been produced by Christian artists. Many of these great artists have been supported by patrons or the church. Christians and churches need to support and facilitate Christian artists to inspire, uplift, and enlighten.  We need to provide on-going training and support for all ages for good stewardship of God-given arts and talents.

Christians need to study how God reveals Himself communicatively and artistically through Christ, the Bible, and Nature. We  need to observe how Christ has artistically incarnated, revealed, and taught Truth. We need to study the work of great Christian communicators and artists through history. We need to study examples of Best Practice.

Christian communicators and artists need to understand elements of great, universal, lasting art in the performing, visual, speaking, and writing arts. We need to resist popular pressures and must work at universal appeal that moves beyond Ethnocentricity and exclusive Sub-Cultures. We must be able to be all things to all people. We must not confine ourselves only to contemporary, popular, ethnocentric art.  We need an international, global, multi-cultural, historical, and scholarly perspective, as well as good training and ongoing, hands-on experience in meaningful and substantive communication and artistic projects. Our art should have depth and breath.  It should have universal and timeless appeal.

Christian artists should continue in ongoing instruction and practice. We must continue to study and practice the elements of great art in terms of content, structure, style, and production. We must seek to reach minds, hearts, and souls through redemptive art that draws us to Truth and to our God. We must work at art that is credible, engaging, inspirational, and thought-provoking.

Christians should not minimize performing, visual, speaking, or written art forms because they are God-given gifts that transport us to Truth and to our God.

Example of Best Practice in Christian Art and Communication in Worship:  Hour of Power, Crystal Cathedral- Excellence in Communication (Teaching, Speaking); Excellence in Music (Breadth, Depth, Range, Expression, Musicality, Execution, Delivery); Excellence in Visuals

See Addicted to Mediocrity

See Effective Filmmaking as Salt and Light

Christians in Filmmaking

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