I think the purpose of chapter 3 is once again to get "Christian artists" to understand that they do not have to title every piece of work as "Jesus" or "Proverbs" or whatever the case may be. They can still reach people of all kinds. I think that all 4 of the books that we have read this year have hinted at this a little bit, and I think that just reminds me even more about how important it is. But I also think the purpose of this chapter is not to say that overtly Christian artists are wrong or bad. I love Christian artists, and I think they are doing amazing things in this broken world. I just think they have to be extra careful about who they are trying to reach as their audience, and make sure that they are not excluding people.
I think the author was trying to get his readers to understand that we can make our art about anything. It does not have to be named something from the Bible, and it does not even have to portray an image from the Bible. God is behind all of our artwork, and God is the reason we are able to create art. So already, we are giving back to God by using the talents that he placed within us. We just have to make sure we give him the credit as well. And I think Barrs wants us to understand that it is okay to have a painting, drawing, sculpture, or whatever... that is not overtly Christian. I would argue that it is probably better that way, because you can reach all kinds of people, and not just focus on Christians. After all, if it is a Christian's job to bring people to Christ, don't you think that we should be reaching out to those who don't believe rather than those who do believe?
Something that Barrs writes about that I really connect with is the part about accepting art that was done by artists that have different beliefs than you do. There is something special about art in the way that it can be done by anyone - of any shape, size, color, religion, ethnicity, etc. There is nothing that can deny someone the opportunity to create something, and I absolutely love that about art. It reaches all types of people.
​Barrs writes "This principle of accepting art by unbelievers is also borne out within the Bible itself." I know I have said this a few times in past blogposts, but I just think it is so important. I think keeping our minds open to things that we are not used to is healthy for us. I think some of my favorite "Christian" artists do not actually make "Christian music." Bands like NeedToBreathe and Switchfoot are a few of my favorites that fall into this category. I just think we need to be careful about how we categorize art/music, and realize that there is no rule that says we cannot be open to other artists just because they do not label their albums as "Christian."
I think the author was trying to get his readers to understand that we can make our art about anything. It does not have to be named something from the Bible, and it does not even have to portray an image from the Bible. God is behind all of our artwork, and God is the reason we are able to create art. So already, we are giving back to God by using the talents that he placed within us. We just have to make sure we give him the credit as well. And I think Barrs wants us to understand that it is okay to have a painting, drawing, sculpture, or whatever... that is not overtly Christian. I would argue that it is probably better that way, because you can reach all kinds of people, and not just focus on Christians. After all, if it is a Christian's job to bring people to Christ, don't you think that we should be reaching out to those who don't believe rather than those who do believe?
Something that Barrs writes about that I really connect with is the part about accepting art that was done by artists that have different beliefs than you do. There is something special about art in the way that it can be done by anyone - of any shape, size, color, religion, ethnicity, etc. There is nothing that can deny someone the opportunity to create something, and I absolutely love that about art. It reaches all types of people.
​Barrs writes "This principle of accepting art by unbelievers is also borne out within the Bible itself." I know I have said this a few times in past blogposts, but I just think it is so important. I think keeping our minds open to things that we are not used to is healthy for us. I think some of my favorite "Christian" artists do not actually make "Christian music." Bands like NeedToBreathe and Switchfoot are a few of my favorites that fall into this category. I just think we need to be careful about how we categorize art/music, and realize that there is no rule that says we cannot be open to other artists just because they do not label their albums as "Christian."
http://courtneytball.com/a-place-for-secular-christianity/