My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: "O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!"

19 January 2006

Christ & Art

We had a great conference for the college-aged last weekend. Pastor Selvaggio, from College Hill RPC in Beaver Falls, PA, expounded the Song of Solomon to a very interested group.

For my small part, I did a workshop on Christ being king of the arts. I'm planning on posting some of the pieces of the handout. Sorry if this is reptitious for those of you who were there.

First, some thoughts on Christ's Kingship and its implications:

References:

Christ as King: Ps. 2, 45, 110; Isa. 33:22; 55:4; Mic. 5:2; Luke 1:31-33; Jn. 1:49; 18:33-37; Phil. 2:9,10; 1 Tim. 1:17

Christ as King over all: Ps. 8:6-8; Mt. 11:27: 28:18; Acts 10:36; Eph. 1:22; 1 Cor. 15:27; Heb. 2:6-8; 1 Pet. 3:22

What is the goal of Christ’s kingship? Rom. 8:20-22; Eph. 1:22; Phil. 2:9,10; Rev. 21:5

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A belief in and understanding of the Kingship of Jesus Christ over (1) you and (2) everything else is part of the right beginning. The other half to a proper start is a commitment to Jesus as Savior as well as King. A passion for Jesus as your Savior and your King is the warp and woof of a Christian involvement in the arts. If we begin with art and then attempt to tack on a Christian theme or even a Christian subculture, we will fail (and have). But if we begin with a passion for Christ as Savior and King, an insatiable desire for holiness and beauty and honesty, then we have a sure foundation.

Then...

We can abandon nothing but that which is sinful. All else will be redeemed by Christ – and the church is His preferred method of redemption. So, when there are problems and difficulties (as there are in the arts), we must commit to redemption rather than abandonment.
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I ought to say that the above references were culled from William Symington's Messiah the Prince, which is worth its weight in gold. Really good gold.

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