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Scriptural Truth for Teaching The Arts |
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Scriptural Truth for Teaching Drama
God created man because He sought communication with one unique aspect of His creation. In the beginning, God sought out man, giving the man both a voice and a free will of expression. Created in God’s image, we seek to communicate with each other. We express our deepest needs, our sweetest thoughts, our most wondrous joys, and seek to draw others closer to the Creator by this expression through actions, spoken words, and written language.
We are all called to be communicators by our actions and our words, sharing the knowledge of God the Creator. However, to some God has given the special gifts of talent, teaching, and understanding so that these modern "Levites" can lead the children to seek out and use their own gifts for God’s glory. These are the teachers.
Just as Adam was afraid to communicate with the Almighty in the Garden, so we must understand that there will be those children who will hesitate to come forward. Using God’s example, we should gently lead them in discovering the truth and encourage them to participate without fear. There will be others, like the prophets Samuel and Nathan, who will never hesitate to speak out boldly. For these, we need to encourage discernment and a closer communication with the prompting of the Holy Spirit. There will be still others, like the Levite priests of the Temple and Tabernacle, who will possess the gift of quiet speech and leadership which God used to lead the Israelites in worship, daily study, and in preserving the Scripture.
God’s plan was clear and open communication with all creatures. Man misused and distorted the gift when he set himself up as equal with the Creator and began construction of the Tower of Babel. Communication between man and God ceased when man became full of himself and his talent in dealing with other men. This is the secular way. As the teachers of expression, we must never forget the lessons learned in scripture from the Tower of Babel: when we make the end result the primary goal and man’s ability to perform the ultimate criteria, we will end with a confused and scattered generation.
There are many individuals in Scripture whom God called out to speak in His name, but the call of Moses teaches valuable truths. Aaron, not Moses, possessed what man considered to be "talent", and yet God chose Moses to be His spokesman (Exodus 4:14-17). Why?
The secular world sees only "talent", but God sees much more. In those He calls as teachers, He gives the gift of discernment to see more than the superficial. We are called upon to see the inherent value in all children, but also to see deeper into the reluctant child to whom God has given the gifts of humility and restraint.
The emotionally-charged and moving speeches of Ruth (Ruth 16:17-18) and Esther (Esther 4:16) illustrate for us that God intends for women also to communicate and to find fulfillment in expressions.
Throughout the Scripture, we find dialogue and poetic language, stories and word pictures, impassioned speeches and tender persuasion to Salvation. How did God set about training and raising up these speakers and writers? Several points are clear from Scripture:
- Each individual was unique in the eyes of God.
- Each was called for a specific purpose and a specific time.
- Man and woman had distinct and different roles, but God called them equally to serve.
- The primary qualification for service was a willingness to serve coupled a willingness to use innate abilities given by God.
- Those who spoke for God, answered ultimately to God and God alone.
For believers, the concept of communicating the knowledge of saving grace through actions and speech is not an option. We are called upon to speak the truth. We are called to lead and encourage others in speaking and expressing the truth. As teachers, we must do this in a way that glorifies God, using God’s methods and examples.
Most children begin to speak at an early age. In what way and with what words they express themselves, must be learned. Our responsibility lies in several areas:
- We must guide students to judge carefully what they say and how they say it.
- We must show students how they are perceived by others.
- We must provide students with opportunities to use God-given talents for Him.
- We must give students the skills necessary to be clearly heard and understood.
- We must emphasize Scriptural foundations for the art of expression and work to return both drama and all the aspects of expressions to the body of believers.
God used those whom He called for many purposes and in many different ways:
- Joseph used the God-given powers of expression to interpret dreams and preserve his people from famine. (Genesis 45:11)
- Aaron and his sons used the gifts of speech and leadership to inspire the Israelites through sacrifice, offering, and blessings. (Leviticus 9:22-24)
- Deborah used the gifts of discernment and prophecy to judge the nation of Israel and to lead the army for Barak by obeying God’s message. (Judges 4:4-10)
- Ezra used the gifts of emotional and physical expression to lead the people into confession and a true repentance for their sins. (Ezra 10:1-5)
- Jesus used the gift of storytelling to instruct His disciples. (Mark 4:13-20)
- Paul used the gifts of written and spoken persuasion to boldly preach the gospel of the risen Lord and Savior. (Romans 1:14-17)
While not all expression must be sacred or specifically spiritual, all must acknowledge that whatever is presented is a gift as to the Lord. Sacrifices and offerings must be the best that we can offer to God. (Deuteronomy 15:21). They are the first fruits of our labor (Proverbs 3:9), not what is given out of fatigue and exhaustion. They are given with a cheerful heart and with the calm assurance that God is ultimately in control and will bless what we do in His name (II Corinthians 9:6-8).
