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Why, God, you're just like me!

by David Bayly on January 7, 2013 - 8:05pm

I attended a worship service recently where a woman began the congregational prayer by saying, "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are the great artist and that from you comes all beauty..."

Wrong. Although not consciously so, blasphemous. God is not Artist. God is Creator. Art copies. Creation is art's model. Art imitates. Creation is. Though art regards itself as creative, it's not. It can never be because it operates at the level of representation. Art only makes images. Creation makes living people in the image of God and then makes them again in Christ.

The art-filled worship of churches today substitutes the world of imagery for that of substance. It prefers signs to the immediacy of God's Spirit. Even taken as art it usually amounts to thin gruel. Weak, effeminate, affected, it's as though worship leaders seek to emote a picture of their feelings about God rather than simply praise Him.

Art is divided between artists and audiences. Performance art notwithstanding, the audience is never the artist. The audience oohs and ahhs; the artist emotes and images. Thus much modern worship has become a performance by artists for audiences, with the one worshipped being the one always worshipped whenever artists place their art on display. 

Can you imagine an engineer praising God for being the great engineer? A garbage collector leading a congregation in thanking God for being the great garbage collector? Though they'd never have the hubris to do so, the engineer and garbage collector have far greater justification for so describing God than the artist. God has engineered the universe. God collects garbage--He's always doing so with men. But God is no artist. He's the Creator.

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Submitted by Barbara Rohrs on January 8, 2013 - 10:26am

I dare to disagree about your definition of art as mere imitation --though that is true of visual arts --not so true probably about modern art --of which I'm not a fan.  As for music, He is the designer of sound and its intricacies, physical properties, and inspires the musicians to use sound for enjoyment and worship.   When I see a glorious sunset or any beautiful place on the earth --I think of Creator as Artist --and I don't mean imitative.  I mean our God has the ultimate eye for color and beauty --and He has created in us the ability to appreciate and perceive what we see as beautiful and be blest by it --and yes, to imitate --in our own little "image of God" ways.    Where the artist errs is in vainglorious pride and ego of performance and gifts.  But we are given abilities, talents, for His use --whether it is "artistic" talent and "creativity in the arts" --or ability with business, numbers, scholarly pursuits, learning, thinking, public speaking, writing, improving mankind's lot on the earth --as in medical discoveries and labor-saving inventions.  There can be arrogance in one's  rather unique disdain for a worship leader who credits God as the author of all music, beauty,art.   Music is a gift to mankind --from our Maker--and it sounded to me like she was being grateful and giving credit where credit is due.

I don't get how to post here --press save  or just enter? 

Submitted by Barbara Rohrs on January 8, 2013 - 10:29am

My homepage is http://www.thebarbwire.blogspot.com  

What's wrong with that?  Your format wouldn't accept it.

Submitted by David Bayly on January 8, 2013 - 1:37pm

Dear Barbara,

I would agree with you about music not being imitation. This understanding flows not only from the obvious distinctions between music and visual art, but also from God's commands in the Old Testament. He ordained music to His glory, but denied His worshippers the use of visual imagery.

But the woman who prayed in the service I mentioned was speaking of visual rather than musical beauty. She elaborated in her initial statement in the prayer in a way that made this clear.

There is a form of music in worship that, if it were a verb, would be more intransitive than transitive. Introspective and subjective, it dwells more on human responses than Divine glory. This kind of music centers worship on the artist rather than the Creator.

The problem in worship isn't generally a doctor who wants his skills worshipped, nor an engineer who wants us to take note of his engineering works, nor the garbage collector who elevates garbage-collecting, but the artist who does want his work exalted. And yes, this can happen with a preacher as well, though the preacher seldom thinks of himself as a creator of beauty in His preaching.

Your friend in Christ,

David

Submitted by Rob on February 23, 2013 - 3:31am

creativity and artistry have overlapping conceptual/linguisitic ranges.  There's no reason to take this woman's comment about God as an artist to imply that he's an imitator.

God's also a fantastic engineer and he will take out the garbage.  And if God as artist and engineer aren't literally true descriptions, there's nothing blasphemous about metaphor or we should throw out much of scripture.

Submitted by Barbara on February 26, 2013 - 10:41am

I'd forgotten about this discussion and it was just last month!  

I really think ALL humans enjoy being exalted for whatever they do well -athletes, artists, engineers, trash collectors and even preachers --as you said.  Humility is our challenge. 

We  do see that artists (including musicians) tended to be among the early victims of AIDS --for the activities of the flesh that result from idolatry:  "worship of creature more than Creator."    But again, I think you were harsh to see anthropomorphism in the worship leader's remark.   The problem with the word "artist"  is that we do give it to humans and mean "makers (creators?) " of music or visual art.  And so artists can become vain about what we call their "creativity."   Though I think any field  of endeavor can feature creativity.  

We ARE made in HIS image and so we are the imitators of God in the good things we do --in the ways we "create" --we Christians know we are not original.  We are to reflect HIM and devote all we do to HIM for HIS glory and not our own.  

When we call God artist or engineer, it's the language we have to denote certain functions.  God IS the ULTIMATE artist  --meaning Creator of beauty, color, rapturous sounds and sights--we "create art"  only in imitation of HIM --only to be like HIM as we are to try to be like Jesus.  Not bringing Him to our level --and not aspiring to be on HIS level, and not making anything to worship or bringing worship to ourselves, but aspiring to HIS excellence in creativity -in obedience to Him.

Do you find something disagreeable in what I just said?

 

Submitted by Barbara on February 26, 2013 - 10:54am

Another thought --there was visual imagery on the Ark of the Covenant, wasn't there?   Made by skilled artistic craftsmen guided by God.

As for introspective worship music --I was taught that the Gospel songs were the testimony songs that talked about how God changed us "He touched me" "Love LIfted Me"  "Heaven came down and glory filled my soul."   --and HYMNS were directed to God  --like "How Great Thou Art"  ---and might also include references to me as in "Great is thy Faithfulness --Lord unto me --morning by morning new mercies I see."

And nothing more introspective than "Search me O God --and see if there be some wicked way in me."  "Just as I am --without one plea."

Your friend in Christ,  Barb

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