Mark Denis Chapman
Associate Director, Ambrose Seminary
Toronto
Abstract
Conservative
Christianity has not been known as a supporter of the visual arts. Recently,
however, some communities of Canadian conservative Christians have explored the
role of the visual arts in the practice of their faith. This paper provides an
introduction to this social change through descriptions of how conservative Christian
organizations have dealt with the religion/art relationship and through a
survey of Christian visual artists associated with conservative Christianity.
It concludes with a discussion of some of the reasons behind this change.
Introduction
[1] Robert Wuthnow’s (2003) book on religion and the arts in the
United States, All in Sync, describes a
series of group interviews with people from different religious demographics.
Each group was presented with different examples of artwork and their reactions
were solicited. The conservative Christian group was the least receptive to the
artwork. They appeared to dismiss it without any serious contemplation of the
possibility that art could have some redeeming value. I knew from previous
research within the Canadian evangelical community that they were not
significant patrons of the arts. Furthermore, Conservative Christians
themselves continue to call for a relationship between Christianity and the
arts (Begbie 2000; Dyrness 2001; Turner 2001; Issue Group on Redeeming
the Arts 2004).
[2] However, I also saw evidence that there was some appreciation for the
arts within the conservative Christian community. This included artwork in
churches, articles in conservative Christian publications, and art shows put on
by conservative Christian schools. Some conservative Christianity in Canada is
receptive to some kinds of art. Scholars familiar with Canadian conservative
Christianity will not be surprised by this observation as it reflects the
accommodating nature of Canadian evangelicalism (Stackhouse 1994; Rawlyk 1996;
Reimer 2000). However, little specific research has examined the changing role
of the visual arts in contemporary conservative Christianity, a change
perceived by conservative Christians themselves (Issue Group on Redeeming the
Arts 2004). In addition, inaccurate views of conservative Christianity continue
to proliferate. For example, Sally Gradie’s (2004) review of All in Sync in Sociology of Religion refers to Wuthnow’s reported resistance of
conservative Christianity to visual art without qualification. Another example
is the perception of increased conflict between religion and the arts in
Philadelphia which DiMaggio et al. (2001) have found to be inaccurate.[1]
[3] This paper starts with a brief history of the tensions between
conservative Christianity and the arts, explores the religion/art relationship
in contemporary churches through the eyes of seven artists, and provides
evidence of contemporary conservative Christian interest in the visual arts. It
concludes with a brief description of how demographics, the cultural shift to
postmodernity and a renewed emphasis on the aesthetic help to explain this
relatively newfound interest.[2]
Issues of Method and Definition
[4] I surveyed seven artists who make at least part
of their living from their art. In all cases, these were artists who consider
themselves Christians and have had some success working as artists in the
secular art community. In addition, they all participate in or work with
Canadian conservative Protestant churches or communities. Artists were chosen
to represent diversity in medium, geographic location, and religious
affiliation. The artists I interviewed came from a variety of Protestant
denominations including: Associated Gospel, Christian Reformed (2), Nazarene,
Baptist (2), United, and Anglican churches.[3] They lived across the
country, from New Brunswick to British Columbia. They represented both smaller
(less than 100 attendees) and larger churches (greater than 300 attendees).
[5] Individual artists were contacted by email. That email asked them to
participate in an email survey and included a letter from John Franklin,
executive director of Imago (a national Christian arts organization) explaining
why he thought this research might be of value. I asked each artist seven
questions about their perception of the relationship between religion and the
arts (see Appendix B). These questions were developed in consultation with John
Franklin. I asked specifically about the role the visual arts played in their
church, their opinion about the religion/art relationship, and the relationship
their church has with the larger artistic community.
[6] This paper is not an examination of the
nature of religion in art nor is it entirely about how art is used religiously.
There are many fine books that look at such questions (Kandinsky 1977;
Seerveld 1980; Brown 1989; Apostolos-Cappadona 1995; Morgan 1998; Farley 2001;
Elkins 2004). However, both visual art and conservative Christianity are ideas
that have a range of meanings. The discussion over how to define art is filled with
significant disagreement (Knobler
1967, 20-23). I use the term “visual art” to refer to visual images created by
a professional artist. A professional artist is one who spends a considerable
amount of time on their art and makes part of their living on that art. While
it still has limitations, a more formal definition is provided by Nathan
Knobler (1967, 26):
[art is] a product of [humans] which has a defined form or
order and communicates human experience ... It is affected by the skilled
control of the materials used in its construction to project the formal and
communicative concepts that the artist wishes to present.
Thus, visual art in this paper includes painting,
photography, film, and sculpture but not dance, music, or drama. Nonetheless,
some of my discussion of art refers to art in general rather than specifically
to visual art. These definitions and those of the artists I talked to assumed
that art is not to be valued primarily for its use value (cf. Wolterstorff
1980).
[7] The term “conservative Christianity” is equally nebulous. Churches and
artists in Canada do not divide neatly into conservative and liberal Christian
boxes.[4] Thus, I have chosen to use a fairly
broad definition of conservative Christianity. I do not define it exclusively
according to theology or denomination because of the diversity in Canadian
Christianity and because self-identification is unreliable (Chapman 1999). I
use a variation on Bebbington’s definition of evangelicalism (Bebbington 1989).
