Our Greatest Work of Art

If you haven’t read theologian Francis Schaeffer’s Art and the Bible, a small pamphlet comprised of two essays, I recommend that you do so as soon as you can. The first essay discusses art in the Bible, and the second outlines a Christian perspective on art in general. It’s an important work, especially for those interested in Christians in the arts.

I think it’s time to reread it myself.

Here’s a little taste:

All of us are engaged daily with works of art, even if we are neither professional nor amateur artists. We read books, we listen to music, we look at posters, we admire flower arrangements. Art, as I am using the word, does not include just “high art,” that is, painting, sculpture, poetry, classical music, but also the more popular expressions—the novel, the theater, the cinema, popular music, and rock. In fact, there is a very real sense in which the Christian life itself should be our greatest work of art. Even for the great artists, the most crucial work of art is his life. (“Some Perspectives on Art”, p. 33).

Coming soon: Q&As with a culture expert, poet, composer, musician, dancer, and more