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Christian Network

A recent editorial in a Christian news magazine here declared that the written word is the pre-eminent media for evangelism. The teacher who wrote the piece strongly implied that this is by divine design. His basic premise was that Christ is described as "the Word" and the Bible is a written document; therefore words are far superior to any other form of expression used in spreading the Gospel. The implication is that other communicative forms such as art, music, drama and motion pictures are, at best, secondary means to bring people to God and, at worst, a distraction. This is a hugely presumptuous viewpoint.

Few would argue that God is the original Source of every form of beauty. All the creativity of man is simply a manifestation of that aspect of the divine image in us. It has been said that the first thing we learn in the beginning chapter of Genesis about the Lord is that He is an artist. It can also be safely said that He’s an artist who works in forms other than that of the written word; otherwise we ourselves would only be able to write to express truth and beauty and we have been clearly gifted to do far more than that. Just ask Michelangelo, Handel, Shakespeare or Spielberg.

In fact it can be argued that God reaches different people in different ways based on how He has designed each individual to receive His truth. For some that is no doubt through reading. But for others it may be something else. For instance I read the Bible everyday but it has often been music and movies that have brought me into some of my most profound experiences of the Divine presence. Yet a painting, no matter how well executed, usually leaves me cold. I will not, however, take from this that no one could come to know God in a sublime way through viewing such a painting for that would imply that what works for me works for everyone.

It is apparent that the "Word" of God is manifested through other means than the lower case "word". One obvious example of this is in nature. The tropical ocean is not inhabited by words. It is inhabited by fish, fish that are often brilliantly colored for no other easily discernable reason than perhaps the Creator’s delight in beauty for beauty’s sake. While it cannot be argued that an Angelfish could bring someone to a theological understanding of the Atonement that does not mean it could not start an atheist thinking about Who might be behind such a gorgeous creature. Nature declares the glory of our creative God and most certainly can play a part in wooing a human soul to Him.

If this is true how much more can a manmade song or motion picture with a specifically God-revealing theme serve as a vessel of the Holy Spirit’s redemptive work? In fact even some art created by person’s who are not Professed Christians might be used as that kind of vessel. We cannot, and should not, put God in a box by making the "sacred/secular split" so rigid that we impede a divine work we may just not understand. Perhaps a "secular" movie is the Lord’s chosen instrument for reaching a human being who would otherwise never set foot in a church.

Is the written word necessary to actually bring a person to a heart understanding of the Gospel? Perhaps, but the saving work of Christ is not limited to literal words. It may be instructive here to remember what St. Francis of Assisi is said to have spoken: "Every day I preach the Gospel and sometimes I use words". By this he mainly meant the practical work of loving people but perhaps Francis also knew that God can use almost anything to make Himself known to us.