On Being a Christian Artist

Finding the Freedom to Create

We love to title people. Don’t we? Even when we have good intentions, we just can’t help but slap labels on ourselves and others.

We do this with our kids. The good kid. The wild kid. The dreamer, the lazy one, the troublemaker, and on and on. We do it with people around us, and we even prefer it that way. You have a pastor, but the pastor’s name isn’t “Pastor.” I’m an English teacher. My name to students and most of my colleagues is Mr. Pettit. I’d be upset if my students started calling me Chad (trust me, they try it all the time, and I have to remind them that it’s disrespectful).

This is the way our society is set up, especially when it comes to our careers. For the most part, I’m fine with that. But have you ever heard of a Christian mail carrier? A Christian doctor? A Christian flight attendant? Christian plumber? How about a Christian mechanic?

If you have, I’m curious: Does the Christian mail carrier only deliver Christian mail? Does the Christian doctor only operate on Christians? How about the Christian flight attendant? Does he or she only fly on Christian planes or only serve Christian passengers? And I guess it goes without asking, but I will. Does the Christian plumber only fix plumbing in churches or in the homes of church members? And does the Christian mechanic use tools, or is he or she required to fix cars with only the word of God and prayer?

Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Of course it does because you’ve never heard of those things, nor would anyone expect such things. We all have to make a living, right? Sure. So if a Christian is making a living as a doctor, lawyer, plumber, mechanic, tailor, flight attendant, firefighter, police officer, soldier, or any other profession it’s understood that those things are just careers and trades. It’s implied that all of us live our lives in such a way that attempts to glorify God and honor His word, but no one puts unnecessary restrictions on anyone when it comes to work.

That is, of course, unless a Christian is an artist. That’s somehow different. If you want to be a writer, singer, actor, musician, painter, poet, or sculptor you’d better learn the rules and learn them quickly. Here are the rules:

Your talents are only to be used for God.

If you create any art that isn’t Christian in nature, you’re wicked and must repent. There are two forms of “Christian content.”

Works of art meant to encourage or edify the church

Works of art meant to reach the lost

Your artwork must adhere to Christian guidelines, which are defined by individuals or churches who may or may not get their standards from the Bible

If you use your talents for any other purposes, you have disappointed your Savior, fallen from grace, and now serve mammon.

If that’s not the most ridiculous list, I don’t know what is. I do know this: I didn’t make that list up, and I’m only giving you the broad overview of the real list. Can you imagine carrying that to work with you as you drive a bus filled with 5-10 year old kids? Can you imagine having that hanging over your head while working a 10-12 hour shift on an assembly line? Of course not, and if someone told you that was your standard, you’d disregard that person in a heartbeat and get on with your life.

Well, Christians who happen to be artists don’t have that luxury. Not even a little. Let’s just set aside the niceties and get down to it.

Who came up with this garbage, and at what point did these artists who also love Jesus buy into it? Jesus came to set us free, and then He blessed us with gifts and talents, but people have laid such a heavy burden on us that our artwork suffers. It suffers a lot.

Oh, you wrote a song? Is it about Jesus? It better be because God created music to glorify Him, and it should only be used to worship Him. Oh, you wrote a poem? It better be about Calvary. You wrote a fictional novel? It better have proper doctrine. You painted something? It better be either a picture of God’s creation or His grace. And don’t forget: Your artwork cannot depict violence or sexual content. Your lyrics and prose must be “clean” and Christ-honoring. Your characters better not sin, or if they do, they better be punished accordingly. No foul language, no dark depictions, no secular anything. Also, you better not be making money off your art. In fact, give it away for free, and if you don’t have the money to create and produce it, you either lack faith or God never wanted you to do it in the first place.

This is a tiny taste of the burden artists who love Jesus carry. Just imagine that stressful burden on you as you get ready to build a table or a computer. Imagine wearing that at a checkout counter all day or all night. Imagine that weighing you down as you bake cakes or serve food in a crowded restaurant. And if you don’t think I’m telling the truth, just be honest with yourself the next time you watch a Christian movie. I promise you’ll be witnessing restrained art created on a nickel and dime budget because no one takes Christian artists seriously anymore.

No one but an artist is expected to uphold these standards. Wait, sorry. That’s not true. Extreme fundamentalists and cultists expect everyone to live up to those standards. So if you expect Christians who create artwork to uphold some extreme standards that no one other than Jesus Himself can live up to, and fundamentalists and cultists expect people to live up to impossible standards…

Yeah. You fill in the blanks.

Well, guess what: I’m done with fundamentalism. I was about as close to a cult as a person can get without moving into a compound, but thank God I was delivered from that. I’m not going back, and I’m not about to let anyone trap me in that with my writing. No one. My God hasn’t put that burden on me, so there’s no way I’m going to allow a man or woman to do it. Jesus said we would know the truth and the truth would make us free. I’m not listening to the voices of anyone but God when it comes to my artwork, and do you know why? Because Jesus said His sheep know His voice. Anyone trying to call me away from His voice is a thief, and He told me that the thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

So here’s my battle cry for all artists who know the Lord Jesus Christ:

Be yourself. Be the artist God created you to be. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, body, and strength. Give Him everything you’ve got with total abandon of earthly restraints. When the winds and waves created by Pharisees and Sadducees are contrary to you and keeping you from the place the Lord told you to go, look up. He’s watching and praying over you, and when the way seems darkest, He’ll be there, walking on the water to where you are. Don’t be afraid; step out of the boat and run to Him, nothing doubting. You might fall, and your faith might waver, but when it does just cry out to Him and He’ll be there. Create. Create. Create. Write your own story. Paint, sculpt, draw, sing, or dance the way the muse leads.

I should take a moment to say that I know some will say I have an angry spirit. Some will say that I’m encouraging sin and worldliness. Some will say that I’m abusing and encouraging the abuse of spiritual gifts. Some will say a lot of things. Sorry, but I’m not responding to those statements, especially the vitriolic ones. Their bitterness is theirs. My joy is mine. I offer them an escape from their bitterness and not a taste but the fullness of my joy if they’re willing to see past the motes in their eyes.

To the artists, to the church, and to the world I say that we need more diversity, not less. To all, I say that we should be and are free to release the pain inside of us and express it through our artwork, whatever medium that may be. To the church, I say that we must be vulnerable and honest with the world because they are hurting, broken, and desperate for something real. In a day when everyone is attempting to live their own truths, millions are in search of absolute truth, and we alone know where to find it.

So you don’t have to choose. It’s not a matter of being an artist or being a Christian, and the weird stuff in your head that you’re dying to express isn’t wrong; it’s your art, and it may be exactly the peculiar thing that once again turns the world upside down.

Listen to me. You’re free. Now go create something.