Some time ago I wrote a piece called Misplaced Boundaries? in which I wrestled with questions regarding how many Christians set their “boundaries” for their media intake. It seems that many Christians place an all-out ban on any music that is not “explicitly Christian” while using discernment and Scriptural wisdom to set boundaries elsewhere, with movies, television and other popular culture. Despite Tim’s insinuation, I was not arguing that we must take in more “secular” in order to better relate to the world around us (which brings up the question regarding the validity of the “sacred vs. secular” distinction that many have adopted in the first place). Rather, I was pushing for a more consistent application of the discernment that we elsewhere use everyday; a total ban may not be the answer for everyone, but discernment is.

Much of the thought behind that post was the result of reading William Romanowski’s Eyes Wide Open: Looking For God in Popular Culture. Romanowski advances a fundamental concept that many Christians are simply not comfortable with: there can be a healthy involvement with and intake of modern popular culture that does not require a steady diet of Touched By An Angel. No, it is not easy, yes, it requires constant vigilance and discernment. In the pursuit of a comprehensive view of the Gospel over all of life, it seems that at some point, we must all wrestle with the questions of media, art and culture as they relate to the Gospel.

Though Romanowski’s book is “filled to the brim” with conversation pieces, I want to briefly touch upon two areas where he feels that many Christians have misplaced their boundaries (notice how I pushed the following position onto him? Did you like that?). Lord willing, we will cover one aspect today and another tomorrow.

I’ve already alluded to this, but many Christians limit their media intake (at least the music they listen to) to only ‘explicitly’ Christian material; it must contain an overt Gospel message. It must name God (either as Jesus or God, Lord, Spirit, or some other direct address), it must explicitly present the Gospel (despite the fact that it’s marketed to people who already claim to have accepted it, which presents a great inconsistency) or it must voice some direct praise. The assumption is (and I know because its one that up until recently I too held) that if someone is a Christian, then at some point during the course of an album, it must be explicitly stated. What’s interesting about this approach is that, if taken to the extreme, the book of Esther may not have made it into Scripture! After all, God is not mentioned once in the entire book, but we certainly don’t question that it is about God. How inconsistent we’ve become to require things of our modern music that Scripture does not require of itself.

Rarely is there a question regarding artistic excellence, because it’s the message that counts, not the medium. The result is that, as Romanowski notes, “some Christians want to make faith the issue by making popular art into religious propaganda.” Sadly, this is exactly what much Christian music is (I will limit this discussion to music, though most of the comments apply to art in general). It is marketed to people who already claim to be Christians and it simply reassures them of their claim. It is, for all practical purposes simply propaganda. Much Christian music simply mimics what was popular in the mainstream market a few months ago simply replacing the content rather than actually pushing the bounds of creativity for themselves. Much of what is sold in the Christian market is not about artistic expression at all, but simply about pushing an image; an image that is all too often doctrinally questionable at best.

As we’ve discussed, content actually has very little to do with what’s sold in “Christian” bookstores, and much “Christian” popular art is actually subpar compared to the artistic quality of most “secular” popular art. Would anyone really say that The Omega Code is quality film or that the Left Behind series is good literature? Both would fall squarely into the propaganda section. Many Christian artists focus on the message to the point that the medium suffers, but it doesn’t matter because they have a guaranteed market with no need to differentiate themselves “from the pack” because they’re simply imitating as it is.

But even deeper, Romanowski points out that “Believing that the only reason to create popular art is for evangelism, Christians portray religion as a narrow aspect of life, instead of as a life orientation”. I would add worship to Romanowski’s stated criteria of evangelism. Most Christian music portrays an extremely narrow view of life and as such, is not even true to the Gospel which has influence over all of life, from worship to romance to suffering and everything in between. We connect with art because it speaks to our lives, and for many, “Christian” music has little to say, while many Christians are trying to limit it even more.

So, the question remains; must music (or art in general) produced by Christians automatically include an explicit reference to God, the Gospel or worship? I’m beginning to think not. There are, of course, natural boundaries, a Christian artist should not produce music riddled with expletives or gratuitous sex and violence. Certain things are by nature off-limits and rightly so. I would also say that the art in question must put forward a Christian worldview, even if in implicit terms as does the book of Esther. It must align itself with the thoughts and patterns of Scripture, be guided by it and continually point back to it.

Think about the role of music in many of our lives. We turn to music that we are able to identify with. Many have experienced loss of some kind and found solace in music. Many have struggled with hard issues and found comfort in the words of a song that deals with that particular issue. Much, if not most of this is entirely missing in Christian music because of the unnecessary limitations that we place upon the artists. Romanowski clarifies: “Christian artists should not just be singing that Jesus is a light unto our paths; they also need to create popular artwork that show how God’s Word is a light and direction for our journey in life”. The Gospel must influence all of the lyrics, but it is not necessary that it explicitly appear in all of the lyrics; in fact, arguing otherwise might actually hinder the creativity.

If it’s true that the Gospel is for all of life, then shouldn’t our art reflect that? I’m looking forward to your feedback, because this is certainly an issue that I wrestle with and one where Romanowski puts forward some interesting ideas.

Read Eyes Wide Open: Looking For God in Popular Culture by William Romanowski.
Read excerpts from a PBS interview with Romanowski.
Read Creation Regained: Biblical Basics For A Reformational Worldview by Albert Wolters.

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