Scriptural Truth for Teaching Music
When we discuss a Biblical perspective of music, we must first begin with the author of music. The first thing we learn about Him is that He is a creator ( Gen. 1:1) and that He reveals truth in His creation ( Rom. 1:20; Ps. 119). Since we are created in God’s image ( Gen. 1:26) we are God’s image bearers and so we must create well, and with truth.
However, God created some to be artists. They were chosen before the foundations of the world (Ex. 35-36) to fulfill His purposes in this way. He filled them with His spirit, skill, ability, knowledge, and the ability to teach it to others. These are the skilled craftsmen, in our case, you, the teacher of this curriculum.
Some of the students that you have in your classes will be of this craftsman variety. You should encourage them highly in the gifts that the Lord has given to them. However, other students, while not exuding the same God-given talents, must be encouraged to create as best they can. We read in the story of the building of the tabernacle that a call went out to all of Israel to create things for the tabernacle. Not all of them were the highly skilled artisans such as Bezalel and Oholiab, but still they created things of great beauty for God’s glory. In fact, they created so many things that there was not room enough for all of it and they had to tell the people to stop bringing things. ( Ex. 36:6)
- God’s system for training the musicians in His house is very straightforward:
- They lived together
- Served God with their art full-time
Skilled musicians were in charge of the instruction - Kenaniah ( I Chron. 15:16-22), Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun ( I Chron 25:1-8)
It was a mentorship process much like homeschooling. The fathers worked with the sons and all performed, according to the cast of the lot, not just those who were the most skilled.
We need to keep this process in mind as we teach the curriculum to this generation of "Levite" musicians.
Music making is not optional for believers, rather, it is a command from God. There are over two hundred specific references to making music unto the Lord. Therefore it is no more optional than prayer or Bible study.
Music making is for God, for His glory and for His purpose. As He told Bezalel, the garments of the high priest were to be created for "glory and for beauty" ( Ex. 28:2) Therefore, music that is good must glorify Him and show forth beauty to others. If we are created in His image and are to reflect that image back to Him, then Ps. 19:1 applies to us. "The heavens declare the glory of God and show forth His handiwork."
Music making is a developed skill and not a special skill. Some geniuses such as Mozart, are born with acute musical skills. However, most musicians are developed and not just born. It is therefore our position as staff members to develop the skills in these young musicians. I may be able to teach someone to play the piano, but I won’t be able to make them a musician. The developed skill is learning how to play, the God-given gift is having the soul of a musician.
Music making is the core of a right relationship with God. When our relationship with Him is wrong, music making deteriorates and disappears. Entertainment is not the goal, as this is a passive response to art. The true purpose is to involve us actively in our relationship with God.
When God’s people return to worship, they return to music making ( Ezra 3:10-11; Neh.12:27-43; II Chron. 29:26-30.) As we have observed the students in this program over the years, many of them have a false view of the purpose of music and because they have seen it as entertainment only, they have perverted God’s purpose for the art. Many have even turned away from learning about music altogether. This is truly a stronghold in our children today. If we do not expose the darkness with the truth of God’s word, even the "elect" will be deceived.
Israel understood the power of music and knew that music making was serious business, next in line to the jobs of the priests. They also believed that music was powerful, otherwise Jehoshaphat would not have sent a choir out in front of his army to fight. This is not a good tactical maneuver from a military viewpoint, but he understood that the purpose of music was not as the Greeks intended, to help the troops march in time, but rather to call in the glory of the Lord to fight for them. We must continue to see music in this light today. It is a tool for victory and a weapon to be used against the enemy. There are many other examples of Bible characters who understood the power of music in their day. Jesus understood the power of music in facing trials- Matt 26:30
- Paul and Silas- Acts 16:25
- Saul- I Sam. 16:23
- Armies- II Chron. 20:21
- Daniel and company - Dan. 3:51-90
Music is a tool for developing a personal relationship with God and He gave us the gift of music to respond to him. ( Ps. 40:3; Ps. 30:11-12; Ps. 42:8) Music making is seen in our commitment to praise Him. ( Ps. 71:22-23; Ps. 61:8)
Music is also a tool for supporting one another. There is a link between Christ living in the believer, singing, supporting one another, and thankfulness and celebration. ( Eph. 5:19-20)
God intended our music making to instruct others and provide a witness to His truth. This does not mean that all music must be sacred, but since all truth is God’s truth, any music that expresses truth instructs others and provides a witness for Him. Spiritual teaching through music was intended for believers and non-believers alike. ( Acts. 16:25; Ps. 89:1; Ps. 105:2;
Ps. 119:172 ) If we would return to this ideal of music, non-believers may be won to the truth of the Lord through proper instruction found in well written, well prepared, well performed music.
