Deep Dive

 Before we dive in, I would just like to remind everyone that there are only two more weeks left to submit your poem! All you have to do is write a clean poem that is at least ten lines long, then send it to me via email. You’ll have to be on my email list. 

If you want to compete then you’d better get cranking! 

Now, without any further ramblings, let’s plunge into today’s topic. 

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Art. A seemingly pointless form of work that no longer needs to exist because what we need now is techies, mechanics, and politics. Easy. End of story. Close the book, or in this case tab. But is that really all there is to it? 

Art has always existed, at least from a Christian viewpoint. Genesis 2:9 tells us that God made all kinds of trees, but not only for food, but because it was pleasing to the sight. Art. 

Art happened with God’s own hands in the beginning. If our world was meant to exist from a purely logically viewpoint then there was no need for things to appeal to our eyes. Why have color or different qualities? If it was meant all for logic, we’d live in a black and white world and would only eat the single type plant that existed. Besides that, we’d all have the same personalities. Sounds incredibly boring, but very efficient. 

We are crafted from the Creator’s mind and hands, so it’s only natural for us to do the same. People create because it gives joy, it shows beauty, and it is one of the purest displays of God’s existence that ever will exist. Even the unbeliever helps prove the reality of God every time he or she creates anything. 

There’s our groundwork; that’s why we create. But are certain forms of art bad? To quote The Christian Imagination (a purely brilliant book that you should read if you haven’t) there are three ways to look at art, and all need to be addressed. The first is technique, which is the shapes, colors, wording. The second is validity- does it come from the artist's heart, or is it made for money? The third is worldview. 

You see, we can have art that passes the first two and fails the third. And opposite, we can have art that fails the first two and passes the third. This doesn’t mean we need to like all art styles. We each have preferences. But the ability to create is given by God, giving all art a level or value whether we like it or not. 

What most people actually mean when they say they don't like a given style of art, is that they don’t like how it’s been abused. Some people do sadly choose to discard all art in that style simply because it’s been consistently abused. But that’s short sighted, and I’m writing this because I believe you are wise enough to see it. 

Imagine someone who read one book that they didn’t like, and so they decided that all books are the work of the devil unless it’s the Bible. On a less extreme scale, imagine someone who read one bad romance then claimed that the entire genre is evil. Love is from God and art is from God, so is writing or reading a story about love really bad? Of course not. But does that mean that that book itself didn’t have content that was messed up? It probably did and that’s why this imagined person is upset. They were mad at some of the content, and chose to blame it on the whole genre. 

Sadly, this isn’t uncommon. Art is so worldview and opinion based that sometimes we fail to see that one bad apple doesn’t ruin the whole lot. 

If you disagree or agree with my view on this issue, please comment down below and tell me why. I’d love to talk with you about it. 

Sources: The Christian Imagination, by Leland Ryken, and the Bible

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