How much money would it take for us to rethink our Christian values?
The recent news on the cyber lips of the world has been about an extravagant wedding and subsequent divorce after 72 days of marriage.
According to entertainment writers, the families have grossed more than $10 million dollars from granting publicized access to the dating, the wedding, the clothing and now the break up. There is money to be made by putting oneself out there. It’s no wonder we crave the “15 minutes of fame”. The question that one must ask is: what are you willing to pay for your shot at “15 minutes of fame?
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:25-27
This not-so-happy couple is famous and well paid. Who knows, they may have the emotional and relational scars to prove it. The only way to imagine two people coming out of such a public pressure cooker unscathed is to entertain the possibility that the relationship was nothing more than a story line for a reality TV show.
Some time ago a gentleman asked me if I would hold to my Christian convictions if the lives of my daughters were threatened. Thankfully, it was a rhetorical question. After reading about this high profile marital flop, I would ask a question. How much money and or professional success would it take for us to rethink our Christian values? Of course the easy answer that some might give is, “NO AMOUNT OF MONEY!” I wonder what we would find if we were to shadow each other on gigs and appointments for the next month. Would our black and white lines of ethics and professionalism be grayed by the hint of commercial success? NO AMOUNT OF MONEY, really?
Is there a tension between offering your gifts to God and being commercially viable in the market? If your lines are gray then the answer is, yes! It’s tough to be in the industry and equally tough to be in arts ministry if it is your vocation. No one wants to starve and Jesus never said that following him was synonymous with a vow of poverty. However, all of life for the believer and dare I say the “Redeemed Artist” is an offering to God and as a result - a walk of faith. We move forward
There are issues to be considered for the “Redeemed Artist”. Commercial viability vs. offering is only one from a long list. It is important to have a way to work through issues because they will present themselves. When thought through and prayed through, issues present themselves as values. When not thought through and prayed through, the issues present themselves as barriers to effectiveness. The most significant issue in my opinion is that of personal affirmation.
As an Artist, applause is important. Knowing that others appreciate my work is affirming and an important part of the creative process. There is a cycle to creating and appreciating. The artist puts his work on display, it is perceived and appreciated by the audience and the artist is encouraged, affirmed and inspired to create more. As normal and uneventful as this cycle may appear to the naked eye, there is a twist to it for the Redeemed Artist. First, the Redeemed Artist creates for an audience of “One”. Herein is the sacred, creative ambition: to please the audience of “One”. Unlike normal audiences, I believe that God is tone deaf and color blind. These inferences of perceptibility are anthropomorphic at best and simply help us understand a being that is incomprehensible. Therefore, the specific medium of art is overlooked, in my opinion, by the supreme audience. However, what God does hear, feel, perceive and observe (if you will) is the source of the art, namely the human heart. What’s inside absolutely comes out. The genesis of art is the human heart. It is in this spiritual domain that the great audience of ‘One” communicates acceptance to the artist and where deep affirmation is known by the artist. As one writer says is, “…The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God…” Romans 8:16. The cycle is now complete and the artist is inspired to create again.
Such a level of connection may lead the reader to believe it is almost too good to be true. For some, it could even be a “utopic” imagination. But when it happens, it really happens. All attempts at depiction are silenced by the voice of reality. The experience of knowing God and being known are indescribable yet tangible. So let me ask my question again. How much money would it take for us to rethink our Christian values? To put it another way, how many zeros would it take for you to step away from engaging in the real artistic cycle of creation and appreciation as previously described? From where we sit right now, the 15 minutes of “foolishness” is lame.
Copyright © 2011 The Mission Minded Artist
