Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
C.S. Lewis made me clear on that. If we leave art to the unbelievers, then all art will express unbelief. If we leave literature to the unbelievers, then all literature will express unbelief. If we leave TV, movies and, yes, politics to the unbelievers, then... I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that's what God wants. God made us artists, writers, thinkers and leaders. Do we think he holds that the only valid expressions of those gifts express ungodliness?? That's a flat no, as far as I'm concerned.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UntoHim
But I would argue, as Igzy might, that God has not produced enough “artists, writers, thinkers and leaders” yet. God is a Creator. Despite what some might say, He is still creating. He never stopped, and He never will. It’s mankind - it’s us that seem to be in a rut. We just need to stop resisting his creating power. Us Christians are probably the biggist hindrance to His creating power.
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I wanted to touch on this - since its actually a point I feel very strong about - and in agreement with you. In fact, this topic this
thread worthy.
(First, extremely well said
Unto)
I believe firmly that God wants to display, in and through us, the vastness of His person - his beauty, his justice, his kindness. He does this in a tremendously delicate relationship with each one of us.
My own path has been a ride. I'm predisposed to be a writer, artist, thinker, tinkerer... I cannot tell you how much time I have spent thoroughly enmeshed in
beautiful human endeavors, only to feel "LC guilt" about that involvement.
I've had periods in my life of "abstinence" out of some spiritual asceticism. How debilitating! No, God is developing each of is, in His multifarious wisdom and varied grace, through the very particular
earthly life into which He called us.
Moreso than any well-crafted articulation, how we live that life and engage with it according to our flawed but earnestly evolving beliefs, is
the gospel.
My own creative writing is filled with the human experience - yet infused with the hope that can only come from the knowledge that "we do not have a High priest who cannot be touched by the feeling of our weakness."
Even when I engage with unbelieving friends... I don't generally bludgeon them with the gospel. Instead, I try just to relate, trusting in faith that all human experience - if you give people space to vent - is Romans 7. Human experience without Christ is a catch-22. But you don't get people opening up in that way if you're a holier-than-thou type who has the "right answers."
The Christian life, to my mind, is
humilty and aspiration/hope. Both are necessary. Humility without aspiration/hope is ascetism. Aspiration (or "surety") without humility is ugly judgmentalism.
Utterly broken, catch-22, mind-boggling failure and incapacity...... met by a Savior who is God - who created all things - who exhibits Beauty in art and literature and small human moments of kindness and tenacity against all odds.
Unto, you mentioned Christians are often the biggest hinderance to God's creating power... Could it be, like the Pharisees, we too often presume that because we have
access to the "ultimate truth" that we
presume to know what is "right"? That is, could it be our very faith itself is what hinders a
humility that says "I don't know, and therefore have to keep in engaging in the world around me, with an open mind and in prayer about it?"
I really could write on and on with this topic. Honestly, it has very little to do with what I'm arguing regarding politics.
Thanks for indulging.
In Love,
Peter