Thus, the churches, artists, and organizations that I classify as conservative
Christian consider the Bible as a significant religious authority (if not the
ultimate authority), believe that some sort of rebirth or conversion is
necessary for salvation (it can be gradual or sudden), believe that their faith
requires active involvement in the world (evangelism and/or social activism),
and believe that Jesus Christ’s redeeming work is the essential element of
Christianity (see also Noll et al. 1994, 6). Thus, my definition is about
theology and action but not politics. However, I did not provide this
definition to my interviewees but rather allowed them to work with their own
perception of what qualified as conservative Christian because I wanted the conversation
to focus on the religion/art relationship not the definition of a phrase.[5] In the text, I treat evangelicals as a variety of conservative Christians.
The Relationship between Conservative Christianity and the Arts
[8] This section briefly describes the history of the tension between the
Christian church and the art world and then moves to the impressions the
surveyed artists have of the role of the visual arts in Canadian conservative
Christian churches. Its goal is to demonstrate the existence of this historical
tension and to contrast it with some significant contemporary exceptions.
The Conservative Christian Attitude towards Art
[9] Many scholars have commented on the tension between Christianity and the
arts. This could be manifest as indifference, a general “religious ambivalence
toward art,” or a despising of the “visual altogether” (Farley 2001, 6; Dyrness
2001, 25; Brown 2000, 26). Brown (2000, 4) explains that the religious
sometimes believe that the “Arts of sense, imagination, and material making are
for the spiritually immature.” There have been tensions over the “use of
secular art forms” and appropriate use of art in church throughout Christian
history (Dyrness 2001, 25).
While it is the case that visual art has been understood as a sort of Bible for
the poor it was also attacked by the “church fathers” who found visual art
offensive because “such art was closely associated with the cult of the Roman
emperor and with attempts to coerce Christians into showing devotion to the
emperor’s image” (Brown 2000,
31, 36). The condemnation of images as pagan in Christianity can be rooted in
the second commandment’s “prohibition against graven images” (Brown 2000, 36).
This highlights that such discussions about the use of art were primarily
theological rather than about the artistic elements of the work (Dyrness 2001, 25).
[10] While early Christians may have been reacting to the visual cult of the
emperor, post-reformation Protestants were reacting to the visual excesses of
the medieval period (Dyrness 2001, 51, 87). After the reformation, church
architecture did not cater to visual elements as elaborate visual elements were
“seen as distractions from true worship ... the preached word” (Dyrness 2001,
13). Zwingli (1484-1531) argued that images were a distraction from the word (Dyrness
2001, 54). Years later, Barth (1886-1968) argued that, “[i]mages and symbols
have no place at all in a building designed for Protestant worship” (Brown
2000, 37).
[11] While conservative Christians may embrace some forms of classical art
(e.g., Michelangelo), the development of some of the key pieces of evangelical
theology worked against the larger appreciation of the visual (Rookmaaker 1994).
A “mystical stream” in culture “depreciated everything outside of the
‘spiritual’” and since the arts were “worldly” they were devalued (Rookmaaker
1994, 30). In the United States, the twentieth century
conflict between religious liberals and conservatives led to conservatives
withdrawing from the larger cultural sphere thus further separating themselves from the arts (Dyrness
2001, 62).[6]
[12] This suspicion of the visual or even of beauty as a means to spiritual
truth is not restricted to the past. Few visual objects are used in
contemporary Protestant worship (Brown 2000, 52). Rather, the emphasis is on
the “audible and verbal” in activities such as “preaching, Bible reading, and
congregational singing.” Most conservative Christian churches have relatively
austere buildings. They often have plain interiors with little visual artwork,
with the exception of a few religious symbols. Some newer churches have
architecture that might be described as factory-like. Furthermore, this
resistance to the visual can even extend to those who produce the visual
artifacts. Webber (2002, 206) notes a “cold indifference and sometimes outrage
at the artist as a person.” Writing in 1970, Rookmaaker (1994, 31) could state,
without qualification, that, “Today it is well known that within evangelical
Christian circles there is little interest in the arts.”
[13] A review of the national websites of several exclusively conservative
denominations in Canada finds no specific mention of visual art of any kind (Fellowship
of Evangelical Baptists 2006; Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada 2006). This is
in contrast to several denominations that contain both conservative and liberal
elements. The Anglican Church of Canada’s home page includes a welcome page
which claims that “Anglicans find God through art and music and fiction and
poetry as well as through the Bible and theological texts,” and a 1999 request
from Anglican World magazine for images
of “ways in which Jesus Christ is represented in art in Anglican churches
around the world” (General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada 1999;
Bays 2006). The United Church’s worship page claims that, “The ministry of arts
and architecture will always be a source of inspiration in the United Church” (United
Church of Canada 2006).
[14] Wuthnow (2003, 217) has found that in the United States “one mainline
Protestant or Catholic in nine is negative toward the arts, [whereas] about one
evangelical Protestant in four is negative.” He suggests that a literalist
approach to the Bible may contribute to that attitude (Wuthnow 2003, 219).
Evangelical Protestants are more likely to say that “they have not been significantly influenced by the arts in
general” (Wuthnow 2003, 220). They are also more likely to “agree that
artists dishonor God ... that artists have no respect for the churches [and
that] they have seen a work of art that disgusted them.” (Wuthnow 2003, 221).
In part this is because conservative Christians frequently identify art with
beauty (Hunter 1991, 238). Andrew Greeley (Greeley 2000, 44) has found
that frequency of church attendance correlates with fine arts involvement among
Catholics but not Protestants. Wuthnow (2003, 234) identifies the evangelical Protestant concern for
“violations of moral standards” and a theological perspective that requires an
“absolute command of the truth” as contributing to this negative perspective on
the arts. He explains that to maintain “absolute command of the truth, it helps
to demonize other sources of influence on the culture. Artists are certainly
one of these sources.” However, a less nefarious explanation is provided by
Rookmaaker (1994, 30), who explains that conservative theology does not have
the resources to bring visual art into the conservative worldview because it
has for so long relegated art to the realm of the worldly.