Spiritual Truth for Teaching Art
When we discuss a Biblical perspective of art, we must first begin with the author of art. The first thing we learn about Him is that He is a creator ( Gen. 1:1) and that He reveals truth in His creation ( Rom. 1:20; Ps. 119). Since we are created in God’s image ( Gen. 1:26) we are God’s image bearers and so we must create well, and with truth. Therefore, to believe the lie that you are not creative is blasphemy.
The current belief, that only those engaged in the "arts" are creative, is a lie begun in the Classical period with the compartmentalization of life through the philosophies of the Enlightenment. Prior to that time the ancients believed that the making of anything was an art. Aristotle stated that art was the capacity to make, and rightfully this is an excellent definition of art; the God-given capacity of human beings to make things.
Prior to the building of museums in the Classical period, all work was considered an art. That is why most "artists" of the Medieval period didn’t sign their name to their work. In their mind set this would be like putting your name on the clothing you made, or the house you built, or the boat you designed. It was simply ludicrous to them to think that work was not art and that "art" should be elevated to a higher position with a cultural elite as we have today.
This fragmentation of life led to three distinctions in art as outlined by Gene Veith in his book The State of the Arts.
Functional Art
Joining the practical with the aesthetic. This area includes such occupations as architecture, industrial design, packaging, marketing and communication.
Decorative Arts
Decor conveys meaning. In our homes and choices of clothing and cars, it is a personal and sentimental and comfort message that we seek. In architecture, the decor of a building can easily convey the purpose or philosophy of the building’s occupants. In churches it proclaims what we believe about God. Since God created beauty in our world we should imitate this character quality.
Fine Arts
This is the area that we have come to compartmentalize as "art" today. It is the "frivolous" area and one which has no true purpose in the eyes of many. This form of art exists only for contemplation and demands us to think and pay close attention to the detail which we are seeing or hearing. As Gene Veith stated " In these arts aesthetics and meaning are expressed in their most purposeful way."
The creation of art is for God, for His glory, and for His purpose. As He told Bezalel, the garments of the high priest were to be created for "glory and for beauty" ( Ex. 28:2) From this we learn several things about God and His ideas on the arts:
Art is in God’s will
The tabernacle was designed to glorify God and to instruct His people. God didn’t want to be worshiped outside as the pagan gods were worshiped, neither did He desire to be worshiped in a plain tent. Rather He placed great value on the details of design and construction of both the tabernacle and, later, the Temple.
Since art is to be for Glory and for beauty, only the best is appropriate for God.
This means that beauty is an end in itself and that God values aesthetics for their own sake.
Therefore, art that is good must glorify Him and show forth beauty to others. If we are created in His image and are to reflect that image back to Him, then Ps. 19:1 applies to us. "The heavens declare the glory of God and show forth His handiwork."
God created some of His creatures to be artists. They were chosen before the foundations of the world (Ex. 35-36) to fulfill His purposes in this way. He filled them with His spirit, skill, ability, knowledge, and the ability to teach it to others. One such person was Bezalel, the Scriptural example of an artist.
Bezalel was given all of these gifts of God so that he could create a tabernacle of beauty for His creator. This was an act of spiritual worship. Veith further states that " The act of creation is a response to God’s blessings and an offering of beauty to the Designer and Creator of existence, the ultimate source of all blessing and all beauty."
Bezalel’s works really fell into three categories of art:
Abstract art
This is a representation of nothing in particular, but is rather a form of design which is ordered, intricate and complex. Examples of this are the designs which were to be woven into the curtains of the Tabernacle as well as such intricate details as we see in the illuminated manuscripts of the Medieval period.
Abstract art can present abstractions such as power, order, beauty and glory without representing a specific creature.
Representational art
This type of art doesn’t represent God but rather the works of God. When Bezalel decorated God’s house with images of things God Himself had created, he was offering back to Him a work of praise. This type of art makes the invisible realities of God, visible to the human eye.
Symbolic art
Made to glorify God and build the faith of the worshipers. An example of this would be the ark of the covenant. Although each of the pieces of furniture in the tabernacle was designed for a specific, practical function, there was also an element of symbolic art present in that the practical in the today represents the eternal in the future.
