Creativity and Spiritual Warfare
Did you know that your creativity is a gift from God? For that matter, did you know that through the empowerment of His Holy Spirit, your creativity can become an active part of spiritual warfare? God wants to transform this world, and He wants to use people like you and me to do it! In this blog, you'll discover the spiritual principles behind creativity and artistry. So sit back, and get ready to design like the spiritual warrior God created you to be!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Media and World Transformation
Once upon a time, Christians had a lot of success handing out pamphlets that explained the Gospel message. Today that success has waned; but I'm convinced that it's because God has new ways to impact our rapidly changing culture! In today's blog post--the first of many--I'll show you how God can use various media in supernatural ways through Christians like you and me.
Many cultural analysts these days agree that we're in a "postmodern" era. Few of them agree on how to define that word; but the basic gist is this:
- People tend to value dialogue more than lecture.
- People want relationships more than isolation.
- In the midst of these relationships, people still value individualism.
- This individualism is often expressed in creative and artistic ways.
- Thus, art and creativity are often associated with human individuality.
In light of all this, the most meaningful artwork tends to be the kind that has depth, symbolism, dialogue, and individuality attached to it. In other words, it's not enough to paint a pretty picture. What does it mean? How were you feeling the day you painted it? What is the symbolic value of the picture? Have you caught yet how world transformation can be tied into this?
People are often curious about the life behind the media. They want to know what makes the artist tick. Media, then, can become a launch pad for dialogue; and since dialogue is so treasured by this generation, people will actually listen to what you have to say and engage in conversation. It's through this process that ideas are challenged and convictions are formed. So when the topic becomes Jesus Christ and the active presence of His Holy Spirit, you've now opened the door for personal transformation in the life of someone else! And personal transformation can ultimately lead to world transformation!
Finally, here's the application. If you want your artwork and design to impact this postmodern generation, then you need to remember three things:
- Let your individuality shine through! Don't be generic. Make sure your work has meaning.
- Don't be afraid to use symbolism that doesn't make sense at first glance. Depth of symbolism makes people curious and gets them to ask questions.
- Remember that as a Christian, your identity is in Christ. So when we're talking about "individuality" remember that this word is intimately interwoven into your faith. They're inseparable. Make sure the symbolism you're conveying reveals Christ in you rather than just you.
No matter your medium of choice, now is the time to let the Holy Spirit breath creativity into your soul! Get ready to take your talent to the next level as you incorporate testimony into your design and engage our postmodern generation!
Labels: creativity, evangelism, postmodernism, testimony