[15] Regardless of the explanation, conservative Christians stand out from
other groups of Christians in their negative attitude towards visual art.
However, the last 20 years of the Canadian conservative Christian experience
provides evidence that there is increasing receptivity to the visual arts.
The Role of the Arts in Canadian Churches
[16] This section explores artists’ perceptions of the role of the visual
arts in their churches and the acceptability of particular styles of visual art
in those same churches to illustrate that the antagonism towards the arts
described above has some significant exceptions in the context of Canadian conservative
Christianity.
[17] Some Christian artists have exhibited in major galleries and make at
least part of their living from their art. Maria Gabankova teaches at the
Ontario College of Art and Design. Phil Irish has won six separate Ontario Arts
Council grants. George Langbroek is the part owner of the Jordan Art Gallery in
Ontario. Dan Steeves’ website explains that his “work has been exhibited in
galleries in Canada, the United States, Holland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Taiwan
and the Ukraine.” Steeves is also a Printmaking Technician and Lecturer in the
Fine Arts Department at Mount Allison University. For a different sort of
recognition we can look at the work of Erica Grimm-Vance, an artist at Trinity
Western University. While she has received recognition from the Canadian art
world (e.g., Canada Council Art Bank, City of Regina Art Collection) her work
was also featured in the Hollywood movie Catwoman as the work of the artist who
is Catwoman’s alter ego (Stirk 2004). The public persona of these artists is
primarily that of artists not Christians. This is not to say that their art
takes precedence over their Christianity. However, their art is not simply
derivative of their Christianity even if their Christianity significantly
influences their art. Furthermore, the
existence of successful Christian artists does not necessarily lead to an
increased receptivity to the arts in their churches. The seven artists I
surveyed had mixed experiences with the role of art in their churches.
[18] Given that all of these individuals produce art for sale and have
exhibited their art at art shows and galleries it is reasonable to expect that
they would choose churches that were receptive to the arts. Most of the artists
surveyed have found some receptivity to the arts in conservative churches. For
example, Dan Steeves explains that,
In the past 24 years that I have been a visual artist there
have been many pockets of support. Some are close friends some are professional
associations through galleries (i.e., Regent College) many are pastors who
understand the importance of the arts.[7]
Pastor Rob Des Cotes spoke of his congregation having
commissioned an abstract painting by a member of the congregation. Amy Dryer
who attends a “youthful” congregation in a university auditorium has found her
congregation to be receptive to the use of art in worship services. She
explains that,
I cannot generalize the receptivity of all Conservative
Christian Churches. I think the church with which I am currently involved is
fairly receptive. However, in a congregation there is often a mix of
people—some more open-minded than others, some who embrace change and
newness more easily than others.
[19] Several of the artists noted how the art used in their congregation was
often used “to enhance the message or to relate to the liturgical season” or
that images served “an intellectual, discussion-oriented role, rather than a
contemplative or intuitive role.” While the arts had virtually no part to play
in Bruno Capolongo’s church, “images are
often used as support for text on the projection system, both photographic and
to a lesser extent images of a fine art origin.” Among the artists surveyed,
George Langbroek’s church has a visual arts team, Phil Irish has a part-time job
as a pastor and explains that visual art is used in Sunday worship, Amy Dryer
has been involved in “performance painting” during a church service and another
artist has been encouraged by his church to use his “art in presenting the
gospel or teaching on the Bible.” Bruno Capolongo reports that images are
primarily used as a support for texts in the services of his church.
[20] One artist, in the midst of a paragraph describing the various roles the
visual arts played in his congregation, echoes Rookmaaker‘s concern about
evangelical tradition,
There is an openness to including and utilizing visual arts
particularly in worship services, but having said that; to make that a reality
is often more difficult as there is not a long-standing tradition to fall back
on, so we don’t always know ‘what’ or ‘how’ to do it.
This points to the ambiguous role the visual arts play in
churches. For example,
[the arts do not play] a huge role directly although, we
have three art shows at our church in the past three years which were open to
the public (actually a lot people came) but were essentially to celebrate the
visual arts and encourage people in our congregation that were doing art.
In a similar vein Dan Steeves explains that,
In terms of the overall church constituency, the visual arts
plays little if any role. In saying that, there is a group of individuals that
are very supportive of me as a visual artist who is a part of the church
family. That does not often transcend to worship or thinking about the arts.
While there is not a universal acceptance of visual art in
these churches it is clear that they are much more receptive to visual art than
earlier generations of conservative Christians.
[21] Artists have found churches more receptive to some kinds of art than others.
Two interviewees noted that music was the most accepted form of art in the
church. Three different interviewees commented that representational art is
more accepted than other forms (one noted an image of Jesus composed of bar
codes). Several interviewees hypothesized that representational art was more
acceptable because the role of art in the church is to tell a story. Several
artists note that a church serves a particular function and the art used in
that church has to be compatible with that function. Amy Dryer explains that,
While the church wants paintings to portray story, meaning,
mythology and emotions, galleries are often looking for a more “intellectual,”
clean type of art. Aesthetic far outweighs narrative. Line, color, texture,
consistency of image and style are qualities that a gallery may look for,
censoring personal references.
