Truth matters; beauty doesn’t.

This is a message I’ve received over and over growing up in church, from many sources.

Unattractive flyers.

Poorly written articles.

Sermons about how what you do matters more than your appearance.

Boring, moralistic stories teaching children The Right Thing To Do.

Explicitly Christian art – music, movies, books, what have you – of much lower quality than many of their very worldly counterparts.

Terribly written books used as the basis for adult Bible classes.

There is, of course, some validity to the idea. After all, unattractive flyers might advertise a fantastic event. Terribly written books and articles could lead people to a relationship with God. A person’s appearance is not the way to measure their value. It wouldn’t be right to swing to the opposite extreme of the pendulum and begin teaching that beauty matters and truth doesn’t.

But I’m sick of the message that beauty has no importance.

I wrestled with how to write this post for weeks, because I’m not out to discourage those who create things. In his book Adorning the Dark, Andrew Peterson talks about the distinction I would like to make: “I want to reiterate that the principle of discernment is not about lording artistic eliteness over people. That would only sequester art into the realm of the expert, shutting down our God-given impulse to love with what we make.”

There are people out there doing their best because there is no one else. Maybe you’ve never touched Microsoft Word in your life, but no one else is willing to make the church bulletin every week, so here you are. Maybe public speaking scares you, but the preacher is sick and someone needs to fill in and you want to try. Maybe you’re teaching children and your crafts aren’t great, but you love those children. If you’re in this sort of position, I would certainly encourage you to learn and grow and improve where you can, but I am not talking about you. Keep it up.

There are people out there using gifts and skills and talents to serve their communities but not going beyond that. Maybe you lead singing and you have a nice voice and some musical training, but you’re not going to record an album and sell it. Maybe you decorate beautifully for events, but it’s not a skill you want to turn into a career. Again, I am not talking about you. Keep it up.

But there is a difference between serving where you are with what you have and trying to market gifts you do not have to the whole world, then expecting others to laud and support you merely because you’re sharing truth.

God is beautiful. Have you read descriptions of him in Revelation or Ezekiel or Exodus? In his presence, humans are humbled and awestruck, and they string together phrases about jewels and light and rainbows in ways that become a bit nonsensical because our experiences and words cannot encompass his glory.

God created a beautiful world. Even in its fallen state, we marvel at it on every scale, from the vast, unreachable universe to the intricate workings of minuscule atoms, and all the sunsets and flowers and puppies and smiles in between.

God created people who in their turn create beautiful things. Skyscrapers, music, paintings, stories, sermons, cars, hairstyles, cakes, Facebook cover photos. Humans are drawn to beauty in so many aspects of their lives. Perhaps that’s because beauty is a reflection, however small, of the God who created those humans in his image.

Churches do the world a disservice when they fail to recognize this. Of course we want to teach people the truth. Truth is vital. Truth glorifies God. But why would we want to teach people they can only have truth if they give up beauty? Who would want that? In a way, that’s exchanging one aspect of God for another.

Very likely, you have no control over the art other Christians put out into the world. I don’t. But I can put thought into the art I share. I hunt for beautiful and true music to share on my congregation’s Facebook page, articles to put in our bulletin, Bible story books to use when teaching children.

It takes discernment, and it’s work. I can’t declare for everyone what things are beautiful and truthful enough to be shared. Personal taste is involved; some things I find beautiful, you might not. Flaws don’t automatically disqualify things. No artist is perfect, myself very much included! Discernment requires patience and humility and prayer, and I cannot do it perfectly.

But it’s important and worthwhile, and I try. You can, too.

If you are in a position where you are choosing books or curriculum or any kind of created art to share with your church, please please remember that beauty matters. If you don’t know how to recognize it, ask for input from others in your community who do. Beautiful, truthful content is out there. Seek it.

In Philippians, at the end of a paragraph about what it looks like to rejoice in God, Paul says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (4:8).

Whatever is lovely.

Beauty glorifies God, too.

Where we go wrong is when we tilt the scales away from grace, or beauty, or excellence, as if truth were all that mattered. When you look at a Rembrandt or read a Tolkien, you’re getting lyric and melody, truth and beauty. The beauty, by its excellence, bears the truth to the world in a way that seasons culture and can arrest the attention of the staunchest atheist. – Andrew Peterson, Adorning the Dark

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