Ahem, without further ado, I give you my installment of the Wednesday Watercooler:
A couple of years ago, Randy, Nigel, myself, and dozens of other creative individuals took part in a thinktank. The goal was to brainstorm ways to start a network of "artist development centers" to support young Christians aspiring to impact mainstream culture in various disciplines of art. This hodgepodge of intellectuals got together because we were all inspired, more or less, by Bob Briner's classic Roaring Lambs. It is truly a groundbreaking text in the area of Christianity and popular culture, so if you haven't read it, I encourage you to read it. And if you've read it, then by all means read it again. All that aside, there is a basic assumption with Briner's work that a) Christianity is in the minority and b) Christian art will always face an uphill battle whenever it tries to enter the culture at large.
I'm not at all saying that either of the above is not the case, but let's take a look at a few things. First, the obvious. We have an outspoken Christian as President. All of the candidates who are running for that position in '08 are professing Christians. Most every awards show is filled with people getting up there and thanking God without whom none of their success would be possible. And you have books like the Left Behind series and Anne Rice's Christ the Lord works which are loose interpretations of Scripture and which are tearing up the best seller lists? Films like The Passion of the Christ and the Narnia series have done unbelievably well at the box office, causing big studios to roll out their own spiritual fare. A song called "Jesus Take the Wheel" recently dominated the charts, and a little Christian dude named Daughtry is the biggest rock act in recent memory. So is a thinktank even needed? Do we need to have artist development centers to support budding artists if they seem to be doing pretty well on their own?
The answer to both of the above questions would be a resounding yes. The culture at large is in need of two things from us: breadth and depth. Besides Briner's classic, another classic well worth checking out is Tim Downs' Finding Common Ground. Downs rightfully points out that we've become quite adept at "arguing our case" intellectually. We rule at debate class, and have gotten pretty good at a few others. The problem we're facing is that it's not about the actual debate: it's the assumptions that are already there. It's the music people listen to on the way to and from the debate. It's the films and television shows they talk about while waiting for the debate to start. So a breadth is needed. Not just a couple of doses of salt and light in a few key areas. Large doses of cultural preservation across a diverse spectrum. Basically, more of the same.
Or is it the same? Take music for example. There are tons of bands who are playing the mainstage at big mainstream festivals. But you wouldn't be able to tell them apart from their "secular" counterparts (I hate the word "secular" BTW) if they didn't tell you. And I don't mean this solely in the sense of lifestyle. It's the whole package. Lyrically, culturally, philosophically. Nothing different. When you get the platform, what are you supposed to do with it? My buddy Mac likes to tell the story of a Christian act he saw headline at a big venue in Atlanta awhile back. This artist had gained massive appeal with mainstream audiences. And basically said nothing from stage. Don't get me wrong - I'm not in the "you've got to give an altar call" camp by a long shot. But they literally said NOTHING. Yes, I know lyrics are a powerful thing, but in a live setting, that argument only goes so far. Everybody has an agenda and it's basically expected, just like an encore, that the artist is going to have a short soapbox moment at some point in the night. You've got to use your platform when you get it.
So yes, we need thinktanks and mentoring programs and artist development centers. We need more Switchfoots and Demon Hunters and Narnias and Facing the Giants. Young artists need assistance financially. And they need mentoring and spiritual depth so that when they do get their 15 minutes, they can use it to the best of the ability God's entrusted them with.
