Making fun of modern Christian art and storytelling has become such a common practice that it is almost cliché. Weak writing, one-dimensional characters, unrealistic representations of unbelievers, radically simplistic portrayals of the complexities of faith, life, and discipleship—the list of charges brought against Christian music, movies, and literature is vast. Unfortunately, many of these charges stick. Not always. Not across the board. But too often. Far too often.
Good in Art or No Good At All
While many times the intent of the artists behind these bad works is good, the actually art is objectively bad. Often, with the good desire to spread the Christian message or share about the positive virtues of faithfulness, this then becomes the only thing that matters. As long as the principles that are taught are good, the story must be good, no matter the means, or so the logic goes.
Dorothy Sayers recognized this problem when she wrote, “My object was to tell that story to the best of my ability, within the medium at my disposal—in short, to make as good a work of art as I could. For a work of art that is not good and true in art is not true and good in any other respect.”1
This idea is too quickly bypassed for the supposed sake of the mission. Form, substance, quality, craft, all cast idea for the sake of the cause. Ironically, of course, without these qualities filling and flowing from the artist’s work, the ability to produce the desired result suffers with every shortcut taken. The child’s crayon drawing scribbles may come from a good heart, but set beside the care and skill of Rembrandt’s strokes, there is no real comparison.
The Curse of Sentimentalism
This failure to submit the artist’s work to the fine principles of art itself leads to the most pervasive problem with contemporary Christian art, which is its sentimentalism. Karin Swallow-Prior defines and describes the problem like this:
What tends to make evangelical Christian art bad is its sentimentalism… Sentimentality isn’t itself necessarily bad. But sentimentalism is an emotional response in excess of what the situation demands; it’s an indulgence in emotion for its own sake. It is emotion that is unearned… But emotionalism can also be evoked by external manipulation. This is what sentimental art does: it attempts artificially to create feelings that exceed what the situation warrants.2
Artificial. Unearned. Manipulated. Excess. These descriptions strike at the heart of so many of the intuitive issues that many viewers and listeners have when listening to the latest bubbly tune on Spotify or as they cringe at the climactic lines of the “hero” in the trendy faith film. Just because it is popular, does not mean that it is good.
The problem of sentimentalism is directly linked to the failure to pursue the artistic endeavor in a pure fashion. That is, to seek to be a proper artist, rather than to just use art to achieve your own purpose or ends. For the Christian, this does not at all mean one must cast aside their faith or obedience to Christ in the name of art. May it never be!
The Field and the Faith
However, it does mean seeking to follow and learn the principles and practices of good art.
As Paul Gould writes,
Those pursuing artistic endeavors should strive for technical excellence. This may require years of honing one’s craft. It is not enough to catch a vision for ‘Christian art’ and settle for poor quality or shabby work accompanied by a request for God’s blessing. Being a Christian and an artist means respecting both the form of art and the content of Christianity.3
Think of it like this. A Christian math teacher wants to write a math book that serves the purposes of God’s kingdom. Eagerly they write a textbook that begins and ends each chapter with a Bible verse. The word problems always have Christian themes, and some silly but fun Old Testament references about oxen and sheep and other animals. Importantly, the end of the book has a call to faith for those who might not believe. A true masterpiece. The only problem is that the book is full of technical errors. The formulas are wrong, the answer key is a mess, and the teaching method is absurd. No matter, this book is advancing the kingdom, so surely any critics are simply serving the darkness rather than the light.
This is obviously ridiculous. Such a math book would be objectively bad. No matter how much Christianity was shoved into it, the math teacher’s failure to adhere to the technical aspect of math resulted in a failed project. In a similar vein, Christian artists who do not properly respect and adhere to the principles of their field fail in the same way.
