FREE ESSAY ON IS ALL ART APPROPRIATE?

IS ALL ART APPROPRIATE?

Is All Art Appropriate?
Should a Christian refrain from viewing, listening, or reading a piece of art because it
is vulgar or offensive . . . no. If I had to pull one aspect out of the Christian faith
that is the biggest thorn in my side it would be this very notion, the notion that
Christians should abstain from anything that is even remotely distasteful. I believe that
the idea of refraining from art that is possibly offensive makes one sheltered, and being
sheltered breeds ignorance which in turn makes the Christian a less useful tool for the
Lord to use. We are called to be a light in the darkness. How can we possibly be a light
in the darkness if we are not aware of this darkness or unable to understand this
darkness?
Refraining from certain offensive pieces of art not only cripples us as tool for God it
also stunts who one is as a person. Most movies or books that are what some might call
distasteful are fashioned this way so that the point the creator wants to hammer home is
all the more real. A good example of this is Schindler's List, a movie on the holocaust
of World War II. This movie is rampant with violence, nudity, and language, yet each of
these aspects is needed to portray the horror of what happened. We can learn something
from every single piece of art ever made. Whether it is understanding how an evil works
or understanding how one can be a better person, we become less ignorant and a more
complete person.
Scripture instructs not to be ignorant as the Pharisees. Ephesians 4 talks in great
detail about this. One particular passage that truly spoke out was Ephesians 4:18, "They
are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them." The Pharisees were an ignorant and pompous group of leaders
that were not aware of the present situation of the people. For this reason they
constantly tore down the Jews instead of understanding their situation and helping them.
As Christians to effectively minister to those lost in the darkness we must not be
ignorant as the Pharisees but instead we need to understand their situations so that we
can help them. 
Equus was a very disturbing book, but this was the author's intention so that his points
would be striking and powerful. I did not particularly enjoy reading the play, but as I
finished the book I was convinced my ideas that a Christian should indeed be exposed to
all art not just that which some might call "appropriate" was indeed correct. Equus
exposed and educated me on matters that will allow me to better understand others'
problems as well as make me a more complete person.
In particular I learned about the darkness that I am commanded to be a light in. One
aspect of darkness that I was exposed to was immoral sexuality. Alan having sex with
horses, Alan almost having sex with the Jill, and the Frank's pornography problems.
Another aspect that I learned about was idolatry. I saw the terrible results of idolizing
something. I also found the line where one should deem an object "off limits". This line
can be drawn when a "cultural artifact" becomes an object which causes ones mind to
wander to immoral thoughts. This can be seen when the boy began to think sick thoughts
about the horses.
While I condone exposure to all art I am aware of the fact that some vulgar issues may
pose as stumbling blocks to Christians. I think that discernment comes into play two fold
here. If a Christian knows he has an issue with something he should avoid exposure to it.
For example I would not recommend bringing the Frank to a movie that involved a lot of
nudity. The second half of discernment is what we take away from what we have been
exposed to. For example, in our reading of Equus we should not come away with a desire
for sex or idolatry, but instead we should take away an understanding of the problem and
the negative effects they can have.
I think that Equus was an appropriate book for the class to read. It allowed some of the
more sheltered students here at Gordon College to realize that they should learn about
the darkness that we should be witnessing too so that they can be an effective tool for
God to use in the real world and not just in a sheltered atmosphere. Equus also had
several good points that many students could learn from such as warnings about sexual
immorality, idolatry, and stale marriages.