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| Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Book > SCRIBBLING IN THE SAND: Christ and Creativity by Michael Card Publisher : InterVarsity Press 2002 (168 pages)Reviewer : Aaron Lee  We hunger for beauty because it is a beautiful God whom we serve. Michael Card Through the ages the church has found many creative ways of expressing its love for our Creator God. Musicians, dramatists, singers, writers and even dancers and puppeteers play a useful role in helping the body of Christ worship Him through His many gifts of artistry and creativity. Psalm 144:9 says, "I will sing a new song to You, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to You." Even today, the Psalmist's example is joyfully and faithfully followed wherever Christians gather in worship. Michael Card's book is significant because every serious Christian artist will, at some point, struggle with questions relating to the intersection of art and faith. This dilemma is mainly due to the world's emphasis on an "artist-centered" approach to the arts. The artist himself is seen as the fountain of creativity, and his work is seen as no more than an expression of his artistic "inspiration". This viewpoint assumes that Art is first and foremost about the artist. In this challenging and insightful book, songwriter / theologian Michael Card challenges the selfish ambition in the artist-centred philosophy of our day, and shares the scriptural foundations of true Christian creativity. Beginning with the idea that human creativity should be a response to God's perfection and beauty, Card goes on to argue that a God-centered approach to the arts is the fulfillment of His creative call through worship and community. With Jesus Christ as his model, Card shares his insights into God's creative imagination and how this awareness should lead every Christian artist into a life of humility, obedience and servanthood. He invites us to see our creative acts as vital expressions of our discipleship. By focusing on Christ and creativity, Card directs our attention to the source and objective of our artist efforts to capture not only the hearts and minds of our audience, but also "the heart of the mind, which is the imagination" and which is the vehicle for communicating great truths about our heavenly Father. Card's book is not intended to be a self-help manual on how to become a successful Christian artist. Rather, it takes readers on a journey into the heart of creativity and challenges us to become more like our Creator in all our endeavours, especially our artistic ones. The book closes with an excellent chapter containing letters from various Christian artists and theologians, each contributing their own thoughts and advice on Art as Worship. For example, musician Harold Best reminds us that "only God can imagine and make something out of nothing...He is the only one who deserves the title of Creator. We are merely creative." Painter Makoto Fujimura urges us that "an artist's true work is to enjoy God... art helps to prepare the way for the Word of God to be proclaimed." In this age of post-modern confusion and artistic narcissism, this book is a textbook companion in the life of every writer, musician and artist in the church who has been looking for clear guidance on the nature of creativity, artistic freedom and responsibility.
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