[22] Other interviewees found an acceptance of the arts in general: “Anything
goes as long as it’s appropriate (i.e., Philippians 4:8). As a practicing
professional artist I’ve been encouraged to push the boundaries out quite a
bit.” And Rob Des Cotes explains that his church has “a monthly Arts Liturgy
that has featured everything from painting, photography to jazz and ballroom
dancing.” This illustrates the variation in what is acceptable in these
artist’s churches.
[23] This initial evidence demonstrates that the negative response to the
arts by the conservative focus group in Wuthnow’s study is not representative
of all Canadian conservative Christians and churches. Some contemporary
conservative Christian attitudes to the visual arts show substantial change
from the attitudes of the past. Nonetheless, the presence of a visual artist in
a congregation does not necessarily lead to a prominent role for the arts in
that church. Nor does it necessarily lead to a valuing of the arts beyond their
liturgical function.
Visual Art and the Conservative Christian Community
[24] Churches are not the only sites where evidence of a struggle over the
role of visual art can be observed. This struggle over the different roles and
functions of visual art is particularly apparent in organizations that straddle
cultural boundaries (e.g., religion and education). This section provides
examples of how conservative Protestant organizations are increasingly
receptive to the visual arts and of how they struggle to deal with the full
spectrum of contemporary art.
[25] Following my discussion of visual art in Christian schools I will
briefly explore how several other types of Christian organizations deal with
the religion/art relationship. These examples demonstrate that, while
conservative Christian churches are not embracing the visual arts wholesale,
there are some tentative steps towards an appreciation both of the role the
arts can play in church life and of the legitimacy of the life of the artist.
This section begins with a description of some of my interviewee’s artwork to
provide examples of the types of artwork under discussion.
Art by Christians
[26] Visual art by Christians is not at all what one might call “religious
art.” It is art that contends very well in the Canadian cultural space both
thematically, and technically. Thus, some conservative Christians may have
trouble understanding its purpose because it is not always explicitly religious
in content.[8] This section also describes how some of these artists depict the human body and
religious themes in their art to provide some context for the subsequent
discussion of how conservative Christian colleges interact with visual art.
[27] Dan Steeves is a widely regarded print maker. According to a description
of his work,
[Steeves’ prints] depict roadways, houses and coastlines
along the Bay of Fundy, and show Steeves’ characteristic style with heavy,
patterned skies and broad strokes of light alongside sharp detail . . . Each
book includes nine intaglio prints made from zinc plates etched by Dan Steeves (Harris
and Steeves 2004).
Steeves’ work is intricate and emotional. It is also largely
scenery. Thus, religious themes in most of his work are only apparent on an
abstract level.
[28] Gerald Folkerts’ choice of medium is “Oil, Graphite and Mixed
media.” He has been described by Style Manitoba as “a contemporary artist with a powerful voice, divided between
religious and modern ideals, playing with concepts but always keeping an
element of spiritual reverence” (Young-Kutsokake 1999). His work is
colourful, sometimes specifically religious, and often quite serious. Some of
his work is explicitly religious and some of it is clearly social commentary
that makes use of the nude human body (e.g., his restless slumber series).[9]
[29] Capolongo’s still life paintings are:
about peaceful, quiet equilibrium between objects and light.
There is one main representational image painted realistically and a number of
physically separate, abstract panels. The object-matter, (often vases) is a
vehicle for the subject-matter, often in an asymmetrical arrangement,
representing a quiet beauty, or “the power of silence.“ Every still-life
displays a co-existence, a marriage, of abstraction and realism (from the
Joseph D. Carrier Gallery in Toronto).
This description is clearly spiritual but not specifically
Christian. Other series by Capolongo depict the nude human body as an
illustration of personal struggle or as an object of art.
[30] George Langbroek’s images are colourful, emotional, intense, and
sometimes sexual. He describes his work in the third person,
George Langbroek is a printmaker specializing in the colour
viscosity etching technique ... This technique produces multi coloured prints
from a single plate. His colours are bright and vibrant using mostly primary
colours, allowing them to create secondary colours.
However, Langbroek’s work is not just colour and technique.
His paintings point to particular perspectives and narratives:
His subject explores the human condition from a postmodern
Christian perspective. George has been in the forefront of a general shift in
the art world towards more figurative styles. His work often appropriates
prehistorical as well as classical imagery that is set into a modern context
creating a strong sense of connectedness to all human civilizations. He
describes his work as visual narrative poems (from Langbroek’s publicity
material).
[31] The conservative Christian community, which has favoured text over
image, rationality over emotion, and is often uncomfortable with issues related
to the body, struggles to deal with such images and the artists who make them.
Art at Conservative Christian Schools
[32] Nonetheless, some Christian organizations have tentatively started to
explore the religion/art relationship. As a proxy for Christian school’s
interaction with the secular art world, I will give several examples of how
they have dealt with nudity in art. Nudity, as with ambiguity and abstraction,
can be an obstacle for conservative Christians to appreciate art. Of course,
nudity is not the point of the artwork under discussion. In all cases, the use
of the nude human body reflects some objective of the artist not necessarily
related to the human body itself. Adrienne Chaplin, the Institute for Christian
Studies’ professor of philosophical aesthetics, explains that, “nudity in art
can capture themes like sexual joy, alienation and humanity’s vulnerability” (Lowes
2003). Nonetheless, Bruno Capolongo explained to Christian Week,
It’s hard enough dealing with [nudes in art] as someone
inside that loop, let alone being someone outside of it who can’t accept nudes
on any level. ... The nude can be offensive and alienating. Often it’s because
the church itself maybe hasn’t done enough to expose people to the legitimate
uses of the nude in art. But then artists have to be blamed for the fact that
they have abused their privilege of painting, drawing and sculpting the nude
and filming and photographing the nude as well (Henschel 2002).
