Secular Art Comes Through Our Image of God

There is a strange disconnect from the secular world in mainstream Christianity. One that I often wonder about as I work through my days.

I often hear Christians say that secular music (and art in general) is a no-go zone for Christians because we are not supposed to be of the world.

That makes sense in some way, but it is short-sighted.

In my own artistry, I am a Christian who is writing stories, not writing Christian stories.

 I don’t believe in shoving the gospel down someone’s throat, as even the disciples were told to dust off their feet and walk away (ancient obscene gestures aside).

If someone will not hear you, why keep pressing on repeatedly?

But the thing is, don’t you think with how omniscient God is, He might enjoy the art we create in some way?

He might be in His divine abode watching the World Cup or listening to many musicians. When I try to understand the Creator, I often think His abilities allow Him to listen to 1,000 songs simultaneously. That’s a foreign concept for three-dimensional beings to comprehend, but I have strange thoughts like that often.

God created us in His image, meaning we are creators just like He is.

My novel series, the Orchestrylus Odyssey, is based on the concept of the god of that universe making the spheres resound with music. He is an artist and a creator.

This is not necessarily a parallel to our world having Yahweh be the one who created all things and allows us to do the same because of our station in His creation, but the concept is similar.

Where does the Bible say we can’t listen to secular music?

If it’s not written in the Torah, it’s not a sin.

Enjoying a Luke Bryan album or Rick Ross flowing over the track is not evil.

Taking the concept of the Muses into artistic creation, why couldn’t some songs come down to us from some form of divine inspiration? I’ve heard many artists say their ideas come fully formed from somewhere not understood by the conscious mind.

Serendipitous coincidences or chance meetings might lead two artists to create a transcendental piece that otherwise might not have existed.

A Christian might wonder why someone like me writes gothic horror novels. Isn’t that all the realm of Satan? How could a child of God possibly write things like that?

For what it’s worth, I believe Christians should be in those spaces. But writing philosophical, thought-provoking novels instead of cheesy Christian tropes.

More of the C.S. Lewis than the VeggieTales Christianity is a start, but we need to create on the level of popular works in multiple mediums.

If one thing doesn’t work, then keep going until it does.

Maybe some of us won’t write the next Pilgrim’s Progress or a modern-day Macbeth, but we can write our own stories, can’t we?

Imagine a world with world-class anime written by Christians that isn’t cheesy or watered-down.

That’s the sort of goal I have as a Christian artist.

I have a small soft spot for Christian artists that write theological lyrics, but I admit I have more of a divine communion with the world of creativity with secular musicians or Christians who write without being preachy.

I believe—with emphasis on God’s timing—that if we put our work into God’s hands, it will bloom at the proper time in our lives.

Maybe the first or second stories you write won’t do the trick for you. The first ten songs might be trash, and you might delete them from the face of the internet. But then you look at your tenth book or your twentieth song, and it all comes together.

We are strangers in a world that casts us out as believers. But remaining unspotted doesn’t mean fearing to engage with the arts outside of a theological context.

Secular art is not a sin. Even Paul quoted Greek poets. Was Paul sinning by reading them? How did he know of these works, and why did God allow mankind to place them in our Bibles after the canon had been closed?

Stop believing that every little thing is sinful and follow the glorious freedom found in God’s commandments and the ministry of Christ.

Be the artist, baker, or mechanic (fill in the blank) that He has called you to be.

Blessings and shalom.