A post from my Monday morning column at Zondervan’s ministry blog, Engaging Church. For the past few weeks we’ve been talking quite a bit about discipleship. A few days ago we started a short series on “outreach and the artist” using the book by Con Campbell by the same name. We considered what it means to reach people “with” the arts. Today extends the conversation by considering doing outreach “through” the arts. This is the post for you arts out there who might be considering how you can use your art for the glory of God and common good of your world. (Read the full column HERE)
Post Series
Evangelism “with” the Arts
Evangelism “through” the Arts
Evangelism “to” the Arts
It’s unfortunate that artists are an often overlooked, minority group in churches. It’s as unfortunate that the Church is struggling to remain connected to the next generation of young creatives (including, musicians, artists, writers, designers, and actor).
That’s where a crucial new ministry resource comes in: Con Campbell’s Outreach and the Artist: Sharing the Gospel with the Arts. This book is for Christian artists as well as church leaders because it encourages artists to use their gifts for evangelism and help them to think through the issues involved in doing that; and it encourages pastors and “ordinary church folk” to engage with the arts and the artistic community in their midst for the sake of reaching them for Christ.
If, as Con insists, “the arts are a precious gift of God,” (12) why aren’t Christians and churches leading the charge on creating good art? Art that reflects and channels the glory and majesty of the Chief Artist? Perhaps more importantly, why aren’t churches engaging the arts and the art community more in outreach?
Con helps navigate these questions and helps ministry leaders and artists alike use the medium of art to communicate the message of Christ in a winsome, deliberate way. Con summarizes these ways with two important phrases: “the message and the medium” and “the medium and the message.”
Understanding these two phrases are crucial if you’re an artist seeking to use your art in Christian outreach.
The Message and the Medium—Getting Priorities Right
Con insists that the order of these two elements—message and medium—is important. “This kind of arts-based outreach gives priority to the message rather than the medium…With this kind of outreach, the vehicle is ultimately not that important…it is basically a tool to be used in service of a higher purpose. The artistic medium provides an opportunity to speak a message.” (62)
This is crucial to grasp as artists interested in using art for outreach. While Con does acknowledge that medium can merely be informed by the message, rather than centering on the message of the gospel, Con insists that the medium—whether a painting or poem, ballad or rap tune—cannot over shadow the message of Christ.
If you’re an artist you may be wondering, “Why on earth isn’t my art the main thing?” Con understands the question, and respects your art, but he rightly insists that “People are not going to come into Jesus’ kingdom because I played an especially pretty ballad. That’s not how it works.” (63)
He’s right. As Christian artists who want to use the arts to reach out, “we must be defined first by Christ before other things define us,” (63) Same goes for our art.
Now, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for “the medium and the message.” There is. It all depends on the context and purpose.
The Medium and the Message—Getting the Purpose Right
Con does acknowledge that “It’s not wrong to put it the other way around, so that the medium comes before the message. It depends on the context and purpose. Christians can perform music or create artistic works that are informed by the message of Christ, without necessarily being explicitly gospel-announcing. In such cases, the message may be woven into the medium some how.” (64) Again, it all depends on the context and purpose of the art.
With that said, Con does see a few weaknesses and strengths of prioritizing the medium (art) over the message (gospel):
Weaknesses (64)
- Because this approach is less explicit in its gospel content, it is more unlikely that people will be converted through such artistic projects
- And ‘meaning’ intended for the work will be open for interpretation, rather than pointing directly to Christ and His gospel
Strengths (65-66)
- Such art will normally seem more credible to the art world
- It will receive a wider audience in the art scene itself, because it will be seen as ‘genuine’ art
- Because it will be more credible and widely seen, it can open doors to venues that might normally be closed to explicit Christians
Again, it’s all about the context and purpose of the art to determine the right balance between message and medium.
[…]
In the first post I mentioned that I am both a pastor and a writer, an artist. Which makes Con Campbell’s words doubly heavy because not only do I long for artists in my Church to grasp the significance of getting their priorities and purpose right when it comes to art. I also long for me to get my own priorities and purpose right when it comes to my art.
So I’m asking myself these questions as much as you, but if you’re an artist what has God wired you to do with your art in order to outreach for His glory? How might you need to realign your artistic priorities and purpose in order that you and your art be fully used for God’s mission of rescue in this world?
