By Dean Baldwin
I’ve been thinking a lot about art lately. There are so many things that come to mind when we use the term. Some think exclusively of the fine arts: literature, music, drawing/painting. Everyone has a set of ideas that come to mind when we use the word “art.” In the 20th century, art took a drastic turn. The National Endowment for the Arts has funded some extremely controversial pieces of “art” such as the “Piss Christ” and others. Perhaps for the first time in human history artists have displayed grotesque images such Mary Cate Carroll’s American Liberty Upside Down in which an actual human fetus is displayed in formaldehyde.
I was listening to Dr. Peter Kreeft today, and he said something that I found quite profound. He likens human life and free human choice to works of art. Each of us is a work of art in the making. Every choice we make is part of a process transforming us into heavenly creatures, or into hellish creatures. Every human being has the potential to be an incredible work of art. Every human also has the potential to be a foul and disturbing work of art. Not only that, but we either aid our fellow humans in what they become, or we hamper them. Every time we interact with another of God’s creations we either aid in transforming them into heavenly creations, or into hellish ones.
What a great responsibility we have! How much more so those who profess to follow the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
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Very good, Dean.
I like this concept of art because it recognizes that art is not just the result of some lifeless creative impulse of the artist. It is a choice rooted in the volition of a human being. And choices have consequences. When human beings are considered works of art and we are considered artists, then every choice we make is either moving people toward redemption or away from it.