Adrienne Chaplin further notes that,
It is a sad reflection of our society’s use or rather abuse
of nudity that we can no longer distinguish between reductive exploitations of
the naked body and dignified, rich, suggestive ways of portraying the nude
figure (Lowes 2003).
Conservative churches want to distinguish between depictions
of the human body that affirm human life as the creation of God and yet avoid
the exploitative depiction of the human body. However, as Rookmaaker (1978;
1994, 30-32) notes, conservative theology provides few resources for that
differentiation. It is this very struggle with discerning the legitimate use of
the nude in art that makes it a useful way to compare the attitudes of
Christian organizations to art to historical attitudes. These struggles are
evidence that some conservative Christian organizations are willing to grapple
with the religion/art relationship.
[33] Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto now offers courses
such as “Art Appreciation: An Introduction to Visual Language,” “History of Art
I and II” and “Aesthetics.” This demonstrates its interest in the subject.
However, it found itself in an awkward position in 2002 when a juried art
competition it held attracted nudes. At that time they were not able to deal
with this type of art and thus passed the art competition on to the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto—where a
nude by Bruno Capolongo,
eventually won the competition.
[34] Following this competition the conservative Christian publication Christian
Week ran an article on the nude and
Christianity (Henschel 2002). In that article, Patricia Webb, dean of
lifelong learning at Tyndale College and Seminary explained that,
It’s our desire to gradually move our constituency and our
student body to an appreciation of art in all forms and within a theological
framework which we are happy with and which we can condone, but we are not
there yet. And that’s okay. That’s part of the growth and development of a body
of believers ... It’s not a value judgment on the arts or the artists and it’s
not a value judgment on Tyndale and our constituency. We’re just not together
yet.
Thus, even an institution that could not deal with the nude
in art in a specific context recognizes that that may be their problem rather
than a problem with the art itself.
[35] Trinity Western University in Langley, BC also offers courses
related to visual art. Furthermore, “the Faculty of Professional Studies and
Performing Arts offers a concentration and a minor in Art.” Nonetheless, it has
had problems with the depiction of nudity in performance art (Zimmer 2003). However, this
conflict may be more a function of how nudity was used than with nudity itself.
For example, Erica Grimm-Vance, an artist at Trinity Western University, won an
Imago sponsored art competition with a nude called “Only say the word.” This
suggests that Trinity Western University may be comfortable with nudity in some
contexts and not others.
[36] Artist Christopher M. Cuthill is a lecturer in art at Redeemer
University College in Ancaster, ON. He teaches courses such as
“Fundamentals of Art” and “Canadian Art.” Redeemer is more receptive to the
larger artistic tradition than some of the other schools I have mentioned.
Redeemer lists artists Bruno Capolongo and Maria Gabankova in their list of
adjunct and part-time lectures. These are both artists that I have interviewed
and both of them use the nude human body in their work. In 2004, Redeemer hosted
an art show by Maria Gabankova.
[37] Every year the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto holds an
event called “Art Talks” which they describe as “an annual lecture series that
explores the relationship between Christianity and the arts.” However, it is
more than just a lecture; it also “features a public lecture/performance by an
acclaimed artist or critic, and a symposium featuring local artists.” The art
show initiated by Tyndale University College, described above, eventually
became “Evidence of Things Unseen—Art from the Judeo-Christian Tradition”
at ICS.
[38] Another school that is quite receptive to the visual arts is Regent
College in Vancouver, BC. They even have a gallery on campus. The web page for
their gallery explains its purpose,
The Lookout Gallery
was established 1990 as a way of demonstrating the value and centrality of the
arts at Regent College. We have shown paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture,
calligraphy, etc. There have been solo and group exhibitions, showing artists
from as close to home as Vancouver and as far away as Australia and Russia
(http://www.regent-college.edu/events/gallery/index.html).
Other
Evidence of Conservative Interest in the Arts
[39] Recently, conservative Christian publications in Canada have also paid
some attention to the arts. Christian
Week bills itself as “Canada’s Christian news source.” It listed
reclaiming the arts as one of the top 10 news stories of 2002. In that article
it mentioned the controversy over nudity in the Tyndale art show and a national
art competition sponsored by Imago (Henschel and Koop 2002). Other articles
have explored what specific Christian artists are doing (e.g., Buchanan 2003).
[40] ChristianCurrent is a
conservative newspaper that has different versions for different regions across
Canada. It too has had articles on Christianity and art. For example, it
published an article on a church in Ottawa, which developed a church and an art
gallery in the same space (Moreau 2005).
[41] When Mel Gibson’s The Passion was
making headlines Faith Today turned to David J. Goa, curator emeritus at the Provincial Museum of Alberta,
to write an article entitled “The Passion in Art History” (Goa 2004).
Articles in Faith Today have also made
note of the use of art to attract 20-somethings (Lowes and Lear 2002).
[42] Canada also has Imago which bills itself as “a unique organization
promoting the artistic development of Christians in theatre, dance, music, fine
arts, film, and literature” (Imago 2002).
