Evangelism And The Arts Part 2
- Aleeca King (Guest Writer)
- Nov 24, 2015
- 3 min read
If you missed part 1, no worries, read it here before continuing.
Shai Linne is simply rapping about what interests him, as all artists do. But he’s a Christian, he raps about Jesus. The non-Christian world notices him, not because of his message but because of how good he is at what he does.
Lecrae made an appearance on the Tonight Show on Jimmy Kimmel in January. You don’t normally expect these secular shows to invite Christians, but Lecrae has such a high quality of work that they noticed. In other radio interviews on non-Christian stations, they sometimes feature a Christian artist, not because they want to hear about Jesus, but because they appreciate good art.
Our responsibility as artists is to do it to our best. And as Christians, we will naturally share what is most important to us. And in that way, we can point people to Christ. Let us not compromise the message in trying to ‘reach’ people. It is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16), not our catchy tunes.
When doors are open
Evangelism really shouldn’t be divorced from discipleship. In the great commission (Matthew 28:18-19), Jesus’ final instructions before leaving earth were for us to make disciples. That includes teaching them to obey everything. It requires building relationships and investing time on an individual level. Evangelism is a starting point to that goal, where the gospel is shared. It is an important step, but as much as is possible, should always be followed up with more long lasting investments.
For Christian parents, the Lord has made the job easier for us by dropping unsaved children right into our laps (pun intended) to train into disciples. During secondary school and university, we used to make up little jingles or acrostics so we could recall what we studied easily in an exam. As a parent of very young children, music has been a useful tool in helping my sons to understand and remember Scriptural truths. The wonderful thing about being able to recall something is that even if we don’t understand it at that time, we can always go back to it. Before children can talk, we start teaching them the alphabet song so that they can use that information to learn to read. In the same way, we start to teach children the basics of Christianity so they can build on it as they grow.
If I asked you, right now, to recite a Bible verse, you will probably say one that you learned during childhood. And many of the verses I know, well, I didn’t even know they were from the Bible because I just knew them as songs! As I’ve grown in Christ, it is often these same songs or verses that are a source of instruction when I don’t know what to do or encouragement during difficult times.
Deuteronomy 6:7 tells parents to constantly be talking to their children about the laws of the Lord. Then verses 8 and 9 go a step further and tell us to even tie it on our bodies and put it up around our homes.
It’s not surprising that visual aids are an effective means of getting a message across, especially to pre-literate children. The Jesus films have been quite useful to pre-literate tribes on the mission field.
I’ll often sit with my son and read a story. Even though he can’t read yet, he can open the book and tell me what’s happening on any given page because of what he has associated with the pictures. Churches are often identified by a cross in the front. If children have pictures and symbols around them, it will serve as a reminder of what they are to believe. I’m so very grateful for the special talent that the Lord has given to visual artists and designers for not only as a tool to teach my children about the Lord, but also to stand boldly as a witness.
The arts can be used as an effective tool to both draw attention to the gospel as well as to teach the gospel directly. It remains the responsibility of the artist to be excellent in their craft as well as to immerse themself in the Truths of Scripture so that it comes out in their art.
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About The Blogger
Aleeca King was born in Jamaica but lives in Barbados with her husband Mario. She enjoys being a full-time mom to her two sons, Judah and Ezra. Her love for Word and her desire to see others grow has led her to blog occasionally and to volunteer with IS/IVCF Barbados. She fellowships with the believers at Cliff Cottage in St. John.
Further Readings
Deuteronomy 6
Matthew 28
Romans 1
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