Christians & Christian art

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:”

Colossians 2:6 [KJV]

Last week, I was researching a theological essay when I became distracted by some verses in the book of Exodus. Chapter 31:1-3 records, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel …And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” to build and decorate the tabernacle to God’s specifications.

Usually, when Scripture refers to someone being empowered by the Spirit for a specific ministry, that person is a preacher, prophet, warrior or leader. But Bezaleel was a craftsman who worked with fabric, wood and metal. He was gifted with practical skills to make decorations for the tabernacle that would enable the Israelites to worship the Lord in the way He had commanded.

Well, I included a reference to Bezaleel into my essay and finished it, but I kept thinking about him and the subject of Christian art. The word ‘Art’ in this sense is an umbrella term that includes literary art (e.g. writing), visual art (e.g. painting, photography, sculpture, design), performance art (e.g. music, acting, puppetry) and crafts (e.g. sewing, cooking, scrapbooking).

‘Christian art’ is a controversial subject. People have diverse and strongly held opinions on whether it should always be in-your-face Christian, whether heart trumps quality, whether some art forms are inherently evil, whether people should charge fees, and how important it is in the scheme of general Christian works and ministries.

Whether you spend much or little time being creative, here is a (non-exhaustive) list of six Biblical principles about producing arts and crafts as a Christian. 

#1 Understand the context of human creativity

God is the great Creator. The first verse in the Bible reads, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26), so man’s ability to create is a tiny reflection of God’s incredible, awe-inspiring capacity for creativity. The Scriptures record many examples of godly, creative people. Noah was a builder (Genesis 6); Bezaleel, a textile artist (Exodus 31); King David, a musician and song writer (1 Chronicles 13:8, Psalm 108:1); Solomon, a writer (Proverbs1:1); Tabitha, a seamstress (Acts 9:36); and Aquilla, Priscilla and the Apostle Paul were tentmakers (weavers) (Acts 18:3).

But sin has darkened people’s understanding (Ephesians 4:18) and put evil in their hearts (Mark 7:21-23). The silversmiths of Ephesus made shrines to the goddess Diana (Acts 19:24-34), Aaron made a golden calf idol (Exodus 32), Tertullus used his oratory skills to oppose the Apostle Paul (Acts 24:1), and the daughter of Herodias used dance to seduce Herod into killing John the Baptist (Matthew 14:6-10). These examples highlight that sin’s corruption means creativity can be used for evil. Accordingly, there are Biblical limits on exercising creativity, and just because something can be created does not automatically mean it should be created.

#2 Know God’s will for your creativity

In all areas of life, we need to know and obey God’s will. Romans 12:2b says, be “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” There is God’s general will for us, as revealed in Scripture, and then there is God’s specific will, which is unique to individuals. The area of creative expression straddles both domains. This post discusses general Biblical principles, but then there are specific questions we must each ponder. Does God want my creative expression to be a personal hobby, or a ministry to others? An income source? A small part of my life or a priority? For personal edification only, or for an audience? What audience? Bezaleel was called by God to his specific creative ministry, but God gives different priorities to different people. Like Christ, we need to fully surrender to doing God’s will (Hebrews 10:7), even if it doesn’t always align with our desires. Seek guidance in Scripture (Psalm 119:105), through the Holy Spirit’s leading (Romans 8:14), through godly counsel (Proverbs 19:20), and through God’s sovereign circumstances (2 Corinthians 2:12).

#3 Created works should be true to Biblical principles

This principle applies regardless of whether your creative work is for yourself or a secular audience; or whether you signed your name on it or left it anonymous. In Philippians 1:27a, Paul writes, “Only let your conversation [lifestyle] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ”, while 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Every aspect of our lives is to be in keeping with Biblical principles. Here’s an example: let’s pretend you’re a graphic designer, tasked with creating posters advertising several drinks. One of the drinks is oat milk, the other is alcohol. You personally think oat milk tastes awful, but you can’t think of any Bible verses that specifically ban drinking oat milk. However, Proverbs 23:31a says, “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,” and on the basis of this verse alone it would be unbiblical for you to design an alcohol advertisement. God sees everything (Proverbs 15:3), and while financial gain is admittedly tempting, the Bible promises that God will honour those who honour Him in all areas of life (1 Samuel 2:30).

#4 Created works should edify

In keeping with the command to “edify one another” in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, creative works on some subjects need to be handled very carefully. Here are a few topics that can damage people rather than edify if handled inappropriately: sexual sin, marital relations, suicide, witchcraft and false doctrine. I’m sure you can think of others. We need to protect ourselves, taking heed lest we fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). We also need to ponder our audience. Married or single? Children or adults? People in whom destructive memories might be triggered or people who have no such memories? Mature Christians who need meat or “babes in Christ” who need milk (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)? A pastor needs a very large dose of God’s wisdom when preaching about horrific accounts of sins in the Bible or the torture of Christ. A writer needs to think carefully about how they portray sin in stories. Relatable characters are imperfect characters, but it would be irresponsible for an author to effectively produce a how-to-sin guide, to minimise the seriousness of evil or imply that a character (and hence the reader) can sin without reaping what they sow.

#5 Spirit of excellence and diligence

Work produced for the edification of others requires effort and diligence. Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”, while 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Proud perfectionism that is poor stewardship of time does not glorify God. But neither does shoddy, lazy craftsmanship. God gives a diversity of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4), so some people have a more pronounced gifting in one area of creativity than others. However, having a gift for something does not mean that scriptural commands to be teachable (Proverbs 9:9), humble (1 Peter 5:5) and diligent (2 Timothy 2:15) do not apply to you. Pride is the Christian creative’s greatest enemy. It was – still is – mine. When I first submitted my writing for publication, I received rejections with feedback about incorrect spelling, grammar and punctuation. Initially I was angry. How dare they overlook my genius by focusing on trivialities’? I remained angry – and unpublished – until, in my twenties, I finally admitted my deficiencies and used primary school resources to address my knowledge gaps.

#6 The labourer is worthy of their hire

Producing quality art requires time, effort and money. Yes, money. Either directly, through the cost of materials or labour, or indirectly through the sacrifice of income from other sources to focus on that creative act. While godly people should not be “greedy of filthy lucre” (1 Timothy 3:3), the labourer is worthy of his hire (Luke 10:7). Some Christian creatives charge directly for their work. Others, as is the case with this blog, will supply something without cost because they have alternate income sources. Additional considerations include the level of ongoing commitment, whether it is a gift, the cost, the hours involved, and the artist’s priorities.

Sadly, some Christians have an expectation that the Christian creative will always do things that cost the giver much, and the receiver nothing. They complain when a lecturer charges a modest fee for study materials that took years to compile, or act as though being in a public-facing ministry permits them to place unreasonable demands on others’ time. Yet when King David was freely offered the land and materials to build an altar to the Lord, he replied, “neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). Not paying someone for their work could reflect an ungenerous heart. Additionally, it robs the creator of the ability to honour the Lord with tithes and offerings.

I hope you found these principles thought provoking. May each one of us, in whatever capacity He gives to us, honour the Lord by obedience to His will. Let us pray too, that God will raise up Bezaleels, who are called to creative ministries for the edification of others and glory of God.