[43] This brief survey demonstrates that there is a range of approaches to
art within Canadian conservative Christianity—from artists combining
depictions of the human body with spirituality to colleges struggling with what
is acceptable in an art show on their property. It also demonstrates that
Canadian conservative Christianity has become interested in the visual arts and
is grappling with how to deal with the larger artistic tradition.
Why the Change?
[44] Most of the artists I talked to attributed this increased, if cautious,
receptivity to the visual arts to the visual shift in North America culture.
More specifically, they noted the effect of postmodernity, in particular, the
postmodern notion that “truth” can come through visual as well as intellectual
means. Several artists also connected the shift to education and, as Bruno Capolongo explains it, to “an understanding that we must use all art forms, that none are evil in
and of themselves, and that all can be experienced and shaped to the glory of
God.” Such an educational shift might be observed in an examination of
demographics. That is, as more young people are exposed to a theology that is
receptive to the arts, there may be more interest in the arts.
[45] Building on these observations, this section explores some of the
reasons for this change by examining the answers of cultural commentators and
comparing those answers with the responses of my interviewees and the
experiences of other conservative Christian organizations described in this
paper.[10]
Changing Demographics: A New Generation of Christians
[46] Wuthnow (2003, 187, 217) explains that the young are slightly more
likely to exercise imaginative thinking about questions of faith than are
middle-aged or older people and that young people are less likely to be
consistently negative towards the arts than “older age groups.” Younger people
are more likely to perceive themselves as creative and say the arts are very
important in their lives (Wuthnow 2003, 66). Webber (2002,
19) sees a shift in the approach to religion taken by “younger evangelicals.”
He argues that they are “no longer shaped by the primacy of print
communication” and that their approach to religion can be seen in four shifts:
[the] shift in theology from propositionalism toward a
story-oriented theology, ... [the] shift in apologetics from rational arguments
to an appreciation of truth verified through communal embodiment, ... [the]
shift in ecclesiology from a preoccupation with the invisible church to a new
interest in the church visible ... [and the shift from ] Market-driven church
to missional church.
Each of these shifts contribute to making a new generation
of evangelicals more receptive to the visual and the artistic than the
generation that preceded them.
[47] Evidence of the receptivity of youth to the visual includes the addition
of art classes to Christian educational institutions and the visual focus of
many youth-oriented congregations. For example, Amy Dryer described the
art-friendly congregation she attends as “youthful.” However, youthfulness is
not a sufficient explanation for the increased conservative Christian interest
in the arts.
[48] Dyrness (2001, 13) argues, more generally, that there is a “Contemporary
revival of Christian involvement in the visual arts.” Most of the art classes,
art shows and galleries at conservative schools have been developed in the last
20 years. Wuthnow (2003, 19) explains that the arts are a significant influence
in generating interest in spirituality. A growing number of Americans are
participating in the arts and there are more than twice as many artists in the
United States as clergy (Wuthnow 2003, 63). Furthermore, “large numbers of
Americans indicate that the arts have been important to their own spiritual
development” (Wuthnow 2003, 69). The arts “may be a source of vitality for the
nation’s religious institutions” because “people with greater exposure to
artistic activities are more likely than
those with less exposure to be seriously committed to spiritual growth” (Italics
in original, Wuthnow 2003, 76).[11]
[49] While educational institutions are driven in part by the concerns and
interests of their students, decision-makers are older than these students and
some of these institutions (e.g., Regent College, Institute for Christian
Studies) are graduate institutions. In addition, widely read magazines such as Christian
Week and Faith Today consider the increased interest in the visual arts
significant enough to report it to a wide audience. This may be influenced by a
new generation that is more receptive to the visual but also points to larger
cultural change.
[50] Wolterstorff (1980) argues that, contrary to a more instrumental
understanding of art, works of art “are inextricably embedded in the fabric of
human intention. They are objects and instruments of action whereby we carry
out our intentions with respect to the world, our fellows, ourselves, and our
gods.” If this is the case then it is not surprising that an interest in visual
art has surfaced throughout the population as many come to question the
supremacy of modernity.
Cultural Change: Postmodernity
[51] Webber (2002, 50) argues that the “younger evangelicals” are more
postmodern in their approach to religion.[12] Thus, they are more
interested in the visual and communicate their faith through stories and the
power of imagination. He thinks that this helps to explain the “resurgence of
the arts” in evangelical churches (Webber
2002, 51). For the “younger evangelical,” art is not just illustration but
rather is understood in the greater context of the church and points to
ultimate redemption of all things in a new creation (see also Webber 2002,
117-121). The theological shifts Webber (2002, 19) explores also point to the
influence of postmodernity. One example of this shift is what has come to be
called the emerging church (McLaren 2004; Carson 2005; Gibbs and Bolger 2005;
Mcknight 2005). This movement is usually characterized as being concerned about
aesthetics and other aspects of cultural postmodernity (e.g., problems with
authority, community, praxis, authenticity, equality) (Grenz 1996; Webber 2002;
Penner 2005). However, postmodernity is also characterized by the breaking down
of boundaries and the mixing of dissimilar things.
[52] In postmodernity, meaning becomes centered in the seeing, not in the
content. In a modern world everything must have a rational explanation. Thus,
in the modern church its physical environment must be able to be explained
rationally and functionally. In such an environment there is little room for
art. However, if “truth” can be non-rational and if meaning is rooted in the
observer rather than the creator then the visual comes to have validity in
worship space (cf. Dyrness 2001, 126). This is the kind of argument provided by
the artists I talked to. They referred to a sense that there is something about
faith that is mysterious and that art can help us become aware of that aspect
of faith. Rob Des Cotes explains that,
Visual arts, by their nature, are pre-verbal. They relate
more to the "groanings of the spirit" within us than with
propositional truth presentation. As some churches are engaging more in the
intangibles of our faith (e.g., ritual, sacred space, environment) they will
find the visual arts good companions that can communicate a more intuitive
spirituality. They teach us that we can have a relationship with something
without necessarily forming an understanding of it first.
