Freedom to Create: Francis Schaeffer on the Arts

You may or may not have heard of Francis Schaeffer (1912-84) before, but he wrote some great things about Art that I think are worth taking note of.

Schaeffer was one of the great thinkers, writers and leaders of last century, and his influence continues today. He was a prolific author who wrote about a number of topics, including the arts. In 1973, he published two essays entitled: “Art and the Bible” and "Some Perspectives on Art". Both are worth a read – and in the second one, he offers a perspective that seems quite radical for 1973…..

He says there are 3 basic approaches to art:

1. The first approach is to create art that is just “there”. There is no meaning to it – it is 100% abstract. “You can't talk about it, you can't analyse it, it doesn't say anything.” Schaeffer argues that no great artist has purely taken this route, noting that even “abstract” artists such as Picasso, still have their philosophy incorporated into their work.
2. The second approach, according to Schaeffer, is to use art purely as an embodiment of a message of some sort. It is nothing more than a “vehicle for propaganda”.
3. The third approach, Schaeffer says, is to go about creating great art and allow your worldview to naturally influence your art.

The third approach is the one that Schaeffer recommends, and I believe all artists would do well to consider his advice. Anyone working in the media in some way can also contextualize his advice in their field. (If one is working as a news reporter, be a GREAT news reporter, and allow your worldview to impact what you do.)

Think of an artist, (or a magazine or radio station) that is truly influential, and it is likely they are taking the third approach.

I’m not saying the second approach is necessarily wrong. Generally speaking however, an audience can tell if you are there to deliver great art/entertainment/news coverage etc, or if you are there with an overt agenda to bring a message. Generally, you are less likely to find influence with a wide audience with the second approach – and most of the audience you do find is likely to already agree with you.

Also, adopting the third approach doesn’t mean that no message can ever come forth. For some, the quest to create “great art” is likely to bring forth a message of some sort. However, when a message is birthed through the creation of genuine and quality art, it is is much more likely to be received and have an impact. Key application: There’s nothing wrong with “Christian music”… but those that choose to simply make “great music” and let their walk with God permeate what they do, are more likely to have more opportunities to be salt and light in the world today (Matthew 5:13-16).

The key to being fruitful

Right now, you are probably surrounded by multiple stimula competing for your attention. Ideas and thoughts from within, noises and beeps from the outside, and a range of voices from every conceivable direction. And while it's true that much of the time, Jesus is calling us work, to get busy and “do stuff”.... he calls us to do that from a place of rest, peace and intimacy with Him.

No matter what season of life we're in, Jesus's words to us remain:

“Abide in me, and I in you.” - John 15:4 (a)

What does this mean? “Abide”, or “Remain” (depending on the translation) means “to continue to be present”, “sojourn” or “tarry”, “not to depart”, “to be held, kept continually”... in this context, in essence it means to be connected to Christ.

And no matter what we are going through, this should be our main goal – growing closer to God.

If you desire to make a difference in this world, this becomes even more important, as the rest of the verse (in the NIV) says:

“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:4b-5

Picture a vine. A luscious green vine. It's covered in loads of big, ripe fruit. That is God's vision for your life! Lots of fruit! That branch is God's plan for your life. But here's a question... did the branch have to work hard to bear the fruit? Obviously not. In this case, all the branch had to do was remain connected to the vine. It just needed to abide, and not go everywhere.

As I write this, I feel like I'm speaking this directly to myself.

God longs for us to have fruitful, prosperous lives. However, to really achieve what He has for us, we need to be really faithful to simply abide in Him. Ironically, this is hard work..... but it's worth it.

What are some things we can do to guide us closer into Him? I am about to speak this to myself right now:

Spend time with Him. This is probably the number one thing. Overall, it's simply conversating with God. That includes talking and listening. Matthew 6:6 gives us a key to prayer. The ultimate reward is intimacy with the Father. Be real. Right now, I'm learning to be more open with God. It's not always easy, but it's good.

Read the Word. The bible is still the most important book on the planet. I must admit that from time to time, I've gotten into other books, music and movies, and they've often been good. God's met me and spoken to me there too.But the most important place to look continues to be the Bible. The Spirit breathing life over those words will transform you and guide you, and ultimately draw you closer to Christ. (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Spend time with His people. How does spending time with people draw you closer to God? God has ordained “fellowship” as a way to be inspired, encouraged and at times challenged in our walk with God. This is why Hebrews 10:25 says what it says. Sure, we can be around people too much sometimes, and we need to spend more time alone with God. But there are other times when what we need is time around good quality people. Often people in our life/group will challenge us and bother and annoy us. God often uses these sorts of people to prune us! If we want to be more Christ-like... we'll probably need to love those people! And if there's no one in your life that bugs you in some way, is it possible that you've taken the “path of least resistance”? Seek God on that one.

Will you accept my challenge, turn off your computer, and go and spend some time with Jesus right now? That's what I'm about to do right now :-).