A Quest For Solid Ground: Introduction to Discussions on Art & Culture

Art is a tricky subject. It's tricky because it's one of those things that seems like it should be subjective, and yet people argue about it as if it is not. It's tricky because everyone can tell you what it is, but they can't tell you why it is. It's tricky because, as it turns out, what feels good and what is good are rarely interchangeable. And most importantly, it's tricky because Christians, who of all people should be rooted in absolutes, so often fall into the trap of modern subjectivism, and end up merely feeding the machine rather than making efforts to mend its brokenness. Somehow the church went from Bach to hard rock; from Rembrandt to Thomas Kinkade. How did this happen and what can we do to remedy the unwise decisions made by Christians in the past?

For some time now I have been pondering the state of our world in regards to art and culture, but I have found myself teetering between a myriad of opinions, unable to find solid ground. There is one thing of which I am certain, however. We, as Christians, must have a standard by which to judge not only our own art, but also the art of the secular world - not to dismiss it, but to critique it, from a thoroughly Christian worldview, a worldview grounded in the absolutes given to us through scripture.

For the next few months, I will be posting my thoughts on art, and I hope, in the process, to find some solid ground. Forgive me if I sometimes overemphasize film, ignoring the other arts completely, but it is my passion, and the medium I feel most comfortable criticizing. Please feel free to leave comments. I predict these entries will prove to be not only informative, but perhaps a bit inflammatory as well.

And I do apologize to all those friends on my email list who I assured they would not be reading my words on this site. It seems I spoke too soon.