The tenuous relationship between art (in all its forms) and Christianity has always fascinated me. Especially American Evangelical Christianity. I’m someone who is a believer in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and have attempted my entire adult life as a Christian to reconcile my love of art (as a writer & storyteller) and faith. It has been a lonely road. Nevertheless, I’ve delved into books such as Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer, Art + Faith by Makoto Fujimara, Imagine by Steve Turner, and Scribbling in the Sand by Michael Card to bridge the perceived gap between art and contemporary American Christianity.

I recently came across Art for God’s Sake by Philip Graham Ryken and read it to see if it adds to the ongoing discussion I mentioned in the previous paragraph. It does. Ryken sets up his premise on four principles: (1) The artist’s call and gift come from God; (2) God loves all kinds of art; (3) God maintains high standards for goodness, truth, and beauty; (4) Art is for the glory of God.

The rest of the book expounds on those principles and Ryken does a good job of making his case of the importance of art to God. Exodus 31 provides a biblical context for the author’s premise and is a place that Christian Artists can turn to know that God appreciates and loves art in its proper place to Him.

Art for God’s Sake adds nothing new to the discussion of the relationship between art and modern American Christianity. However, it provides a primer for Christian Artists who are struggling with reconciling their art with their faith. It is a must read to get a basic framework on how they should navigate this very narrow road.

I will end my review with this passage: “The artist glorifies God by making good art, whether it contains an explicit gospel message. This does not mean that all our art has to be evangelistic in the sense that it explicitly invites people to believe in Christ.”

Amen. Ryken nails home an important truth for all Christian artists. I have written and published four novels, (a fifth one is coming next year) and anyone who has read them can clearly see that I have an American Christian worldview. I grew up with that worldview and have embraced it as an adult. But (and it’s a big one), I’m not trying to proselytize or evangelize with my stories. I’m trying to tell stories with characters that have faith in their lives and how they interact with other characters who don’t have the same faith or none. To me, that is where the interesting stories lie and I want to explore that through fiction. Unfortunately, a lot of Christian art (in all its forms) still leads with evangelism first instead of art. Art’s purpose is not to be a tool for evangelism, but to provide a mirror into human life in all its facets.

Christian Artists do not need to be burdened with evangelism. However, their art should reflect their beliefs and show how one can navigate the gray areas of life through story, song, or visual art. God does not remove the gray areas of life for his believers and as long as we lean on him, he will guide us through them. And art can be a tool to help us do it.

I will recommend Art for God’s Sake as a starting point for Christian Artists and other Christians who want to understand art’s role in God’s Kingdom. My hope is a book like this one will bridge the divide that still exists between art and faith.