Contents Preface A. Art and Society 1. The present-day art boom 2. The function of art in society B. Art and the individual: how does art affect persons? C. Art and the Church 1. Points of contact between “art and religion” 2. Points of contact between “art and Christian faith” 3. “Art and the church” Art from the Christian point of view – by Beat Rink Translation: Bill Buchanan © Crescendo, 2009 Statement by the Swiss Evangelical Alliance, Arts+ and “HOPE FOR EUROPE” Approved by the Central Committee of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance (SEA-DS) in March, 2009 About the author: Beat Rink has studied at the university of Basel history, linguistics, German literature and theology (MA 1983 / Mth 1992). He is an ordained pastor of the Swiss reformed church. In 1985 he and his wife have founded “Crescendo”, an international ministry of CCCi (www.crescendo.org ), which is active in many countries. He is co-founder of Arts+ www.artsplus.ch , a network of art ministries. Beat Rink is writing poetry and books about art and theology. He is editor of the magazine CRESCENDO (download copies on www.crescendo.org ) 1 PREFACE thinking on a more relevant and Many Christian churches have deeper level, primarily discovered the importance of theologically, on the subject. various forms of art in recent years –going beyond the previous The present statement is conceived use of organ and worship music. as a sketch-like and provisional This is true at least of protestant attempt to illuminate various facets churches, while the Catholic and of the extensive topic “art” (using Orthodox churches have always this term always as applying to all attached a different, in some branches of the arts), constantly cases higher, value to art. bringing in the Christian perspective. The multiplicity of This rediscovery has been individual topics has been welcomed in established and subdivided into three areas: “Art independent protestant churches and society” – “Art and the and, for obvious reasons, not individual”– “Art and the church”. least by artists themselves. At the It is inevitable that many questions same time, church leaders and will not be addressed at all, while members have often expressed other recur repeatedly and lead to the wish to be helped towards a a certain amount of overlapping deeper understanding of the amongst the chapters. “Defining it phenomen “art”. is a work of art in itself”, the Polish aphorist Stanislaw Jerzy Lec writes. Amongst Christian artists, new This quip has something initiatives have grown up in comforting about it, reminding us various countries since the 1980s, in advance the impossibility of mostly in the form of understanding creativity in any interconfessional movements. way other than as a gift originating This was also the case in in God and defying all our attempts Switzerland, which is also where to pin it down intellectually. Arts+ was founded in 2005 as an alliance of Christian cultural initiatives. Discussions conducted in such artists’ movements and networks centre around such topics as the “self-conception (and the daily experience) of Christian culture makers”, “aesthetics and theology”, “ethics and art as a business”– or generally: “The Kingdom of God and culture”, thus also returning Photo: Crescendo frequently to the relationship between “art and the church”. The process reveals a need for 2 A. ART AND SOCIETY 1. The present-day art boom The starting point for our considerations is an observation: art is an increasingly significant factor in our society, as is shown by the growing importance of popular music1, design, fashion and film. Our feeling for life is Reasons for the Boom largely determined by aesthetics – or, putting it another way: as 1. Economic reasons: The more never before, artistic creativity prosperous a society is, the permeates all sectors of our life more intensive the aesthetic and appeals there (not least in feeling for life and the more order to make products sellable) many-sided the culture on offer. to our sense of beauty. This is Art is, moreover, a capital confirmed by the fact that the art investment, and culture offers market is booming – even in opportunities for sponsoring and economically less than rosy times. marketing. Large scale cultural events attract mass audiences, whether in pop 2. Sociological reasons: The concerts, film festivals or museum artist enjoys a status previously nights. The media devote accorded to other professional attention lavishly to the topic “art groups – including the clergy. and culture”. And, finally, culture The booming art scene also has become politically more offers a platform for social important: no party programme contacts. seeking serious attention can afford to side-step culture politics. 3. Ideological reasons: The reasons for this art boom are Postmodern man is sceptical multiple: towards all conventional “ideological concepts” and intellectual contents, and therefore receptive for impulses from a direction which is not ideologically suspicious to him. It is in fact one of the trademarks of art (or of the preconceptions about if) that it 1 One distinguishes “serious” music [German: is considered intrinsically critical E-Musik] and “entertainment” music [German: U-Musik]. This distinction and, above all, the of ideologies. But: even where it strict separation of the two areas is not plays no role in interpreting or unproblematic. One need only reflect how superimposing meaning, it much of today’s “serious” music served as offers its aficionados a place of entertainment at the time of its composition. 3 “beauty, truth and goodness” 2 The way that art, in the process of and thus an “aesthetic home”. secularisation, has lost its The secular art scene can in connection with the church and has such cases assume almost often taken on religious religious traits: in this, it characteristics itself should be seen continues a long tradition with critically, but also self-critically, on roots above all in the Romantic the Christian side. It period. is true that the church has been an 4. Psychological reasons: man important source of work and a is searching for holistic spiritual home for many artists experiences – often as a over the centuries. But, at the compensation for his place of same time, the freedom of artists work, where his personality is has been cut back in the name of reduced to functionality. He narrow dogmatism; artists left the often finds such holistic church, without the church experiences in his free time – showing concern for them and and this also means in art. inviting them to share in a dialogue. The result was a growth The art boom from the in secular circles (and sometimes Christian point of view in liberal churches) of “art religion”, countered only by amateurish art on the church side, The mounting interest in the arts which only aggravated the should basically be welcomed. Art alienation between art and church is for Christians a gift of God with fellowships (see section C). “image” characteristics, a human ability reflecting the divine Counter to its many positive Creator. With its aesthetic form effects, the art boom has brought (aisthesis = (originally) problematic consequences where perception), art speaks to the artistic work (and the artists senses. It is its “beauty”, for themselves) is subjected to the which we have the deepest of forces of the “art market”. These longings and sensitivity, that forces can, e.g. even during touches us. The resulting holistic training, lead to mental stress and experience provides an important a competitive atmosphere counterbalance to all damaging to creativity. Recent materialistically or intellectually studies show, for example, that truncated pictures of man. 3 more and more orchestral musicians and opera singers can 2 This is an old triad of terms often used in only stand up to professional relation to art. pressure with the help of doping. 3 It is a fundamental element in the self- conception of the Christian faith that it is anchored in concretedly experienced events and not in an inner religious world or in a “believed dogma”; for “the Word hands”, see 1. Joh.1,1ff. There are thus no became flesh” and was “heard”, “seen good theological grounds for a polarity with eyes, beheld, and touched with between “senses” and “faith”. 4 2. The function of art 2. Art as cult: in society Every religion is familiar with artistic expression. In heathen In the western world (which is cults, dance, music, theatre and our main concern here), art painting were also (and are) has carried out important practiced. Art aims to make functions in society for a long some kind of experience time now. The art boom possible to of that which is mentioned above must be seen unseen (or believed). Its in the context of these factors. capacity to represent something Here some of them are in concentrated form has been summarised: of value to cultic and magical thinking since the days of cave 1. Art as a factor in the painting. history of ideas: Art – principally literature, music, sculpture, architecture and painting – has been an important factor in the history of Western ideas since classical times. Artists are often pioneers of new directions in ideas and life patterns, giving impetus to the search for truth. We can hardly imagine any period without the important contribution made by the arts. However one may define the interaction between art and philosophy or between art and 3. Art as a factor in other forces in society creating community: (economy, politic, the sciences etc.), the arts are a catalyst, Taking pleasure in art brings and sometimes even a motor, people together, whether in in the field of ideas and, concerts, theatres, museums or indirectly, in developments in cinemas. It forms an important society generally.