Since all of these forms of art exist in Scripture, it is our responsibility to teach it to others in a godly manner. Since you, the teacher of this curriculum have been chosen by God before the foundations of the earth to be a craftsman, and since you likewise have been gifted by God with skill, ability, knowledge, the Holy Spirit, and the ability to teach, it is your responsibility to seek out these truths and apply them to your lives in your work with the students at The Master’s Academy.
Some of the students that you have in your classes will be of this craftsman variety. You should encourage them highly in the gifts that the Lord has given to them. However, other students, while not exuding the same God-given talents, must be encouraged to create as best they can. We read in the story of the building of the tabernacle that a call went out to all of Israel to create things for the tabernacle. Not all of them were the highly skilled artisans such as Bezalel and Oholiab, but still they created things of great beauty for God’s glory. In fact, they created so many things that there was not room enough for all of it and they had to tell the people to stop bringing things. ( Ex. 36:6)
We must yet bear in mind that while all of the arts can and should be a response to God and a ministry to other human beings, they can at the same time be instrumental in leading people away from Him. The idolatry of Israel serves as a warning to us as explained in Rom 1:25 .
"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator."
We as teachers must guard against the subtle traps of idolatry as we teach art:
Be careful to worship God and not what God has created
Do not worship what man has created. This idea is so totally pervasive in our culture today and is the reason why so many artists have become "idols" to others.
Make sure that your passion is centered on the Creator of things rather than the things that He created.
Let not the idolatry of replacing the Creator with the created appear in your work or in your thought processes. We must be vigilant to guard our hearts and our minds in this way. We are to imitate God’s creation and Him as the ultimate Creator. Yet you yourself are finite and the only true Creator is God since He is the only one who can create out of nothing. ( Gen. 1) Yet God is gracious to us and multiplies His creativity in His children. Let us use this gifts to honor Him and to teach others how to honor Him in like manner.
Spiritual Truth for Teaching History
Since history forms the core around which the remainder of the Master’s Academy program orbits, it is important to know what God has to say about understanding history. In The Encyclopedia of Bible Truths for School Subjects, an outline is given which greatly benefits our understanding of why we teach history in the first place.
God directed that written records be kept. Ex. 17:14; 34:27-28; Deut. 17:18-20; 31:19-22; Jer. 30:2; Dan. 12:4,8,9; Luke 1:1-4. Because........
God wants us to know history. This is evidenced by the fact that the Bible is mostly an historical record of events for our use. In that, we cannot doubt God’s interest in history for our benefit. Deut. 1:1-4:2; Josh. 24:1-13; Ps. 78
God expects us to learn from a knowledge of history . Deut. 4:32-34; 7:17-19; II Chron. 20:6-13; Ezek 5:13; Dan. 5:18-23; 9:11-14; I Cor. 10:11.
God has a plan that He is carrying to completion and history records the progress of that plan. Isa. 45:18; Gen. 1:26; 3:15; 12:2; Jer. 32:37-44; Matt 5:17-18; Lk. 24:27; I Cor. 15:23-28; Eph. 1:10-12; Eph. 2:7; 3:10; Ps. 150:6.
God’s dealings in history show us what He is like. Gen. 6:8; 7:1; 8:1; Ps. 107; 136; Jer. 44:20-23; John 3:16; I Tim. 1:13-14.
God holds believers responsible for fitting into His plan and being His instruments. Rom. 6:13; 12:1-2; Eph. 2:10;
It is with these basic principles in mind that we undertake the teaching of history. As was stated in the Foreword of this curriculum, history is simply the retelling of "His Story" and through it we see the revealing of God’s plan through the ages.
We must always keep these concepts in mind as we teach history. This will put us in a place of truly understanding the cultures and peoples of both the past and the present with an eye towards seeing what God is "up to" and where we fit into that plan at this point in history.
As stated previously, while our goal is to expose the children to the culture and people of each time period, it is not merely for the learning of facts and pertinent information, but rather it is to see how God was at work amongst the people of that time, what decisions they made, how that affected them, and what the next group of people did about those choices. Our end goal is to show the students that they too can have an affect on history for good or for evil depending on the choices they make and especially as they pertain to the way the students portray their art to a watching world.
Suggested Reading for the Scriptural Principles Section:
Encyclopedia of Bible Truths for School Subjects - Dr. Ruth C. Haycock
How Should We Then Live - Dr. Francis Schaeffer
Modern Art and the Death of a Culture - Rookmaaker
Music Education in the Christian Home - Dr. Mary Ann Froelich
Pop Culture Wars - William D. Romanowski
The State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe by Gene Veith
Understanding the Times - David A. Noebel
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