Sentimentalism isn’t Neutral
This brings us back to the problem of sentimentalism as it is important to recognize that it does not just keep art from being its best, but truly causes problems. At its core, sentimentalism is a failure to be true and honest about life. For some, they may think this is an odd requirement for stories that are fiction. Yet, such a view fails to understand and appreciate the way in which truth functions within fiction. Even when cast in a fantasy setting with made-up characters, in a substantial way, truth must still reign. As Swallow-Prior states, “There’s fact. There’s fiction. Then there’s truth, which transcends both.”4
The lack of truth in sentimentalism casts a false vision of reality even through the medium of fiction. It damages and distorts the truth. It misrepresents people, life, and faith. Quite simply, it is not only not true, but it is not good. Terry Glaspey describes the “propaganda” like nature of this type of art:
To really make a lasting difference in our lives, art needs to be honest about what life is really like. Too much of our ‘fast food’ Christian art, music, and literature suffers from excessive and false cheeriness or from taking a position of triumphalism. In the attempt to be positive and inspiring, it can seem to imply that having faith makes life easier and guarantees more happiness and success. Or that there’s a simple solution to all our problems.5
Not only does this art fail to achieve what it sets out to do (grow faith in believers and encourage faith in unbelievers), it actually creates barriers to genuine faith. For the believer, if they let the art work on them, they will be left wondering why their experience does not match this portrayed reality of the Christian life. They must be too sinful. They must be too far gone. They must be too stuck in their sin. The problem—if not the art—must be themselves.
It is not much better for the unbeliever. Surely, a faith that must portray them so inaccurately and unflatteringly must not be the truth. Of course, such a superficial expression of life confirms that these believers are just wearing rose-tinted glasses. Rather than persuade toward faith, bad art can dissuade.
Again Glaspey writes that:
However well-meaning or sincere, such work [i.e., Christian pop-art] is little more than propaganda for the gospel, and because it often fails to be honest about our human condition, it rarely convinces anyone of anything. Such art might prove comforting in that it confirms what someone already believes, but it doesn’t stretch them to ponder the deeper implications of that belief.6
At best, this sentimental art merely lets those fully convinced of their perspective rest just as self-assured as they began. Because this type of art “traffics in familiar tropes and stock characters,” Swallow-Prior writes, “sentimentality reinforces rather than refines beliefs. It softens edges rather than clarifies. It serves to comfort rather than correct.”7 And, importantly, the comfort it does offer is the shallow and thin kind, not the rich and powerful comfort found in the deep truths of the gospel and God.
The Misuse of Power
There is no doubt a mighty power in art. Plato famously argued that the character of a civilization could be shaped by the nature of its music. Of course, art is not only, or even substantially, the use of power or influence. However, there is no denying its effects. Art shapes, awakens, calls, enlightens, encourages, strengthens, and edifies. Or, more accurately, good art has those effects. And, of course, bad art has its effects as well.
In his song Lofty, artist Propaganda reflects on both the beauty of the gospel and the awe inspiring nature of God:
But worth, value, and beauty is not determined by some innate quality
But by the length for which the owner would go to possess them
And broken and ugly things just like us are stamped “Excellent”
The only accurate response is awe
So we make lofty art
See the presence of good art will unconsciously refine a community
And poor art will do an incalculable harm
Awe is both inspired by and leads to much art. It is odd, very odd, that those called by God, the author of all things good, true, and beautiful have become known as producers of what is bad, false, and ugly. This should not be so.
Could it be that we have not been shaped enough by our own story? Has the awe of God not filled our hearts? Have the stunning realities of the gospel only been left to wander on the surface of our minds and imaginations? How else could we be so satisfied with the superficial and sentimental?
The tides need to change. A new wind needs to blow. The roots are deep and set. The great story is already told. We have the freedom, the hope, the joy, the sorrow, the Hero, the saints of old, we have the great book, we have the Spirit, we have each other, we have the whole of it.
So, maybe we just need to slow down and be shaped by it all. And then, and only then, we paint, and sing, and draw, and write. Then, we craft with care and love and joy and patience. Then we make art, in all its forms and with all its mediums, to and for the glory of God. Oh, what the Church is capable of creating!
Notes
- Quoted in: C.S. Lewis, On Stories: And Other Essays On Literature (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2017), 144
- Karin Swallow-Prior, The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2023), 125-26
- Paul Gould, Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019), 115
- Swallow-Prior, The Evangelical Imagination, 80
- Terry Glaspey, Discovering God Through the Arts: How We Can Grow Closer to God by Appreciating Beauty and Creativity (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2021), 146
- Ibid. 23
- Swallow-Prior, The Evangelical Imagination, 143
Further Reading
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