[53] Other pointers to postmodernity include Patricia Webb’s description of
dealing with the nude in an art show. Her description avoids identifying the
issue as one of right or wrong but rooted it in the development of the school
community. Dan Steeves’ emphasis on the role of community in supporting him as
an artist also resonates with postmodernity. Bruno Capolongo’s marriage of
abstract and realism in his paintings and George Langebrook’s appropriation of
classical imagery point to the pastiche and juxtaposition of old and new that
are sometimes described as characteristic of postmodernity. In addition,
several artists point to a sense of the need for a reenchantment of art in
response to postmodernity’s overreaction to the institutionalization of art
under modernity (Dyrness 2001, 119). Thus, the content of art, the way artists
are supported, the increased role of art in religious space, and the
justification of choices related to visual art can be understood as influenced
by postmodernity.
Renewed Understanding of the Role of the Aesthetic in Culture and
Spirituality
[54] The cultural turn to the aesthetic is not only a marker of postmodernity
but it does encourage religious organizations of all kinds to develop both an
aesthetic outlet and an aesthetic response for their congregations.
[55] Thus, in some churches there is a realization that without involvement
in the increasingly visually oriented popular culture that culture will not
reflect a Christian worldview (cf. Dyrness 2001, 129; Romanowski 2007).
Furthermore, there are theoretical reasons for expecting a relationship between
religion and art. Brown (2000, 95) explains that,
[it is] common among academic theorists to picture art as
something that is not religious at
heart, but instead purely aesthetic .. But if that were completely true, a
taste for art would have nothing to do with anything outside art. We would then
have no reason to suppose, as almost everyone does nowadays, that art has
anything to offer spirituality (see also Kandinsky 1977).
Wuthnow (2003, 83-133) devotes an entire chapter of All
in Sync to “art and the practice of
spiritual disciplines.” He further notes that those with artistic interests are
more likely to pray. In a later chapter, Wuthnow (2003, 183-212)
discusses how the role of imagination in human lives leads to some affinity
between religion and the arts and that in the United States, “65 percent of the
public agree that churches should do more to encourage their members’
creativity and imagination” (see also Wuthnow 2001). Begbie (2003, 1, 6)
explains that art is often “relegated to the realm of decoration,
entertainment, or self-expression,” but has the potential to bring theology to
the average person.
[56] This renewed understanding of the necessity of involvement in the arts
for successful cultural engagement may have prompted the offering of classes on
art at Tyndale College and Redeemer College. Certainly, all the artists I
talked to spoke easily about how art and spirituality were connected.
Furthermore, the nature of their vocation led many of them to think about the
religion/art relationship and about theological aesthetics. For example, Bruno
Capolongo explains:
There is biblical precedent for [valuing the arts]; God’s
creation exemplifies his value for creativity and beauty; the church better
knows and experiences God and what it means to live life more fully in doing
so; the incarnation itself demonstrates the importance of the visible.
[57] Changing demographics, cultural change and a renewed interest in and
articulation of the religion / art relationship, made possible by demographic
and cultural change, have all contributed to an increased interest in the
visual arts in the conservative Christian community in Canada.
Conclusions
[58] There are many examples in the history of Christianity, and more
recently in the history of conservative Protestant Christianity, of suspicion
or rejection of visual art. I found little evidence that the conservative
Protestant church fully embraces contemporary visual art in all its myriad
forms. However, there was significant evidence that the Canadian conservative
Christian church is becoming receptive to the role of visual art in areas such
as welcoming artists, holding art shows and putting art classes into
curriculum. In some cases the use of art for didactic purposes moves beyond
simply illustrating a textual message. Artists who are Christians are sometimes
successful in the Canadian art environment. Articles in conservative Christian
publications provide some evidence of general interest in these changes. Most
of the artists I talked to mentioned at least a group of individuals in their
church who were supportive of their vocation as visual artists even while
noting that churches have a long way to go before artists will feel fully
accepted within their walls.
[59] Fruitful studies in this area will examine if my small selection of
artists is representative of the opinions and experiences of Christian artists
across the country. It would also be productive to specifically ask
conservative Christian churches and organizations about their response to
visual art. Finally, a more detailed study of the visual art / conservative
Christianity relationship over time would leave us better able to evaluate how
this relationship is changing. It is likely that changing demographics and
cultural shifts towards the postmodern and the aesthetic will increase
conservative Christian interaction with the visual arts in the future.
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Appendix A – Websites referred to
in or relevant to the text:
Artist Websites (for artists mentioned in the text)
Bruno
Capolongo http://www.brunocapolongo.com
Amy
Dryer http://www.fragmentsofsoul.com
Gerald
Folkerts http://www.geraldfolkerts.com
Maria Gabankova http://www.paintinggallery.net/
Erica Grimm Vance http://www.egrimmvance.com/
Phil
Irish http://www.philirish.com
Dan
Steeves http://www.dansteeves.com/
Churches
Anglican Church
of Canada Welcome Page http://www.anglican.ca/about/welcome.htm
Community
Fellowship http://www.communityfellowship.org/about/staffcontacts.asp
Fellowship of
Evangelical Baptists http://www.fellowship.ca/
Pentecostal
Assemblies of Canada http://www.paoc.org/
United Church of
Canada Worship Page http://www.united-church.ca/worship/
Waterloo
Mennonite Brethren http://www.waterloomb.org/wmb/staff/
Organizations
Christians in the
Visual Arts http://www.civa.org
Image: A
Journal of the Arts and Religion http://www.imagejournal.org/
Imago http://www.imago-arts.on.ca/
Theology through
the Arts project in Cambridge, England http://www.theolarts.org/
Vancouver Arts Network http://www.manifestarts.com
Schools
Institute for
Christian Studies in Toronto, ON http://www.icscanada.edu/
Redeemer
University College in Ancaster, ON http://www.redeemer.ca, http://zpravy.org/Maria/vystavy/2004Ancaster/Ancaster2.html
Regent College in
Vancouver, BC http://www.regent-college.edu/events/gallery/
Trinity Western
University in Langley, BC http://www.twu.ca/,
Tyndale College
in Toronto, ON http://www.tyndale.ca
Canadian Conservative Christian Publications
Christian Current http://www.christiancurrent.com/
Christian Week http://www.christianweek.org/
Faith Today http://www.faithtoday.ca/
Appendix B – Interview Questions
Dear <<Primary Name>>,
Thank you for agreeing to take the time to fill it this
survey on the relationship between the visual arts and the conservative
Protestant church. Each completed survey will increase the usefulness of this
study’s findings.
If you have any questions or comments about the survey
please do not hesitate to contact me at (###) ###-#### or at <mailto: mchapman@chass.utoronto.ca>.
It would be very helpful to me if you could return the
survey by April 15, 2005.
Thank you again for your time,
Mark Chapman
University of Toronto
Survey:
Your church’s interaction with the visual arts:
1a. What role, if any, do the visual arts (painting,
photography, film, sculpture, etc.) play in your church?
1b. Are particular arts or particular styles of visual art
more acceptable in your church than others? Which ones? Why?
Your opinion about the relationship between religion
and the visual arts:
2a. In your experience, is there an increased receptivity
to the visual arts in the Canadian conservative church?
2b. If so what do you think accounts for this change?
3. How and why should the visual arts be valued in the
church?
4. Please list any organizations you interact with that
have an interest in religion and the arts and where they are located
The relationship with the larger artistic community:
5. What, if any, is the relationship between visual art in
the church and visual art in the larger artistic community?
6. Are you aware of art created within the context or with
the support of your church that has been displayed in secular galleries?
7. Please list any secular arts organizations (e.g.,
granting organizations, galleries, groups of artists) that your church
interacts with and where they are located
Please describe yourself and the church you work with
or participate in:
8. Denomination:
9. Address:
10. Website:
11. Average Sunday Attendance:
12. Your Position or Relationship with the church:
Request for Background Information:
13. I would be grateful for any additional background
information about yourself you can provide (e.g., Resume, web links or
photographs of your work).
Thank you again for your input into this study.
Notes
[1] These conflicts became more visible
because “they were more closely articulated, through ties and tactics, to
national social movements associated with conservative Christianity” (DiMaggio
et al. 2001:29).
[2] The objectives of this paper are
exploratory in preparation for a subsequent more theoretical paper.
[3] United and Anglican churches are not
predominantly conservative Christian. However, the artists I surveyed were all
involved with a conservative Christian organization of some kind and were asked
specifically about the arts in conservative Christian churches.
[4] Religious liberals and conservatives
are distinguished in several different ways. One of the main differences is in
their approach to the biblical text. Conservatives have a more literal approach
to the text whereas liberals are more likely to understand the text as
culturally conditioned.
[5] I found these artists through Imago
and thus they self-identified as Christian artists by their association with
Imago, a national arts organization which promotes Christians in the arts.
[6] See for example, the many conflicts
between American conservative Christianity and their government over funding
for the arts (Hunter 1991, 225ff).
[7] Quotations have not been corrected for
grammar. However, I have corrected spelling and typing mistakes and I have
expanded abbreviations.
[8] Artists were chosen for this study
without any prior knowledge of the content of their artwork.
[9] To draw attention to this nudity is
not to suggest that this is what is significant about this series. Rather it is
to note that the human body has played a significant role in the development of
visual art and continues to play a significant role, for example, as an object
of art and as a reflection of human experience and emotion. I also draw
attention to this because the nude human body is one of the areas that
conservative Christianity struggles with in regards to visual art even when it
can affirm the artists and the themes of the artwork itself.
[10] Other possible influences not
addressed in this paper include the pervasive presence of images in
contemporary culture and media and a globalized world which allows the
transmission of different approaches to religion over long distances.
[11] Nonetheless, a correlation does not
necessarily mean influence. See Boulton’s (2005) concerns in his review of All
in Sync.
[12] Postmodernity can be described in
many different ways (Lyotard 1984; Gellner 1992; Taylor 1992; Grenz 1996; Lyon
1999). For reasons of simplicity I am following Lyon (1996, 26) who argues that
the postmodern turn of culture “indicates
a willingness to reappraise modernity radically, analytically and ethically.”
Some characteristics of this approach include a suspicion of the supremacy of
reason, the emphasis on community over instrumentality and a renewed interest
in the aesthetic (as opposed to the purely functional or useful). For a
discussion of religion and postmodernity see Robertson 1991; Gellner 1992;
Middleton and Walsh 1995; Grenz 1996; Lyon 1996, 2000 and Smith 2006.
